Hi !

It’s gorgeous out there, sunny, warm, people wearing shorts and sandals reminds I should ditch the sorry winter clothes I’m wearing – smell the coffee George, summer’s here !

Getting on the bus this morning on the way to work, the grizzled friendly bus driver turns to me with a big smile and i think he’s gonna take my buspass cuz i forgot to get one for the new month. “You’re the guy !” he calls out, “Weren’t you on TV recently?” he asks grinning. “ummm yes, that could be me” I answer . We chat amicably, he telling me he’s originally from Trinity Bay , Newfoundland , and that this summer he and his siblings will rent an RV and drive out west to repatriate their grandparents. “Repatriate?” I ask curiously. “After they passed away they were cremated. Their wish is to be scattered in the mountains”. He then wants to revisit Newfoundland. He said his forebears were international rum-runners – they had schooners and travelled to Brazil and Jamaica bringing back liquor and coffee to Nfld. I liked that.

There’s a Vietnamese restaurant near my office which I’ve just discovered and have been frequenting in lieu of the Siam Bistro restaurant that’s been my diner till then (great padthai!). I usually have the pork spring rolls, then the bbq chicken with vermicelli topped off by a large glass of strawberry milkshake. Delice. Yesterday I was sitting there minding my own business when this older lady suddenly appears out of nowhere, leans in front of me and asks somewhat abashed “Weren’t you on TV recently?” I answered that possibly I was. She looks carefully at me, searching, and then i say i was for sure. She’s relieved, we chat for a minute , but not about repatriation.

Tonight I’m sitting at Grace O’Malley’s Irish pub, minding my own business, enjoying the singer-guitarist Mark belting out Stan Rogers and Fleetwood Mac songs, and this chap comes over with beads around his neck, looks shyly at me and asks “Weren’t you ummm on TV recently?” I said I didn’t know what he meant. “Can you explain what you mean?” I asked politely. “Well, there was this guy on TV who plays guitar and sings for girls in China. Is that you ?” “Actually that is me” I answered finally. He looked surprised, a bit in awe. I asked “But what’s the difference if I sing for girls in Canada or in China?” He seemd flustered. He stuck out his hand, we shook hands. He said, “I have great respect for you” bowed a little, then walked away.

When I logged on to the site , I saw newspapers reviews about the film ! What a surprise – check them out – London, Montreal, and K-W.

See ya later, George