"Worth The Drive"

Twenty-five percent more life is St Thomas!

That I believe is the official motto of the city, or at least it's been the central theme of much of their advertising/marketing.  It is based on the premise that a home costs 25% less in St Thomas than in London, even though the big city is only minutes away.

And while I can't dispute the significant difference in real estate prices, like everything else, there's a reason for it.

It's because other than a s statue of a dead elephant, and a great deal of dilapidated old railway buildings, we don't have anything in St Thomas other than the cheap real estate.  It stops being a lot cheaper to live here, when you have to drive to London for everything.  One of the few things we do have is one very annoying little swimming pool at the local YMCA!

London has at least 15, including three 50 metre pools, two indoors, and the other outdoors but heated.

This is Thames pool which means a half hour drive for me, but I will probably do the rest of this years swimming here.  It is so much less stressful to have only half the turns, never mind breathing fresh air.   And it could simply be because I'm not too tired, but I had the best swim I've had in a while.

And I decided not to go to the bike shop afterwards on account of I don't need a new stinking helmet!  I know that "need", or lack thereof has never stopped me in the past, but for this time at least I managed to control my impulse.  I tried my current one on just before I left the house, and was reminded just how comfortable it is.  I will spend my money elsewhere.  Perhaps on my grandchildren!

Speaking of which I have to give some kudos to sister Elly for her poignant comment on a post of a few days ago.  She told me to imagine what my life would have been like as a child, if I had grandparents such as Roo and I.  The idea really struck a chord with me.

Sometimes I worry because my grandchildren only have one full time parent, but that's crazy considering all the other circumstances.  The one parent they have is extremely capable, and they also have 2 very attentive grandparents who are a big part of their lives.  Quite frankly, simply due to numbers (Roo is one of 9, and I am one of 12), and combined with a farming lifestyle, both Roo and I really had 2 part time parents, and exactly "zero" grandparents!

And that's all the wisdom I have for today.  One last dance recital day tomorrow!

swim 2000 metres, 2:11/100 metres

...and this one cause I thought it was funny, and it had both 'drive' and 'dance' in it...

"I would imagine that if you could understand Morse code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy."---Mitch Hedberg

Love

Peter