Grandfather Clock

Our gandfather clock which we inherited from my aunt is over 30 years old but has been silent (no ticking or chimes) since before Christmas and we couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.

This morning we decided to to bite the bullet and visit John Bouwman, Clockmaker in Burlington to see what possible repair would cost. We discovered that a home visit would cost $150 just to have John walk in the door - repairs & parts on top of that.

The Bouwman's, husband & wife, were very helpful, however, and gave us some things to look for and also the encouragement to try & repair the clock ourselves - something we had been reluctant to try.

Soon we had the front & back off the clock & the chimes removed. Thanks to the Bouwman's advise the problem was soon apparent but not the solution. While I was downstairs looking for new & larger tools (a male answer to many problems) my keen eyed wife solved the problem & within minutes the clock was back in action.

Now the thing will probably keep us awake all night with its chiming : )

Many thanks to John Bouwman, Clockmaker. If any of you need clock or watch repairs please keep John in mind. He is located on John Street at the corner of Lakeshore in Burlington.

Roses!!

All the roses from the cake are done on tooth picks and set individually on the cake.
Pretty cool.

Roses on a Cake

The roses pictured yesterday arrived on a cake this morning.

At coffee break I am told the roses will be removed and replaced by some other type of good tasting icing.

The roses will be saved for further use.

Last week we were promised 2 cakes this week - but obviously only one arrived.

The cake that arrived this morning was a layer cake or as described by Lynna "2 cakes" : )

For Patti & Sheepie

These are the fondant roses that will be decorating the cake that will be arriving here tomorrow about 9AM

After we eat the cake we are all going to Alice Fazolli's to celebrate the birthdays of 2 of our group. Hopefully the big boss picks up the tab : )

Just another day in the salt mines : )

Good Quote

"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders not more followers"
Ralph Nader

Too Nice to Eat

My cake decorating friend has moved on to an advanced class.

Fridays are now our cake day:)

About 10:00 if any of you are in the Mississauga area.

Don't work too hard. Nobody notices anyway.

from the New York Times:

WORKER DEAD AT DESK FOR FIVE DAYS
Bosses of a publishing firm are trying to work out why no one noticed that one of their employees had been sitting dead at his desk for five days before anyone asked if he was feeling okay.
George Turklebaum, 51, who had been employed as a proof-reader at a New York firm for 30 years, had a heart attack in the open plan office he shared with 23 other workers.
He quietly passed away on Monday, but nobody noticed until Saturday morning when an office cleaner asked why he was working during the weekend.
His boss, Elliot Wachiaski, said: "George was always the first guy in each morning and the last to leave at night, so no one found it unusual that he was in the same position all the time and didn't say anything. He was always absorbed in his work and kept much to himself."
A post mortem examination revealed that he had been dead for five days after suffering a coronary. George was proofreading manuscripts of medical textbooks when he died.

You may want to give your co-workers a nudge occasionally.

Boys will be boys

Amsterdam has an ingenious way of keeping public restrooms clean.
Government officials etched what looks like a fly into the porcelain of public urinals.
When guys think they see a fly in the toilet, they aim at it.
Fly-in-urinal research (my new favorite phrase) documents an 80 percent reduction in spillage.
What gross genius!
Who knew this ersatz fly could clean up public restrooms just by giving people a target they could aim at!