It is Saturday evening about 6.30p.m. and what has been a beautiful sunny warm day and I am on Salt Spring Island, a small Gulf Island off Vancouver Island and today I refereed 5 soccer games. It was hard work and my old legs are a little weary, but it was fun. I have missed doing games whilst I the action was away so to get back into on such a great day was wonderful. It is a season ending local tournament so there is no real intensity and all the players are having fun and even the coaches and parents behaved themselves, somewhat of a rareity these days. I am all cleaned up and now sitting by the water eating strawberries and yogurt and hooked to somebodies(I don't know whose) internet. Photos will have to wait till I get home tomorrow, but trust me this is a very lovely island, people very friendly and all is well. I had a busy time since I got home visiting and connecting with all my friends, co workers and customers. It seems I was missed just a little and I am happy to be spending the summer here. For six years I have been fortunate and happy to have been in the company of a special man, Roy, he and I took outings every week day from 9am till 2pm and over this time we became close and he is such a special and funny man. We did many things together and he was such a willing helper and all those years we were together he never once was anything other than happy and smiling. Unfortunately Roy's memory was failing him and for the last 15 months he has been in a wonderful, caring faciltity where he is loved and cherished. I have missed Roy but went to visit him and spent some time with him on Friday, he looks just the same, big smile, a shake of those huge hands of his and of course he his happy. It was so nice to connect with him again and to know that all is well with him. I also resumed my friendship with another equally wonderful man, Ken, on Thursday and him and I picked up where we left off before I started my journey. Ken is a delight to be around, he keeps me on my toes and we have a lot of fun together. You will be hearing more about Ken as we are going to spend a month in the summer together whilst him family go for their first journey in their new motor home. I also went back to my old haunt The Granary and had supper with my poker buddies. This was a special but difficult night for me to go in there. I have worked there for 14 years and every day was a great one. I worked with wonderful ladies, we had a ball every night and I made so many tight bonds with my customers, just a great place to be, I was treated so well by my "Boss" Momma Bird, so to go back in as a customer, to be waited on and served was a novelty. On walking in there were so many friends there it was so touching, they seemed so happy to see me and to hear my stories, it seemed I went to every table and talked to everyone. The food is the best in town (no I am not on commission) and just a great place, I can see me having lots of meals there. Then of course I went and played poker and you think my buddies would be happy to see me after me missing 5 months of play, well they certainly didn't show it as they were quite content to take most of my 20 dollars, don't they know I am retired and need every penny!!!!! I don't believe I have gone on for so long, this was going to be a short post, I do apologize......Way to go Canucks, have a great weekend everyone..