Birthday Wishes

Next Friday is Barb S’s birthday! Weekday walkers in her pod will no doubt recognize the event closer to the date, but for those we see only Saturdays, this walk is the time to wish her all the best in person.

Live Music

For those not following Bob’s (me) Facebook feed, there is a show this Tuesday evening at the Linsmore Tavern on Danforth. First act at 8, then my band is up at 9. Hope you can make it!

Weekly Walks

Saturday morning looks gorgeous, above freezing, and climbing up to 9˚C in the afternoon. Loblaw’s at 8, per usual.

Safe Winter Walks

Winter is here and with it slippery conditions. As we know from our walking friends, there is a real risk of injury as we are outside for a longer than usual time compared to many other people. Here are things to keep in mind to minimize the risk.

• Watch the weather forecast carefully, particularly for days where a freeze follows a warmer day
• Sidewalks at the end of driveways are especially prone to icy patches from the runoff
• Walk with a buddy
• Have your phone with you at all times
• Consider indoor walks (PATH, treadmill) when conditions outside are treacherous

Anti-slip footwear is also a big help. There are a few choices and approaches.

• Add-on chains/cleats, such as Yak-Traks. Pros are cheap, easy to find (Shoppers) and fairly effective. Cons is they can slip off and get lost, and not as accommodating when conditions go from snow and ice to bare asphalt.
• Embedded anti-slip treads, such as Vibram’s Arctic Grip and Mark’s IceFX. These are more versatile for various surfaces, including wearable indoors, and provide some enhanced grippage, depending on the surface. However, this type of shoe can be more expensive and harder to find. For running shoes, Saucony seems the one to get (Peregrine Ice+ and model Razor models). Amazon seems to have a good selection.
• Studded soles, such as IceBUGs. The most positive grip of any shoe I’ve tried. Downside is they are the hardest to find, can be pricey, the studs will wear off in time (so far so good though for me) if you walk on mixed conditions and not recommended to wear indoors on hard surface like tiles and terrazzo.

No perfect solution but with a mix of caution and the right gear, it can be safe to be out there.

Weekly Walks

We are watching the forecast carefully for Saturday’s offsite walk. Road conditions will be similar wherever we go, but there is some concern wind could play a factor. It will feel cold regardless, so dress well. The Highland Creek path is sheltered by trees which could mitigate the wind chill so is still in play, but keep checking the comments, your email and WhatsApp should the situation change.

Brunch is definitely on.

Potlucky

Tomorrow we will be gathering as we do yearly to catch up and perhaps plan ahead. If not, at least we can eat and drink together. Everybody wins! All the details have been sent via email and WhatsApp, so unless there are last minute questions, we will see you all in person Saturday evening.

Birthday Wishes

Yup, it’s a double event, with a coda. Not only do we celebrate being assembled on Saturday, it’s also Libby’s birthday so we can ensure she receives many best wishes in person. We can also provide Ruth advance congrats for her day on Wednesday the 16th.

Scarborough Walk Next Week

Details of the offsite walk have been emailed and WhatsApped out. Let’s hope for good weather. Libby has raised a concern about part of the route being inaccessible, so we’ll look into that and confirm asap. It may be simple enough to rearrange a slightly different path. Fingers crossed.

Weekly Walks

The weather app says, “A mix of clouds and sun early, then becoming cloudy later in the day. High 8C. Winds W at 25 to 40 km/h.” Okay, then. A good opportunity to bank some negative calories to counterbalance those consumed at the potluck. 8:00 am, the uge.

Potluck Almost Here

One more post before the potluck! The details (time, place, offerings) have been emailed to you and are on WhatsApp. If you can’t find them, just leave a comment and I’ll send them directly.

As we want to reduce our environmental footprint as much as possible and make the tidy-up as efficient as possible, please bring your own plates, glassware and cutlery. Napkins too!

We could use a few more helpers for set up and clean up. If you can, it would be very appreciated. Please let Trish know through the comments or contact her directly, thanks!

Another Offsite Walk and Brunch

For those interested, an offsite walk is planned for November 19 along Highland Creek Trail to Lake Ontario. Again for privacy, the details on where and when to meet will be emailed, and posted on WhatsApp separately, along with the brunch location and a map. We will follow the same model as last time, with an earlier start for longer distance walkers and a half hour later for a modest choice. Please let me know if you’re interested in the comments, WhatsApp or email reply in Google Groups.

Races Anyone?

Helen forwarded some race/event information that could be of interest.

The Bagpipes are Back!