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Saturday 25th January 2003

Finally managed to take some pictures and will add them as soon as they are returned. .. Walking with the dog and her friends. Never seem to be able to get a picture of myself tho'!

Dogs, friends, snow

How different this January has been - from the weather last year - which see in my diary pages: link at the end of this page. There is a huge "U" shape formed in the jet stream. This seems to be bringing air down from the Arctic - and it continues all the way down south into the citrus growing areas of the States.

Friday 24th January 2003

Really envy your springlike weather in England ..It is still abominably cold here - anything from minus 8 to minus 35. It's so uncomfortable to walk the dog .. I dress up with about six or eight layers, then return home dripping with perspiration, unable to shed any layers because of the freezing. It makes for a lot of laundry.

This morning I walked with my pal as usual and she picked up a can of mushroom soup. I opened and mixed it for her and she really enjoyed that. Hope mushrooms not bad for dogs. Well they're supposed to be omnivores, but I know onions and chocolate are bad for them. She is getting a bit too fat again - as well as her regular food she picks up snacks and sandwiches all the time. Often I see food being dropped by the new immigrant families (as I did this morning). They go to the Food Bank for free offerings. Then, because they are so cold and inadequately dressed, they drop food and clothing along the street. They are usually housed in the cheap but overheated apartment blocks, which set them up for illness. I suppose anything is better than the conditions which they escape from in their own countries.

I tried to take some pictures this morning, but the battery was too cold, so the camera wouldn't work. .. even tho' I wore it under my coat. Oh well, that's Canada for you. At least we don't have those terrible fires as they do in Australia.

Sunday 19th January 2003

It's still dreadfully cold here and Toronto has "cold alert" - to prevent the homeless from freezing at night. I just took Sue for her evening walk, but could only make it one block and had to make a dash for cover.

You asked me what a "cold alert" can do for the homeless: A "cold alert" warns everyone to watch out for their ears and hands freezing .. It may seem strange, but your ears (and pets' ears) can freeze and actually crack off before you even know it. Also, the city opens all kinds of buildings with beds and heat for the homeless when there is a cold alert. So, if anyone sees homeless persons asleep or unconscious they are supposed to call the police to pick said persons up and get them indoors .. otherwise there would be frozen bodies in the street next morning.

My movie this week was Kangaroo Jack .. a very pleasant bit of fun, well animated with an amazing group of kangaroos. I'm sure you would enjoy it, when it comes out on tapes or discs.

Friday 19th January 2003

Even colder! Windchill minus 30. .. (As you usually keep your household freezer at minus 8, you can understand that minus 30 is probably cold enough to flash-freeze). Just the same, the sun is shining brilliantly and a morning walk was quite pleasant, with the snow crystals crunching underfoot like iced diamonds. I met some oriental people with their little children - apparently being introduced to our weather and ways. They had all new brightly coloured parkas and a sled for the babies to enjoy the slope. I asked if they minded my golden - Sue .. but they didn't understand a word, as usual. More and more I am feeling lonely - although Canadians are supposed to speak English or French, very often I am meeting people who cannot speak either. They keep to themselves. Their women, cloistered in the house, seem afraid to go out. They do not learn, or are not permitted to learn.

Wednesday 15th January 2003

Weather extremely cold again this morning .. in fact has been so for days. Each day we get another coating of snow. By now I am fed up with spending hours shovelling and am, instead, sitting playing with the computer and doing some housework. About the only place I can safely exercise is the gym, which is miles away. This means more money for gasoline. The price of gasoline seems to go up daily.

Recently everyone received a refund cheque for overcharges on electricity bills. So, yesterday I had a house gas bill .. Guess what! It has gone up even more than the electricity!

Sunday 12th January 2003

My movie this afternoon was "Star Treck, Nemesis". As usual, I am a useless movie critic .. I always enjoy Star Treck movies and even the rather drawn-out battle was, to me, interesting and entertaining. I share their philosophy and conclusions about clones - i.e. that clones or their originals are shaped by their environment, background, experiences, lives. Wonderful special effects, models and art work, as always.

The weather over here has been quite horrible - as usual for January. We currently have a layer of snow over ice, which makes walking really hazardous. However, it could be worse .. and like Brer Rabbit "If you can't find somethin' nice to say, don't say nuthin' at all".

Visit a site for many photographs of North American Birds and animals.

Rhona Raskin Home Page at http://www.rhona.com.