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Okay, I'm back. After almost seven weeks, I'm back in the saddle. Not that I actually have a horse outfitted with a saddle-- I do have the saddle at home-- just haven't used it in decades. You see, to do so you really need to own a horse. But The Sidekick made it clear some time ago that we are NOT getting a horse. Her reason-- `You can't eat a horse.' That's a tough one to argue.... 'nuff of that. During the past seven weeks, I've come to a number of conclusions and made several discoveries while convalescing with my arm in a sling and my stitches feeling itchy. 1. My first discovery-- daytime TV is a complete waste of electricity. I do NOT care how much that wedding dress cost, nor do I feel compelled to watch some strung-out bride fight with her mother, her father, her sister or her fiancé. I figure give the princess $10,000 and a ladder and move on. On the same note, I really don't give a damn how many groceries some obsessed woman can `buy' using a zillion coupons she has squirreled away by climbing into a dumpster, and spent 60 hours a week gathering up a binder-full of these `great' offers. I wanna tell her to get a job and rent out the bedroom she's filled with 7,000 boxes of tissue and feminine hygiene products she got `real cheap' with her coupons-- she'd be further ahead in the long run. 2. By the second week, I gave up on daytime TV, and tried a healthier approach to living. After breakfast, I'd walk to the barn, let Hamish the border collie out, and we'd do `things'-- like walk out for the mail (if it wasn't raining), walk to the back of the farm (if it wasn't too muddy), sit on the verandah (when it was warm enough) and check the sheep, every couple hours. The sheep rarely changed, and there wasn't much to do, as The Sidekick was pretty good about lending a hand, keeping them fed and watered before and after her office job. Hamish was visibly overjoyed with the attention and companionship of this new- Back in the saddle 17 Day Spanish Odyssey | October 25 2011 Vision 2000 Exclusive Bonus: US $100 per stateroom Onboard Credit & Pinnacle Grill dinner for 2 7 Independent & Free Press, Thursday, June 2, 2011 TRANSATLANTIC SAVINGS! Ted Brown found arrangement. And I was pleased to have him to `talk' to as well. Naturally he was disappointed when our weekday walks and jaunts came to an end last week, when I started back to work. 3. I re-discovered two-hour lunch breaks, with a 45 minute nap thrown in the mix. (Hamish took part in the lunch/ nap routine too, sprawled out on the floor beside me. Oh yeah, I also discovered he snores almost as loud as The Sidekick!) 4. During my time off, I learned there is another world when it comes to covering elections. For the first time in 30 years, I sat at home and watched election results coming in on TV, having Lloyd Robertson predict when the Conservatives had won, rather than hanging out at Michael Chong's party, waiting for the news. Geez, I was in bed hours earlier than I would have ordinarily been, out on the road covering the election results. 5. While I was off, I lost nine pounds, much to the chagrin of The Sidekick. When it comes to the old waistline, I guess opening a can of soup or making a sandwich is better than buying lunch. 6. Oh, another plus-- I suddenly discovered I had money in my wallet. Same with the gas tank. Filled up every two weeks or so-- not twice a week. So those were some of the discoveries and conclusions I garnered and gathered during my time off. But there was one more thing I discovered. I missed the people. People in the mall, people out on the road, people who sent cards and emails wishing me well. Yup, I'm a `people person'. So I'm back in the saddle again. Even though I still don't have a horse. Rome to Ft Lauderdale aboard the m.s. Noordam Highlights: Civitavecchia (Rome), Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Cartagena, Malaga, Cadiz (Seville), Portimao, Lisbon & Funchal (Madeira) Inside stateroom fares starting at US $1499 p.p. Balcony stateroom fares starting at US Taxes of $123.41 are additional $1899 p.p. Georgetown All fares are in US Dollars, per person, cruise only, based on double occupancy and subject to availability at time of booking. Cruise Line reserves the right to withdraw promotion without any prior notice. Government Fees & Taxes are additional as stated above. Vision 2000 Exclusive Bonus may not be combinable with other promotions and can be withdrawn at any time. Ships Registry: The Netherlands. 905-873-2000 328 Guelph St. Georgetown, ON TICO Reg #50018501 Open Saturdays 9am - 4pm w w w. v i s i o n 2 0 0 0 t r a v e l . c o m Ahoy, Mateys! Lori Stag 'n Doe for Eldridge & Wayne Ervin Georgetown Lions Hall Sat. June 4th, 7:30 pm Games, Food & Prizes! Tickets $10 at the door. FREE DELIVERY L Largest S Selection l i of f Patio Furniture in Halton Hills Since 1998 INDOOR & OUTDOOR FURNITURE 136 Guelph St., Georgetown (Across from Christ the King School) 905-873-9791 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.furnitureindooroutdoor.ca