Ants

Sometimes I think we're just living on top of a giant ant colony. One day the ants will run out of space, tunnel too much dirt, and everything - houses, roads , people - will fall in.



The little buggers are everywhere, especially at this time of year.

Some days are filled with nothing but rain. Occasionally that’s a metaphor, but sometimes it’s quite literal. For example, once again following Honour McMillan’s intrepid footsteps, I  visited H22O, a region with its own kind of beauty - and plenty of rain.

 Oh, sure, the arrival point isn’t wet, just overcast:



And it’s nice and dry inside the lighthouse:



 Outside, however, is a different matter. Water and rain, rain and water:



I’m reminded of the song:

Last night the dealer offered me a new hand
Laid out so simply, thought I'd understand
With a different name, different face, different town, different place
In the same little world. 

When there's nothing left to salvage
When losing it all doesn't mean a thing
I pray for the never ending rain
To wash it all away. 

I set out on foot straight down the grade
Laying crumbs and seeds to mark the paths I'd laid
I found the northern lights, western shore, eastern front, southern cross
And soon I was home. 

(chorus) 

Every day I read the paper and I pray for the flood
But the rain always stops at the first sign of mud
I want to feel it all, feel it burn, watch it twist and feel it turn
And leave nothing behind. 

(chorus) 

(Steve Wynn - "Never Ending Rain")

The statue below reminds me of one of Doctor Who’s Weeping Angels, about to claim another victim:

A Random Friday Evening

Friday evening. A long week of work.

A jigger of Bombay gin. A splash of vermouth. The two mix with ice, the liquids melding with the melting cubes, creating a reassuring clink against the metal of the shaker.

Two olives at the bottom of a crystal glass. Cold liquid poured into the glass. Condensation forms instantly, and beads of sweat trickle down the sides.

A sip - nectar! - and the work week is but a distant memory.

Timing is Everything: The Audio Guide to Babylon 5

In watching classic Doctor Who episodes for a second time, and mostly in order - I'm up to “Pyramids of Mars” - I was thrown off course by an episode of The Incomparable! podcast, discussing Babylon 5. I had never seen the show, not a single episode. I don't recall why - perhaps because I saw Babylon 5 as an inferior imitation of Star Trek: Deep Space 9, itself a show I rarely watched. How interesting could hanging around a space station be?

Very interesting indeed, according to the participants in the podcast: host Jason Snell, Erika Ensign (of the Verity! Doctor Who podcast), Chip Sudderth (of the Two-Minute Time Lord podcast), Andy Ihnatko, and Michael Gartenberg. Their love of the show convinced me to try it. Amazon had better prices on DVDs than I could get for iTunes downloads, so I bought Season 1 and was immediately hooked.

In a fortuitous coincidence, Erika Ensign and Chip and Shannon Sudderth have joined forces to start The Audio Guide to Babylon 5. They plan on discussing each episode of the series, in order, on a biweekly schedule. As I'm nearly done Seasons 1 and 2, I'm enough ahead of them that spoilers shouldn't be a problem, while I've watched those episodes recently enough that they're still reasonably fresh in memory.

And - spoiler alert! - the show is nothing like Deep Space 9. It's much better.

Mayfair Woods

My modest place in Caledon Mayfair - my little cottage is certainly no threat to the stature of my fellow residents - has seen a number of neighbors come and go, both businesses and residences. I don’t think my presence has been the kiss of death to these ephemeral folk, though one would be wise to consider all possibilities, especially before placing one’s hard-earned cash on a parcel.

As one can see from the picture below, however, trees have grown on the parcel. The owner, Mr. Steadman Kondor, has dubbed the place Maefayr Woods.



Alternative spelling or no, the woods should provide relief from the summer heat.