End of the York Yeomen?

I've written about the appalling York Yeomen before. Now it would appear they may be finished. According to this release from the ORU, the Yeoman adult teams are suspended until January 1st, 2008. In other words they are banned for the remainder of this season and all of next season. In addition, there is a special dispensation for their players to transfer to other existing clubs so the intent is clear. It's a death sentence. Funnily enough, I have no idea what happened on July 29th but I can guess.

In happier rugby news, the Nomads put together a much needed bonus point win, defeating Brantford 28-17 on Wednesday night.

On yer bike

It's a rather lovely late summer, early fall day here. It's around 20C and quite breezy. The sun is shining and there are white caps on the lake. I just back from riding my bike out along the lake to RC Harris Filtration Plant [1] and back. Slowish going eastbound because of the wind. Back in a flash. I detoured via the point at Ashridge's Bay Park on the way back to watch people out sailing on the lake and a young loon fishing. I saw a snake on Cherry St too. All in all it was very pleasant.

I got back to my morning chuckle via springheel_jack: ICE arrests 15 aliens in Roswell.

fn1: Filtration plants aren't usually of much interest but the RC Harris is a rather beautiful complex of art deco buildings set on lawns sloping back from the lake. Readers of Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion will recognise it. Unfortunately the grounds, which are normally open to the public, are closed due to construction work.

Campaign for real sandwiches

I went for a long, long bike ride this morning so come lunchtime I was ravenous and there wasn't much to eat around here so I headed off to the St. Lawrence market in search of the legendary veal sandwich. These things are a sight to behold and defy most definitions of sandwich. They take a crusty roll that's maybe eight inches by five inches and split it lengthwise. Into this they put a breaded veal cutlet, several slices of fried eggplant, tomato sauce (the kind one puts on pasta), sauteed mushrooms, sweet peppers and hot peppers. Any sort of side dish would be unthinkable. I can barely eat one of those things and I'm a total pighearty eater. The lemur usually eats half and keeps half for another meal. Not something I'd dare to eat every day but man, are they good.

Danger UXB!

My aged 'rents live in the ever so quiet heart of the Costa Geriatrica; half or mile or so back from the sea just east of the sleepy Dorset town of Christchurch. The nearest the place ever gets to drama is when some elderly gent backs his Jag into the front of the local supermarket. That's what I thought until my mum sent me the this press cutting.

It appears that local builders ran smack into an unexploded German 500 pound bomb. After cutting a few bits off and drilling a few holes they decided to get the local bobby to check it out. Good idea! (nb. this is why Britain needs more Polish builders. They are probably better at recognising German bombs)

Anyhow Chez 'Rents is just outside initial 200m evacuation zone but well inside the extended 600m zone. However, whoever dropped off the evacuation order didn't bother to ring the doorbell or anything so the first my parents knew about the evacuation was three hours after they were supposed to have gone. They and their neighbours decided that leaving the houses with doors and windows open, as instructed, was just making it too easy for the local scallies so they decided to have a few drinks and stay put.

As my mum said, what can you expect when you live on what used to be a wartime American airbase?

It must be a holiday weekend!

Text Forecast from Environment Canada
Toronto Island: Issued 3.30 PM EDT Friday 1 September 2006

Tonight
Increasing cloudiness early this evening. Wind east 20 km/h gusting to 40. Low 17.

Saturday
Cloudy. Rain at times heavy beginning in the morning. Amount 10 to 15 mm. Wind northeast 40 km/h gusting to 60 except gusting to 80 along the lakeshore. High 18 with temperature falling to 15 in the afternoon.

Saturday night
Rain at times heavy. Amount 15 to 25 mm. Wind northeast 50 km/h gusting to 70 becoming east 30 overnight. Low 13.

Sunday
Periods of rain. High 19.

All in all, perfect for the Air Show as usual.