Castle Hill Resort and Spa
 Overnight 20 - 21 October 2019

Click on the slide show for photos of Resort

Received this from the Army Run yesterday
2019 Canada Army Run 5K finish
Hello,

You are receiving this message because your finish time was impacted by the unfortunate congestion at the 5K finish. It is our goal every year to have participants finish the race on their terms, which unfortunately did not occur in some cases. There are a number of factors that led to this issue, including on-site construction, corral size and aspects of the post-race product slowing down crowd flow. All of these issues are being addressed to prevent this issue from recurring in the future.
You will find on your www.Sportstats.ca official time that an adjustment has been made to your overall finish time. We were able to do this because we had timing systems throughout the course, including the following locations:

• Wellington and Kent, before the first turnaround
• 1 km before the finish
• An announcer’s mat within the last 100m

With this technology, we are able to determine reasonably accurate pacing data on our participants. We have taken that pace, and extended it to the full 5K distance to reflect the time you were on track to achieve.

We understand that paces may have slowed down or sped up in that time, however we want to reflect the best available data. We have made this adjustment to your finish time, no further adjustments to 5K times will be made.

We would like to offer you $10 off registration for next year. Please use the code "20195K" when registering, and this code does not expire.
V
V
A much better time and the $10 off is a very nice gesture. It seems as if they did realize that the finish was a great way to end the run.

Here are the updated results:
OFFICIAL TIME 33:34
OVERALL PLACE 4081/11115
BIB 23450
CATEGORY M 75-79
GENDER M
CITY OTTAWA
PROVINCE ON
COUNTRY CAN
GENDER PLACE 2454/5116
CATEGORY PLACE 1/32​

I was unimpressed with my time for today’s Army run.  Lots of walkers — even within the first 100 metres.  I never knew there were so my long upward inclines in Hull.  There were much more up-hills than down hills.  And then the jam up in the last 25 meters before the finish line.  I was grumbling about my time and not being impressed with the finish time but my laps, 2, 3, and 4 were good and then to see my category place took some of the disappointment about the finish time away.

Unofficial Results for the Army 5k Run from my GP
DISTANCE 5.19K
CUMULATIVE TIME 34:39
MOVING TIME 34:19
LAP 1 6:50 - unimpressed with the number of walkers even in the first 100 m and continuing
LAP 2 6:05
LAP 3 6:27
LAP 4 6:22
LAP 5 6:47 - big jam up before the finish line.  Shoulder to shoulder walking or not moving
LAP 6 1:47 - last .19K jam up hardly moving at all.

Official Results for the Army 5k Run
DISTANCE 5K
TIME 00:34:33
OVERALL PLACE 4112/11133
BIB 23450
CATEGORY M75-79
GENDER M
GENDER PLACE 2470/5122
CATEGORY PLACE 1/32 ​

I had been training off and on since March, first for the Tamarack run in May and then on a more or less steady basis for this one.  Now that the race season, for me, is over.  It will be just doing a run 2 or 3 times a week until early next year when I will start training again for the Tamarack 5K in May.  I got a notice yesterday that if you did that run this year there is an early sign up starting tomorrow (Monday 23 Sept).  I may as well sign up early and save a bit of money.  Unless something unforeseen happens between now ant then I plan on running it.  Hopefully with a little better time and placing.  Although I don’t count placing 3rd in that run as being disrespectful.
It was a good day for running at 8am it was  mostly cloudy, the temperature was a comfortable 77c wind was south at only 11 kms.
I should be getting some 'official' photos via email later in the week and will post them in a separate blog.

Later in the afternoon I took a couple of rose cuttings to see if they will sprout.  If they do I have a plan for them.

Took the Christmas light down from around the front window because it is going to be replaced with a new one tomorrow.

Don and family will be over for a roast lamb Sunday dinner.
Now to do a bit for the Microgreens Experiment.

I have added a couple more sections under Reminiscing but have not made the announcement publicly yet.  I will wait until I have finished to 2008 the year that I retired.

Well, the weather forecast has come true - we did get our freezing rain over night and a bit of a drizzle during the day.  It does not look very nice out there.  A good day to stay indoors for sure

I get e-mail ads from Royal Caribbean on an almost daily basis so have been looking at cruises for 2020.  Already! You can't start too early and everything is on sale with 60% off the second traveller.   I see a couple of 10 and 11 night cruises out of Fort Lauderdale for March but also some 7 night one out of Tampa.  Checking the prices a back to back out of Tampa for 14 nights in total is only slightly more than a 10 or 11 night out of Fort Lauderdale.  The only problem with the Tampa ones would be visiting pretty much the same ports.  Will have to check with 'The Boss' about that.

Yes I have finally made it back on here.  I certainly do not know where the time goes but it just does seem to flit away sometimes.

I am getting back at the reminiscing again and have copied all of the previous entries and will be adding them under a new menu heading of Reminiscing.  I think that makes a bit more sense than adding them kind of willy-nilly as blog entries.

Once I get the separate write-ups entered I will add a couple of photos as well.

Our days are drawing closer to our next cruise.  We well be leaving here on the 06 March to drive to Florida, spend a couple of days with our friends there and do some bird watching and sight seeing.  Then proceed to Fort Lauderdale for a 10 night cruise to the Easter Caribbean retuning on 25 March.  From there a drive home with a stop over in North Carolina to visit some newly found relatives.  Back hope and hopefully this year the snow and cold will be gone.

I have started some hydroponics again and the first batch of herbs are doing quite well.  A second batch has been started and coming along as well as a few in soil as well. 

I am debating on starting seeds before we head south or wait until I get back.  Everything you read about starting seeds for transplanting is start 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting which would be the middle of March.  Beginning at the first of March would be about 10 weeks before transplant.  I have done that in the past and the results vary.  Will just have to wait and see how I feel the last week in the month or the first week next month.

Sadly I have become a "fair weather" runner.  This winter has been brutal for running with the sidewalks covered in ice and snow and the roads not much better. To make up for that I have started a more or less regular walking routine which should help.  I am planning on doing some treadmill running on the ship.

I have finally signed up for my two races of the year - the 5K in the Tamarack Race Weekend in May and the 5K Army Run in September.  I did very well last year and hope to be able to do the same this year.  Of course I would be happier to beat last year's times.

​That should be about if for now.

I am just sitting here looking out the window and wondering if winter has already arrived.  It started to snow sometime last night and then a bit of rain mixed in.  The mixed rain and snow continued over night and there was a bit of accumulation on the ground this morning.

According to the official Canadian Weather Service the statistics for the  Ottawa airport for yesterday: 27 October 2018:
Max: 4.7 °C   Min: -1.7 °C
Total Precipitation: Rainfall: 2.6 mm Snowfall: 3.4 cm Total 7.6 mm

The snow has continued on and off during today as well.  It is a good thing that I put my garden "to bed" yesterday.  Did things a bit differently this year.  Instead of pulling up the tomato plants and composting them I cut them down leaving the roots in the ground to compost in-situ and just laid the bush on top of the ground to compost over the winter.  In the spring I will probably just dig what is left into the soil.  Because I left what was left of the tomatoes on the plant no doubt I will be getting some tomato plants sprouting next year.

I pulled the sweet potato plants and was surprised at the number of tubers that were attached to the roots.  Sadly they were only about the size of a pencil so not big enough to save for eating.    I decided to see if there were any more buried in the soil so I started digging up with a garden fork.  When I dug up the sweet potatoes and got a few. For the amount of return based on the cost of the individual plants (about $2.00 each) I don't think I will be purchasing any next year.  If I have any left over and they sprout shoots I will plant them.  It will also be interesting to see if any grow from the small ones that I just turned over in the soil.

NO regular potatoes next year.  I didn't get a one from this years crop.  I am not sure just what happened because the plants looked well and healthy at the beginning of the summer.  I was just covering them with straw as I had done with good success in past years but this year one of my neighbours suggested that after a couple of  initial covers I just leave them and let photosynthesis take over.  So that is what I did.  And then along came a horrendous number of Japanese Beetles and even with spraying with insecticidal soap they completely decimated the plants leaving only a few stems above ground.  So not sure if it is my fault, the beetles fault or a combination of both but not going to bother next year.

During the upcoming week, supposed to warm up by Wednesday, I will do the garden in the back yard and decide on where to plant my garlic.  If I decide to plant it here I will have to get a bale of straw from the farm, if I decide to plant at the garden there is already a bale there.  I will also have to spread what is left of the top/garden soil at the garden.  I think I will use it to fill the rows that I was using for the potatoes.  Just put the soil over the straw that is already there and then plant some root crops next year.

Over all I am fairly satisfied with my vegetable gardening this past year.  A few changes for next year are in the offering.  No pole beans, no one eats them, only a few green beans at a time, the same with lettuce.  I was also told more beets.  A couple of different planting times for carrots, did that this year with fair results.

Now that winter is fast approaching it is time to start looking for an ocean cruise to somewhere warm next March.