Today Barb and I toddled off to the Health and Fitness Expo at the Exhibition Park. I was of two minds about attending this but I knew that Barb was really keen to off we went and I am really glad that we did. Leaving aside the crass commercialism of "buy our yoghurt and you'll be healthy ever after" stuff and "join our gym" there were some interesting speakers on nutrition, fitness and cooking. We also bought an exercise device to replace the surgical tubing that we have aboard at present. This thing is a little better in that it comes with handles and can be used for a series of exercise routines that will allow us to maintain tone in muscle groups that normally don't get much of a workout aboard. Barb also found a fellow from Europe that was over here pushing his home made soap and soap products, and a couple of businesses that sell kitchen utensils. Since we got in free it was a morning well spent. I was looking at it from the perspective of someone who will be back there as staff in one of the exhibits for the upcoming Halifax Boat Show.

From there we went off to the book store where I got a DK book for the Caribbean and another Bill Bryson book detailing one of the trips that he made through small town mid western America. I have read the first chapter which has re-hooked me on his style of writing. Barb can always tell when I am reading one of his books as I am sitting there chuckling and snorting to myself.

Maybe it's my years in the military or something like that but I never cease to be amazed at the number of people that you come across that seem to think that the laws only apply to other people. Oh, I'm not talking about theft or violence or anything like that, but municipal bylaws seem to be commonly and conveniently overlooked. We take Peri for his daily poop-ambulations on walks through municipal parks that are clearly signed "Dogs must be leashed" and "pick up after your dog". But every day I come across someone who thinks that they don't have to obey those bylaws. Today, for instance, there was a well dressed, otherwise very nice lady walking the other way along the path who asked me, "Have you seen my dog? I let him off the leash and now I can't find him." Wow! There's a dog under control! It reminded me of a friend back in Ottawa who used to take his lovely red setter out to the country every day and let him loose in a convenient field for a run. They would enjoy watching him play with the sheep and were very upset when the farmer drove up in his tractor, pulled out his rifle and shot their dog right in front of them. They were making noises about lawsuits and everything else and it fell to little old me to point out to them that the farmer was not only within his rights, but also that the law in Ontario stated that farmers were required to shoot loose dogs on any cultivated land. They didn't like that brought to their attention much, but eventually they had it confirmed by the police. As I said, this was a very nice lady, but why would she imagine that the municipal bylaws shouldn't apply to her? If she thinks they shouldn't be in effect then she should lobby City Hall to get them repealed. Oh well. Enough rant.