Accountant

We finally gave in and have an accountant doing our taxes. What a wonderful idea. After years of trying to do my taxes and always failing due to errors that were not ones that someone who is not an accountant would find. Michael's taxes are much more difficult due to the fact that he has a number of income sources. Mine taxes are not as difficult but they are not easy.
Will let you know tomorrow what the results are. We are going with our cheque books since we know that we will have to pay taxes, unavoidable. The question is the amount and the accountant will need to be paid as well.
Happy taxes.

Easter weekend

When we have Easter at the end of April, I expect warm sunny weather. This weather is not what I hope for. We need to wear winter coats and jackets. I saw people with mittens yesterday. Today, it is raining and it is likely to rain tomorrow. Thank goodness, we got some gardening done yesterday. Hard to believe that this is the end of April. I am not hoping for shorts weather but I would like to wear a spring jacket not winter coat. I hope that this does not mean that we will go from winter straight to summer which has happened recently.
Enjoy your Easter weekend, no matter what the weather.

Easter

Wishing everyone a good Easter. We are going to work in the garden and then go out for an early dinner. A tradition of ours over the years. Will not be working in the garden too long since it is still quite cold. Hopefully, it will start warming up and we will have a reasonably warm summer.
Enjoy the day.

Catching up

Finally, I have caught up again. The job is to figure out how to stay on top of things. The next two days are very busy so I will have to get things done ahead of time. Mail is done and I mean really done.
Was very discouraged to read in an e-mail that mail might be become a thing of the past. How sad and worrisome. If the only record that you have of transactions is digital, we are entering a very difficult time. I worked for a financial institution at one time and when there were problems we resorted to paper records of what had transpired. If there are no paper records, what happens? I know that the institution that I was employed by would expect the complainant to prove that they were right. No easy task when there were no records.
I also love getting real mail. Now, don't get me wrong, I send plenty of e-mails and sometimes find it easier to deal with some people and groups by e-mail. Mass mailings are much easier by e-mail.
Today, I have time to practise and I really want to get back to the kind of shape I was in a few years ago. The only way is to practise. Like many things, there is no skipping the steps.
Time to move on and get some writing done.
More tomorrow afternoon. Have an early morning practise followed by tennis. This is the last indoor court. The other bubbles have come down. Not a good decision this year, but who knew.
Have a wonderful day.

Free Home care for all over 65 in Denmark

I was about to write about the problem with aging and care in Canada when I noticed this brief article about care in Denmark. Apparently, in tiny but dynamic Denmark, care for all over 65 is free. Danes over 65 who need it have free care around the clock if needed and this includes services such as cleaning and shopping. Those over 75 are eligible for an annual home assessment by a nurse to determine what extra care may be needed to head off future problems. According to Ms. Rostgaard of the country's National Centre of Social Research the visits have led to improved functional ability among seniors as well as a decline in mortality and fewer admissions to hospitals and nursing homes. "It gives the elderly better well-being and healthier lives." Danes who do end up in long-term care are accommodated in private rooms with their own doorbells. Pets are allowed to enhance a homey feel. Because of the emphasis on keeping seniors at home, just 20 per cent of Denmark's spending on the elderly goes to institutional care, compared to 80 per cent in Canada. Government funded services are provided to 25 per cent of Danes over 65, the highest rate in the world. It's 10 per cent in Canada. This is worth examining.

Simple Lemon Cardamom Cake

This is really one of the easiest cakes that I have made and Michael loves it. Simple Lemon Cardamom Cake Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Ready in: 65 minutes, plus two hours cooling This is a one-bowl cake, that works brilliantly, simply beat everything together and bake. Serve with fruit on the side. It makes a lovely breakfast cake too. Ingredients Cake 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 eggs 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup yogurt Glaze 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons minced candied ginger Method Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Combine butter, eggs, sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, cardamom, lemon rind, vanilla extract and yogurt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out, peel off parchment and set on a rack. Prick top of cake liberally with a toothpick. Combine sugar, lemon juice and candied ginger in a small pot over medium heat and boil for 1-2 minutes or until slight thickened. Brush warm glaze all over cake, sprinkle with candied ginger and let cool completely. Serve with poached pears or dried fruit compote or on its own. Serves 6. Enjoy.

Royal Conservatory System

It is fascinating that the United States decided that they would use the Royal Conservatory System of exams and teaching. The United States has a mishmash of systems and recently at a conference of music teachers held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin it was decided that they would use the Royal Conservatory System. A system which has been in place for quite a number of years. The goal is to increase participation in music throughout the U.S. partly by emphasizing music's central role in the development of innovative, healthy and happy societies. "It comes back to the goal to make participation in music, a central part of the daily lives of every person,"said Peter Simon, president of the RCM. Carnegie first commissioned consultants to explore the appetite for creating national exams and curricula. The study showed that schools, teachers and parents were eager and tapped the RCM as having the most reputable and applicable system. The two had no formal relationship but Simon flew to New York last fall and discussions moved quickly. Carnegie's education program is substantial and expanding through an ongoing $200 million (US) renovation which will carve out a 5,600 square metre education wing. The project has similarities to the RCM's recent revamping of its own building in Toronto. If the U.S. partnership proves a success, both parties envision establishing the examination system in other countries, notably China. "It's very clearly demonstrated that programs such as this are real motivators. You create an aspirational pathway for people. These things become beacons."

Knit Your Own Royal Wedding

Sometimes, I think that some people have the most unusual hobbies or too much time on their hands. I can not decide which. Fiona Goble Andrews McMeel has written a book Knit Your Own Royal Wedding. The reviewer suggested that people might purchase this book which is only 64 pages for $21 as a coffee table book to amuse visitors. The book has instructions and patterns for knitting your own royal wedding party, including Wills and Kate (of course) but also the Queen and Prince Philip, Charles and Camilla, Prince Harry, the Archbishop of Canterbury and as many footmen and corgis as you want, as well as a miscellany of extra suits, dresses and hats. Guess, if you are tired of knitting scarves and baby cloths this is a good alternative. What do you do with the knitting after the wedding?

Winklevoss deal!

My goodness, there really Winklevosses and they lost to Mark Zuckerberg. The Winklevosses lost in court to Mark Zuckerberg and will only get $65 million. My goodness, if I got that amount of money I would be quite content. Interestingly, the courts ruled that the twins had received their fair deal since they were backed by sophisticated lawyers who made the best deal for them. I was fascinated that the Winklevosses are actually the good looking twins who went to the Olympics in 2008 and now among other things are following up on the deal they had made with Mark Zuckerberg. What I find interesting is that the twins deal was settled by the judge because they had expensive help who got the best deal that they could. Wonder what would have happened if they were not wealthy twins. Probably would not have gone to court since they could not have pursued the case due to lack of money.

Working?

I have to go to work for the third day in a row. Wow, I woke up this morning and was ready to tackle my Saturday routine. That was great except that it is Friday. Do not know why I thought it is Saturday but in my mind I was thinking about what I had to do. Laundry, practise because I have a gig Saturday afternoon, and the other errands that need to be done like banking. I was sure that I was going to get these things done. It did not occur to me that the papers were here early for a Saturday and that Michael would not wake me up so early. Have to run and get to work. Hope that you are ready for your day.

Passwords

I am finally going to bite the bullet and set up a record of passwords. I can not believe how many I have: 1. my g-mail account 2. my regular e-mail account 3. my facebook account 4. my Linkedin account 5. my bank account 6. my tennis membership account-thank goodness-they actually post my numbers when they send e-mail 7. my blogs-I have two, a personal one and one for my chamber group Those are only some of the accounts. The ones that I can remember quickly. I know that my newspaper has a password and so on. Wish that I had a universal password that would work for everything. It would make life so much easier. How many accounts do you have?

Mailing labels

How many mailing labels do you receive? Today, I received more. I do send a great deal of mail in other wards all my communication is not by e-mail. However, I will still never be able to keep up with all the labels. It is amazing that so many charities decided that mailing labels would be the item of choice. One charity actually sends labels, cards and a pen in one mailing. I would love to give but there is a limit. I give once a year to a number of charities and my pile of charitable donations that I just took to the accountant suggests that I give to many charities. However, labels do not convince me to give. It is the work that the charity does. There are many charities worthy of consideration but I can not give to them all. Do you use your labels?

News?

Wish that I had something new to tell you. The only real news is that a friend's mother passed away this morning. Sad but she had a good life and celebrated her 90th birthday this past fall. That was worth noting and celebrating which the family did. Winter is slowing moving aside for spring which is wonderful and time to start taking pictures and posting pictures of the many flowers that are starting to bloom. The crocuses are blooming already. Back tomorrow with more news. Enjoy the lovely weather.