The "environmental specialists" also referred to as weathermen have really lost their touch. Back in the "old days" before the age of the computer, they relied on nature, mechanical devices and instinct to predict the weather and they were fairly accurate. Now that computerized machines help them, they are rarely ever right. Earlier in the week they were calling for rain all week with the weekend clearing providing us with sunshine. By the time Wednesday arrived they changed it to sunny and warm on Thursday and Friday with the rain returning for the weekend. Well it rained Thursday morning, was sunny yesterday and it was gorgeous today. So much for modern technology!

Karley, Ian and I decided to find out what today's "Stone Soup Festival" on Commercial Drive was all about. We discovered a neighbourhood event with clowns, face-painters, fresh baking, gardening aids, craft vendors and a variety of information booths covering an array of topics. The tented area by the community gym, pool and schools was alive with all the colourful characters of The Drive and an assortment of musical talent. There was a quartet of violinists playing when we first arrived there and as we wound our way through the crowd we encountered a harpist and then a group of kids playing marimbas or wooden xylophones. They played a selection of tunes with an African flavour and the crowd surrounding them were most appreciative of their enthusiastic talent.

On our walk back we stopped at the Havana Restaurant for a late lunch. It is a popular restaurant with outdoor seating and the food is good, serving an assortment of Cuban-style dishes many of them vegetarian. Havana also houses a small live theatre and an art gallery. It is just a sample of the diversity of the area. We had a good day!