() Thursday 16th May 2019.... a drive around!!!

Beautiful sunny day and Emily is now off work for the next two days so later on in the morning I took the girls and baby Izzie on a drive to all the parks I had seen when I was walking and we finished up at the lovely waterfall park!!!

Then we drove around some of the roads with the huge homes with manicured lawns and gardens and finally finished up at a great restaurant for delicious pizza!!

Around 4 pm I went to pick up Jonah from day care but this time because it was so nice I took the stroller and walked to get him.....we walked back through the park and then stopped to kick the soccer ball around before finally coming home via another park to see the ducks!!

Lots of fresh air today!!!

You don’t have to be a sports fan to think the following story is so sad....here is a man with so much talent a talent which millions of kids including myself wished we possessed  and he does antics like this.....

In my humble opinion as well as the fines imposed he should also personally give every ticket holder their money back plus fifty dollars!!!!

Kyrgios throws his racquet and a chair before forfeiting match

Nick Kyrgios admitted "emotions got the better of me" after forfeiting his second-round match with Norwegian Casper Ruud at the Italian Open.

The Australian, 24, was in the deciding set when he was given a game penalty, reportedly for swearing, to trail 2-1.

He then kicked a bottle, threw down his racquet, hurled a chair on the court, picked up his bag and walked off.

Kyrgios was fined 20,000 euros (£17,461) for unsportsmanlike conduct and also lost his prize money.

In addition to the prize money of £29,366, he forfeited the 45 ranking points gained during the tournament and was told to cover the costs of his hospitality.

Writing on Instagram, he said: "Very eventful day to say to the least. Emotions got the better of me and I just wanted to say that the atmosphere was crazy out there today, just super unfortunate that it had to end in a default.

"Sorry Roma, see you again, maybe."

Kyrgios has a history of fines for poor behaviour on court and in March clashed with a fan at the Miami Open.

Earlier this week he served underarm during victory over Daniil Medvedev, while his actions on Thursday came as it emerged he told a podcast interview that he "could not stand" Novak Djokovic - who he described as "cringeworthy" - and called Rafael Nadal "super salty".

In the 50-minute interview, Kyrgios, who last year said he was talking to psychologists to address mental health issues, was asked about his opinion on a number of tennis stars.

After branding Roger Federer the "greatest of all time", he went in on Nadal, calling the Spaniard his "polar opposite".

But he had nicer things to say about Britain's Andy Murray, currently out of the game following hip surgery.

"It sucks not seeing him around here, in the locker room he was the best," he said

Kyrgios' past controversies

• In 2015, having already been fined for an "insulting remark" to opponent Stan Wawrinka, Kyrgios was given a suspended 28-day ban and £16,200 fine for making lewd remarks about the Swiss player's girlfriend.
• The following year he was banned for eight tournament weeks and fined £20,560 for his behaviour - including "lack of best efforts" at the Shanghai Masters. During the match in question against Mischa Zverev, Kyrgios also argued with a fan and received a code violation for swearing, after which he was fined for breaching the ATP code of conduct.
• In the same tournament the next year, having earlier received a warning for smashing two balls out of court in frustration, he stormed off midway through his first-round match against Steve Johnson. He was later fined for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• The Shanghai Masters was again the venue last year when he was involved in a prolonged argument with French umpire Damien Dumusois during his first-round exit.

Analysis

BBC Tennis correspondent Russell Fuller:

In October 2016, having shown minimal effort in a match with Mischa Zverev in Shanghai, Kyrgios was suspended from ATP tournaments for eight weeks.

A year earlier, in Montreal, Kyrgios had been given a suspended 28-day ban for making a lewd suggestion about Stan Wawrinka's girlfriend.

This time, the Australian can expect at least a heavy fine.

He will be one of the most talked-about people at Roland Garros when the French Open gets under way in 10 days' time. But not because he is thought to have a chance of winning.

Kyrgios is an entertainer, both with a racquet in his hand and when airing his unfiltered views on a podcast, but regularly laments his lack of conditioning.

He is happy to admit he plays too much basketball.

And he knows a coach would probably be a very good idea, but prefers the freedom of only having to answer to himself.

Yashi Kochi!!!

Wednesday 15th May 2019...I got real lucky!!!!!

Beautiful day but started out with an almost disaster..we decided to take Izzie out in her stroller which was in the garage..funny when I went into the garage yesterday I said to myself this is dangerous because after you open the door to close it you need to pull down on a slot in the door and I said to myself this is not good you could get your fingers smashed in the slot..so this morning I got her stroller out pulled down on the slot and turned to say something to Gracie and the next thing I had smashed my fingers in the slot I let out a terrifying scream and Graciela came running..I was on my knees I thought I had broken all my fingers

Looks pretty innocent...

This is what got me...

Even the kind man next door came running over....it took some minutes to calm myself and I knew I was very lucky that my fingers were not broken but three of them were blooded and swollen and hurt like heck...

Went inside and Gracie got me a dish with ice and I soaked my hand and really the pain almost went away....I could move the fingers and I felt ok...My fingers are sore and I know my nails will turn black....but could have been much worse....

....we continued to get Izzie in the stroller and went for a lovely walk around the park...

Some shots along the way...

The tennis courts are a long way from being ready!!

This afternoon we just did some computer stuff whilst Izzie and the later on I went to pick up Jonah..we haven’t been able to do much the two days because of the weather and he does love to go see the ducks so after school today drove him to a new park where he enjoyed seeing the ducks and then using the play ground equipment....

This evening we sort of have a routine..it gets a bit hectic when everyone is home with feeding ..bathing..cleaning up and bedtime..so Gracie and I take this time to be downstairs and we watch Jeopardy and then an episode of West Wing....I know it has been out many years but if you have not seen it well worth watching...lots of seasons and episodes....

Then usually around 9 pm Gracie goes upstairs and plays piano and studies Spanish and I stay downstairs and watch the live hockey games that are on most every evening!!

Well a different day for me just so glad to be relatively unharmed from my accident!!

Yashi Kochi!!!!

Tuesday 14th May 2019...obviously no one was listening to me yesterday when I said rain rain go away!!!!

If the tall, googly-eyed robot rolling through grocery stores is "creepy" — a common refrain on social media in Connecticut — what does that make the reporter who spends 35 minutes following the robot around?

It was 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday at the Stop & Shop in Groton, peak time for a weekday, and people were doing double takes as "Marty" — Gumby-like in shape, albeit gray and mounted on a platform rather than legs — rolled by.

"They're going to conquer the world," one kid said. "Just wait."

A man later walked into the store, said, "What the (expletive)?" and continued with his shopping.

Some stopped to read the explanation affixed to Marty's side: "This store is monitored by Marty for your safety. Marty is an autonomous robot that uses image capturing technology to report spills, debris and other potential hazards to store employees to improve your shopping experience."

When Waterford resident Michelle Pillman read this, she burst out laughing. Her husband had asked, "What is that with googly eyes over there?" when they entered the store but she didn't know what he was talking about.

"I think it's really funny," Pillman told The Day. "I don't know if it's really contributing to our safety as posted."

One shopper, clearly familiar with Marty's function, clarified to two other shoppers that the robot looks for spills but doesn't clean them up.

A few minutes later, at 5:36 p.m., a woman's voice came over the intercom announcing, "Cleanup needed in the seafood department." (This reporter was in the seafood department at the time and didn't see any spills. My sustained proximity to Marty led me to the existential question, "What if I'M the mess?")

By 5:50 p.m., Marty had done a lap around the perimeter of the store and was maneuvering through the relatively narrow space between a pallet of plants and an endcap of Tide Pods.

Creepy, cute, helpful or putting union jobs at risk?

Ahold Delhaize USA, the parent company of Stop & Shop, Giant and Martin's, announced in mid-January that nearly 500 robots would be coming to its stores. Locally, in addition to Groton, Stop & Shop stores in Montville, Norwich and Waterford each have a robot. The rollout (no pun intended?) stems from a partnership between Retail Business Services, which is the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA, and Badger Technologies.

"As part of our continued focus on technology transformation, we're pleased to support one of the most significant deployments of robotics innovation in the grocery retail industry," said Paul Scorza, executive vice president and chief information officer for Retail Business Services, in a news release.

In a response to an interview request sent to three Stop & Shop media contacts, a senior manager at a public relations firm replied, "At this time, we are unable to share anything beyond what was included in the press release, but look forward to sharing more in the near future."

Marty was piloted in Pennsylvania. Patrick Maturo, manager of store optimization for Ahold USA, told PennLive in 2017 that Marty can recognize if items are out of stock on the shelf and alert employees, and check the accuracy of prices.

Giant Food Stores President Nicholas Bertram said in a statement he was "thrilled by the customer response in our pilot stores."

If you're someone who believes that all publicity is good publicity, Marty surely is a success, as the robot is a hot water-cooler and social media topic. In southeastern Connecticut at least, customers alternatively find Marty creepy, cute or helpful in preventing injuries that could result from spills.

Jason Frechette, business manager for most of the region's Stop & Shop stores for United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 919 Connecticut, sighed when asked about employees' thoughts on Marty.

"It's kind of like a running joke right now, because it's kind of like a social cue," he said, referring to customers' reactions to the robot.

But beyond the jokes, he sees something more concerning: potential for such technology to take union jobs away, though Marty is now in the "modest beginning phases."

Maturo told Penn Live that Marty can't do the work that store associates do, so the robot is doing assistant work and work that people aren't doing on a routine basis.

Jonah met Marty this afternoon!!

Still raining ☔️!!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Monday 13 th May 2019...rain rain go away!!!!!

Woke up to hard rain and what looks like cold temperatures outside.....I was on duty for Izzie this morning and around 11am Gracie took over and as I did not get out of the house yesterday I needed to today so I s pite of the rain and the cold I went out!!

The power of the internet gave me a waterfall only a ten minute drive from the house and that is where I went and it was really a great sight!!!

Walked around with my umbrella and enjoyed taking these shots.

Again thanks to the Internet I found this store just a mile from the house.

.inside the store was like being back in England with all the English products and brands.....now I have learned that everything is very expensive and when I saw that none of the items on the shelves were priced, never seen that before, I knew this would be true here....they had fresh home made steak and mushroom pies that looked delicious and got up enough courage to ask how much...I think I might have fallen over......19 dollars...ok 19 dollars for a fresh baked pie you are thinking is not bad.....but 19 US dollars in my currency, which is where I earn my money is 27 dollars!!!!!

Not a great shot but see how small it is!!

Anyway I bought the small one as the big one was 35 US DOLLARS!!!

I hope to inform you tomorrow that it tasted wonderful!!!!

I went to pick up Jonah from day care and then we went to the supermarket with him to get out of the rain and he loves to go there and never stops talking!!

Sadly we are in for the same kind of wet day again tomorrow!!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Sunday 12 th May 2019.. a very special day!!!

This is my post from last year too good not to repeat!!!

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2018

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Below is copied from my blog last year and it is so true again today so I just copied and pasted the blog!!!!

This I think is my favorite day of the year.....a day when I take it upon myself to praise and say thank you to all the MUMS out there........

Not wanting to sound like a Willie Nelson song but I have had and continue to have many women in my life and many who have touched my life and made me a better man.....so I just want to say hello to them all out there and that also includes those ladies that I have a friendship that are not MUMS still the same message thank you and I appreciate you all being in my life!!!

Of course there is one special MUM I want to tell you about my Doris!!!!!  

When I used to get myself in trouble, which was often, she just smiled and called me Leslie which is something I did not like to hear......she was a one of a kind and caring and compassionate and lovely person and Malc and I were lucky when it came to getting you as  a MUM!!!!!

This was on my FB Page..I like this kids sense of humor!!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Saturday 11th May 2019....New York New York!!!!!!!

We had no internet at the apartment so this is a recap of our weekend.....

Left the house and caught the bus into the city..it was a good ride with little traffic and we then decided to walk the 25 blocks to the apartment rather than take the subway.

The first thing that struck me was all the people..so many different nationalities..so many different languages and all in a hurry.

Found the apartment and it is on the 15 th floor of the building and from the windows there is a perfect uninterrupted view of the Empire State Building.....we went up to the roof top as the sun was setting and the views were awesome!

Gracie new of this piano bar a few blocks away and around 10 pm we walked there.....I really have never been in a place like it....considering how expensive the city is it was good there was no cover charge......the place was quite small and it was packed with a very talented piano player and the music was all Broadway songs....with everyone signing along........then a waitress sang and later the waiter sang ..both incredible voices.....we stayed a couple not hours and it was fun to see and hear!

The walk back home was easy and good.

This morning we went out for breakfast and the just walked around the less crowded areas 

And down to the 911 Memorial which we have seen before but still mind blowing..

Then through the village and back home to the apartment....

Just like this shot it is as if the worker is part of the mural!!

We were going to stay two nights but the forecast for tomorrow is really bad so we have decided to go back this evening...but first we went to Emily’s’ school where the students were performing an end of term play...

It was really well acted and a lovely evening...

Emily’s boss had kindly paid for a Uber to take us home.....and we arrived home just before midnight.....

A fun weekend..

Yashi Kochi!!!!

Friday 10th May 2019....weekend!!!!

Well almost at the end of the second week of baby sitting..it has gone by quickly and as I have mentioned before a whole new experience for me......I am now comfortable being left alone with Izzie and in fact today changed my very first diaper......👍👍👍👍

There was a small problem with the car and I went to a local repair shop and it was like being in Mexico...the owner was very funny and we shared some good stories..he fixed the problem in two minutes and would not take any cash but I left him a nice propina (tip)....

Came home and Gracie left to go to the Mall to get out of the house....Izzie was good!!

I then took her out again in the stroller for over an hour and came back got the car and went to get Jonah and we went to the park to see the ducks and to use the playground!!

Tonight is different we are taking the bus into the city....

Emily works at this school and is second in charge..

On Saturday evening her students are doing a year end play and she is required and wants to be there.....so this is the plan!!!

Gracie has an ex Brother in law who kindly lets her use his apartment in Manhattan when she is in town..so we will tonight when Emily gets home take the bus and then the train into the city and go to the apartment, I hear the view from the rooftop is out of this world and a full view of the Empire State Building..

On Saturday we will explore the city and then late afternoon Emily will come into the city and meet us and we will all walk to the school and watch the play.....the original plan was for Emily to take a Uber home and Gracie and I go back to the apartment and then Sunday go to a show and explore more of the city BUT the weather forecast for Sunday is really awful rain and cold so we may decide just to come back with Emily...will decide that later.

There is no internet at the apartment so don’t look for a blog till Sunday when there should be lots to show and tell you!!

Have a great weekend..be safe...

Yashi Kochi!!