Kemptville, 113km
At 25C and irrepressibly sunny, today was truly summer-like. I drained 2.25 litres of water on this out-and-back trip punctuated by a delicious if excessive for biking lunch at my…
cmkl
Champlain, 56km
What a glorious evening for a bike ride. Temperature in the mid 20s, sunny. Gentle wind. There were gajillions of cyclists out on the Gatineau Parkway (it opens to cars…
Treasury Board takes Crown corporations from arm’s length to short and curly length
To hear Pierre Poilievre howl about the Conservative government’s plans to put a Treasury Board negotiator at the bargaining table of Canada’s Crown corporations you’d think that the places were…
Dalmeny – 101km
Perfect day for a bike ride. Sunny, cloudless, a wind that seemed mostly to chase me everywhere I went. This is not a bad route. I had planned to come…
Merit Canada wants to keep unions out of politics even as they play politics themselves
The nerve. Chapter one: Terrance Oakey, the spokesmuppet for Merit Contractors Association, a lobby group that wants, among other things, laws passed to require unions to cough up private information…
Stittsville, 82km
Unseasonably cold, but sunny. Discovered Corktown Road, which runs east-west between Carling at Andrew Haydon Park and March Road. Traffic free. Scenic. Use it to link up with the Ottawa…
After Cavedale Road I will fear no hill
Wow. That was totally exhilarating. And humiliating. I rented a wonderful carbon framed bike with Shimano DI2 gropo from Wine Country Cyclery.
My mom (guest post by Irene Jansen)
My mother, Wilhelmina Jansen, passed away April 4. I wanted to write this personal note about what my mother gave me.
Wilhelmina Jansen, 1924 – 2013
Wilhelmina Jansen, my partner Irene Jansen’s mother passed away today after a short illness. She was 88.
Metcalfe – 95km
Since I’m so much later starting than last year, I figured I’d skip some of the normal, 40km or 60km startup rides. Why not hey? After all, I did more…
Hockey, curling good. Cycling bad: Tory yo-yo tariffs
Not that this would change my voting preferences. The Tories lost me at Robert Stanfield. But it bothers me deeply that the latest federal budget lowers tariffs on hockey equipment…
Suddenly Jim Flaherty is worried about races to the bottom
More about this “banana republic” intervention Jim Flaherty waged on Manulife Financial to get them to raise their five year mortgage rate. Apparently he did it because he’s worried about…
Mulcair tells Flaherty to leave the free market alone
Jim Flaherty got all displeased today about Manulife Financial’s plan to reduce its five year mortgage rate to 2.99%. I know. I’m falling asleep just typing it. Manulife got all…
Some moments in my life are truly awesome
Mallory said this to me after we got back from her Oma and Opa’s place this afternoon. Don’t know what she was thinking of but I thought of her going…
Another year, another cookie
Mallory was in the cookie race again. No idea how she finished overall but she headed out strongly. I saw here smoke someone else from her heat climbing the hill…
The next thing you hear about Mallory’s sleep habits
Will be when I announce she slid moving out of the house to go to university, join the circus or whatever she decides to do as an adult. Because both…
Really the end of co-sleeping this time… maybe?
In November 2011, Mallory started sleeping on her own after co-sleeping since she was an infant. At the time, it was an event we’d been hoping for since 2008.
Auto insurance rate cut? Andrea Horvath, throw your base a bone would you? Call for public auto insurance
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horvath has announced three major legislative priorities for the newly rogued/de-rogued/re-rogued Ontario legislature and I must say I am underwhelmed. I see why she’s opted for…
You know I want to like Stephen Harper
Like this whole A Day in the Life thing wants me to. I really do. I want to believe he’s a hardworking, earnest human man who throws himself earnestly into…
What is the worst portage you’ve ever done?
There’s probably a reason 70 per cent of the people who visit Ontario Parks never visit the interior. Portages.