Hogtown City Limits XIII

To Toronto City Centre Airport (CYTZ) on the yellow Brompton bicycle. Stop in to see Sam at Druxy's, the coffee shop in the old control tower. The building is covered in mould, both the exterior and interior are badly in need of repair and refurbishment. I’m told that the roof is leaking. This is no way to treat a National Historic Site – neglected would sum it up. I've written to Lloyd Alter, President of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, to see what can be done.
Meanwhile the boroughmongers are playing trains. We continue on to the Roundhouse, near the Rogers Centre, where the city is constructing a fake railway exhibition. Some interesting old railway engines are left outside to deteriorate when they should be kept under cover - the original purpose of the Roundhouse. A toy train will provide rides while the site has been severed from the national railway network, thereby ensuring that no real trains will ever arrive.
Saturday evening to Nando's Restaurant in Leaside for spicy chicken. See Toronto Ethnic Eats.

Porter takes lefties to the slaughter

An inspiring story in the Globe and Mail of how Porter Airlines took on all comers and triumphed. "Large Imperfect" Mayor Miller, former hack Adam Vaughan, and his rentamob, must be grinding their teeth. You can't keep a good man down. Bring on Air Canada Jazz and Continental Airlines.

Rapping on the Rocket IV

Monday: Great gig with Debby Matthews and Briony Newman from South Street Bonfire Society; Toby Collins on visually-impaired cricket; Andrew & Romy from the Pelham Arms about the pub, with Briana Lynn Hardyman, singer and songwriter, on the phone from Nashville, Tennessee.
Tuesday: Steve Williams talked about Lewes Psychedelic Festival to be held at the All Saints Centre in the summer; Dave Underwood and Steve Reeve of the Koan Brothers played live in the studio; Mich Lorec, Nikki Gunson, John Geering and Paul Slot from Waterloo Bonfire Society played their choice of music and discussed the new arrangements for Bonfire Night.
Wednesday: Commercial Square Bonfire Society at 17:00: Peter Schueler, John and Ben Botting with Sharon Reid; followed by Steve Bland and Lucy Crook of the Cliffe Bonfire Society, golfing aficionados and beer-runners extraordinaire, at 18:00. A surreal experience. Thanks to Ansis for the music.
Thursday: 18:00-00:00 Bonfire 2009 on Rocket FM.
Friday: 09:00-11:00 sat in with Paul Watts as second banana; interviewed Dr Tony Parker re the industrial wind turbine at Glyndebourne. 21:00 Closedown.

Rapping on the Rocket III

My guests on week three of Rocket FM were:
Monday: Vic Elsey, poet; Andrew Embling from the Brighton & Hove Motor Club.
Tuesday: Fru Norris from Lewes Community Theatre, photographer; Nigel Lewis, drummer with Firebird and the Moonshine band.
Wednesday: Matt Street and Keith Austin from Southover Bonfire Society; John Bleach from Sussex Archeological Society.
Thursday: Jack Kellett, guitarist; Mick Hawksworth, drummer.

Rapping on the Rocket II

My guests on week two of Rocket FM were:
Monday: Kate Boxall, local author and friend of cats and dogs; June Eade, Empress of the Cliffe; John May, the generalist.
Tuesday: Martin and Lio Spinelli, local heroes; Kit Wood from Lewes Old Grammar School.
Wednesday: Luke Brown and Peter Martin from Nevill Juvenile Bonfire Society; Charlie Croydon and Lindsey Shakoori from Lewes Constitutional Club.
Thursday: Derek Watts, local author; Kate Turvey, theatre director and singer.

Rapping on the Rocket

The internet week on Rocket FM is done and we are now transmitting on 87.8 FM. My guests in week one were:
Tuesday: Tim Cody, singer, songwriter and author; Conrad Bladey of the Baltimore Bonfire Society.
Wednesday: Adrian Stovold, musician from tastic.biz; Olivia Murphy, architecture student and diver.
Thursday: Tony Willmett, concert promoter in Cyprus; Eric Eggleston, rock singer in Ottawa, Canada.

You can listen to Rocket FM here.

Goldmine at the Glen

I discovered this motor racing archive hiding in plain sight in Watkins Glen, New York. Must get down there one day.

Lame duck Mayor does disservice to investment

Lame duck Mayor Miller has added a third job to his portfolio as interim chief executive officer of Invest Toronto. He is already Chairman of this organisation. I'm not sure how this allows him to spend more time with his family. In the gobbledegook of management speak: "The mission of Invest Toronto is to promote Toronto as a destination for businesses to invest, grow and prosper."
He is fatally compromised in such a role. What if an entrepreneur wants to meet him on arrival at Toronto City Centre Airport? "Oh, no, I can't possibly go there!" he will cry. What if said entrepreneur wants to invest in Toronto City Centre Airport? "Oh, no, I advise against it!" Surely Invest Toronto deserves better than a quacking lame duck with an impeccable anti-business record. No doubt his appointment and the sudden announcement of his departure from the mayoralty were intimately connected. A sinecure was needed in a hurry.
Mayor Miller's legacy is printed on Page 5 of the Globe and Mail today - a full-page advertisement for Porter Airlines!

Farming Notes

On our recent trip to Spain I commented on the fields of scorched sunflowers thinking they were crop failures. Lo and behold there were the same fields in the Charente in France. Seems it is normal procedure to let the sunflowers dry and shrivel before harvesting and processing. You live and learn.

Take me out to the ballgame

I received a last-minute invite to the end-of-season baseball game at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Blue Jays came from behind to beat the Seattle Mariners 5-4. This is sport with a showbiz flavour.