Aren't they cute?

Long before Telus decided that it was time to layoff the endangered species from the rainforests and start using Meerkats in their advertisements the Toronto Zoo had a group of them living in a penned off area with lots of dirt to dig and plenty of visitors to adore them.

I was at the zoo one day in the late 80's sketching when the pen was opened up to them after being redone - they do tend to dig quite a bit and so the dirt needed to be re-distributed. While I was there the door to the pen opened and 20 or so of excited large, medium, and small Meerkats came running out and started to explore their renovated 'digs' (pun intended). It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Flash from the past

The cold weather has come back, with 15 centimetres of snow last night, so some old photos got dug up and scanned to fill the void until the next sunny day comes. These shots were taken in 1982 at the CNE grounds in Toronto. The Flyer, since torn down and replaced by a parking lot next to the new soccer stadium, was a blast to ride in the late summer. By todays standards it was definitely a learners rollercoaster.

The other photos are buildings and an old fire alarm, hopefully since replaced by a more updated model.

Is that spring in the air?

Well, for the last few months we've been hibernating like most Canadians who don't ski, snowmobile, or snowshoe. That seems to be coming an end now. Spring has blown some warm air into our lives, and with it the colour of sprouting crocus' (crocusi?). While there still may be some snow on the ground, the sight of colourful petals peaking out from the ground makes whatever happens over the next few weeks weatherwise much easier to take.