A Post Beginning May 31, Ending April 1, 2025. Yes, That's Correct

One of many Ottawa's grand buildings 

My body is experiencing a growing realization on May 2 and 3, 2025 of stiffening muscular issues on my back and legs. These are golfing days at Brampton Golf Club after the last game played on April 30. I know what that nasty ache was like two, and then four days ago when we voted for our Federal Government and then I hit the road for opening day at BGC on April 28. It's an ache that seems to move around and relocate its position on the back and legs. I don't use Tylenol or Advil to lesson the annoyance because I might injure something, and not know it until later on.

You may know that Ray and I met at the Simulator installation every Friday and hit golf balls all winter to keep in shape for golfing this summer. Ray is 94 and I'm 84 at the end of this summer and I had hoped those weekly tuneups would have worked, but it's safe to say they didn't. I won't give up, or in to that familiar phrase, "You're getting older Luke."

I video'd a professional golfer of the Club Pro level to look at his swing so that we might learn something about the illusive golf swing and its variations. And my point being: there is no one perfect way to hit a golf ball and to enjoy a game of golf with your wife or your buddies. 

It's Election day across Canada on April 28, 2025 and the results are starting to come in while I watch our CBC television network prior to 21:15. At this moment the journalists have the Liberal Party at 23 seats leading or elected, and the Conservatives at 10 seats leading or elected. These ridings are our Maritime provinces who are one, or one and a half hours in time ahead of us in Quebec and Ontario. The magic number is 172 seats won by a party to elect a majority government. Less than 172 seats held by one party in our country means that we will have a minority administration once more. Five years ago we had a Liberal Party with less than 172 seats. The Liberals with the support of the NDP at that time agreed to work together and pass initiatives that served both parties' interests. 

At 21:15 we'll start to get results from Quebec and working west to Ontario, followed by Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and finally British Columbia.

At 22:00 the leading or elected results are 99 Liberal and 76 Conservative, with 15 Bloc Québécois and 2 NDP seats. 

At 22:10 the CBC have made a call that the Liberal Party will form the next government. [Mark Carney has pulled the party together after the resignation of Justin Trudeau who was Prime Minister for 11 years.] Will the CBC be right? At the moment the numbers are 153 Liberal and 129 Conservative. 

Still not a majority at 22:45

It's 23:10 and the two important numbers are Liberals 156 and the Conservatives 148. As we go deeper into the Prairies and the west we have an increase of only 3 Liberals and 19 Conservatives. What's up? Does this forecast another minority government?

At Midnight it's 162 Liberal and 149 Conservative and I'll finish this in the morning.

It's 09:00 on April 29, 2025 and somewhat incomplete results are in with surprising if not shocking results. Liberals have won with 168 seats and will form the government, but Pierre Poilievre the leader of the Conservatives with 144 seats did not win his own seat in Carleton after holding it for two decades. The Bloc Quebecois came in the third with 26 seats followed by the NDP's 7 seats with another surprise: their leader Jagmeet Singh lost his seat. The Green Party held only one seat won by their leader Elaine May.

When the completed final count of mail-in and other special voting procedures are tallied the results will be posted right here in this paragraph. This morning there are 11 ridings whose leading (but not elected) candidates have varying small leads over their main competitors. The Liberals are leading in 3 of these 11 ridings. Remember that 172 seats are required to form a majority government; The Liberals were short by three seats. The final numbers are in: 

Liberal 169,  Conservative  144,  BQ  22,  NDP  7,  Green  1. Canada's next governing body will have a minority parliament.

Personally, prior to Mark Carney entering Canadian Politics in January after Trudeau's resignation I didn't  have a preferred party or candidate. I did feel that Canada needed a change especially at the Leadership  level. Carney jumped into the fray with gusto when he appeared on America's Bill Maher's TV show "RealTime," and Carney was a big hit with Maher using his style of humour, sincerity and humility regarding Canada's future before he would announce his intention to run as a candidate for the Leader of the Liberal Party. At that point I knew Carney had been a world wide serious thinker in Finance and served successfully as Governor of the Bank of Canada (7 years) and then Governor of the Bank of England (7 years). In 2019 he was appointed by Canada to United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance. He is a recent Board Member of Brookfield Corporation one of the world's largest alternative investment management companies. He presented himself to Canada's political scene earlier this year. Today, he is our elected politician and serves as Canada's Prime Minister. I believe we are in good hands.

Liberal red, Conservative blue, Bloc light blue, NDP orange, Green lighter blue

Four days earlier

Today is April 24, 2025, a very special day I recall without fail. It was 85 years ago when our brother Richard was born to Emma and Archie (mom and dad). When Rich was brought home to Curzon street in the east end of Toronto he was the second child in 11 months to take up residence with two couples both named Mr. and Mrs. McDonald. In 6 additional years there would be 3 girls and 4 boys added to a busy household blessed with one lonely washroom.

The fun and friendship we five and our four cousins enjoyed as kids has been a wonderful memory that we nine talk about all the time.

But today I am a long way away from six of the original nine. Richard, Archie and Joan have passed away. I believe that hitting golf balls at the Brampton Golf Club on opening day is a great place to pause and reflect on my two brothers and one sister while the sun shines and the gentle wind breezes over snow capped ocean waters and lush fields of red tree pastures. 

 

Four days earlier

Easter weekend [April 18, 19, 20, 2025] has arrived the world over. It provides a three and sometimes four day holiday weekend originally intended to remember Christ was crucified, died and gloriously rose again on Easter Sunday. However, many of us in Canada have forgotten that detail, something like Christmas Day when Christ was born by immaculate conception, and other vacation days marked by politicians of significant repute in earlier days. 

This is a lovely card Terryl and I received from Cathy and Sandy Aiken our friends from Scotland

Our national politicians have been canvasing their ridings seeking approval and vote on our upcoming Federal election on April 28, 2025. The four Leaders of Canada's main parties, Liberal, Conservative, New Democrat and Bloc Québécois met in Montreal for the English night time debate on April 17 and one night earlier for the French language debate. They were lively discussions as you would expect and of course deliberations from journalists and interested pundits on who may have won these debates. Currently Liberal Mark Carney Canada's Prime Minister, elected by party members following the resignation of Justin Trudeau, had much to win and to lose. Most feel that he bested the other three, Poilievre, Singh, and Blanchet. The latest poll results have Liberals at 43.7%, Conservatives 37.7%, ND 8.5% and Bloc 2.4% leaving almost 10% undecided. My choice is Liberal because of their candidate Mark Carney whose reputation in business as the Governor of the Bank of Canada for eight years and Bank of United Kingdom for seven years was one of significant accomplishment.

We are enjoying a nice little dinner at home on Sunday with plenty of time to reflect, read and enjoy.

Four days earlier

Dear Readers...I have changed the title of this post confirming the revised dated order of its entries. Therefore this entry dated April 16, 2025 is the last one [for now that is]; and the first one I had typed is a long way down this page with the most recent post a long way up this page.

Terryl's dental issue will be completed mid-May and by then the Brampton Golf Club will be in full swing. We'll decide today on a wall 'brick mural' for one wall of our living room--or no mural at all. I'll hit a few balls in the Simulator today and Friday and after that we should be on the driving range when the club opens for the 2025 season. 

One version of a Wall Mural suggestion--What do you think of this for the Tuscany Wall?

Five days earlier

I'm toying with changing this post's heading to 'A Post Beginning May 31, Ending April 1, 2025' 

If I did this I would begin by writing: Today is April 11, 2025 and I hit golf balls at the Brampton Golf Club's Simulator with Ray Coole. We had lunch with Paul Hurley and talked about Tariffs and old friends some still here and some not. After an hour or so we said see you next Friday at the same time right here. 

I arrived home at 14:00 and turned on our Den's TV to watch the Masters' second round and wouldn't move until around 20:00. [Which is what I did on the previous post dated January until the end of March.]

Let me know what you think of the above idea dear reader? At the end of the post there is a place for your reply, let me know your thoughts if you are so inclined.

One day later

On April 12, 2025 the butt was glued to the Masters for the third and then the fourth round on Sunday.

The weather was perfect all weekend and the scoring was classic with Ireland's Rory McIroy, United Kingdom's Justin Rose, America's Bryson De Chambeau, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg and Canadian Corrie Connors all tight at the top of the leaderboard. The Major Championship was their's for the taking. Rose faltered in the third round but caught fire in the fourth round to finish at 12 under par to be the leader in the clubhouse. Rory had a makable putt on the last hole to win the Green Jacket, but he missed it by a hair's width and prepared to meet Justin in a sudden death playoff. Sure enough Rose hit a great shot into the 1st playoff hole and his ball stopped nine feet from the cup; McIlroy did him one better and drilled it to 3 feet. Justin lined it up but missed his and Rory stepped in and nailed his putt to win the Masters' Green Jacket to be the sixth player in all time to have won the Grand Slam of Golf: The US Open, The British Open, The PGA Championship and The Masters.

This Masters was the most exciting Masters I've ever witnessed (on TV) in 60 years, plus one other real visit to Augusta, Georgia in 2010 when I joined my business partner Duncan McGregor to celebrate his 70th birthday.

Rory McIlroy at 35 years of age, the sixth gentleman to win the Grand Slam of Golf. They are: 
Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy

Yes "Have you ever seen anything like this in your life" so yelled Jim Nanz of CBS when Tiger Woods dropped a putt on 16 at Augusta that floated to the top of a crest in the green and turned ever so lightly at a 120 degree angle, rolled to the hole and virtually stopped at the lip of the hole, 3 seconds later the ball toppled into the cup. Well Jim (Nanz) and Trevor (Immelman) called April 13, 2025's action too. The superlatives never stopped.

One day later

Terryl's last visit with her dentist Dr Eugene on April 14, 2025 has prepared her for a new crown in a couple of weeks. I waited for her while continuing to read The Lincoln Highway by author Amol Towles in a coffee shop on Bloor St West. 

I have found profound statements and ideas on life and personal living in the pages of countless numbers of books. Some of which are treasures revered around the world, and many are fine reads that entertain and teach principals that take hold of a person and turn their lives in another direction. In this book Towles writes, "The journey from Morgan to New York took twenty hours...To some that may seem like an enormous bit of driving. But I don't believe that I'd had twenty hours of uninterrupted time to think in my entire life." His next sentence is, "And what I found my self thinking on naturally enough I suppose, was the mystery of our will to move."

"Adam and Eve moving out of Eden.

Cain condemned to be a reckless wanderer.

Noah drifting on the waters of the flood.

Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt..."

Towles continues to write, "So, if the will to move is as old as mankind and every child can tell you so, what happens to a man like my father? Which switch is flicked in the hallway of his mind that takes the God-given will for motion and transforms it into the will for staying put?"

He continues in the next paragraph, "It comes when they are hale, hearty and at the peak of their vitality." "If you ask them what brought about the change they will cloak it in the language of virtue."

And then, "...just maybe the will to stay put stems not from a man's virtues but from his vices. After all aren't gluttony, sloth and greed all about staying put?"

I stopped reading right there, and began thinking about my life. If a book does that to me it is worth dozens of books that don't. 

[Greg McDonald gifted this book to me. 95% of it is currently finished.]

 

Twenty-two days earlier

This is not a TravelZoo advertisement. However a visit to Ottawa and then Montebello to visit Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello in Quebec [March 23] was the end result of an on-line Ad. 

Have you found it easy to spend your money while sitting in an easy chair with laptop at the ready? I have. But I'm trying not to be reckless and overdo the practise.

Terryl and I filled the car with food and drink before 8:00, topped up the hybrid's gas tank at 8:15, headed east to Ottawa and arrived at 14:30 on March 23, 2025 in Montebello Q.C. J0V 1L0. The 6.5 hour drive was perfect under cloudless skies all the way.

When we drove up the circular driveway and stopped our car the Doorman came out, opened the door for Terryl and brought our luggage inside. After a routine checkin the same man escorted us to our room overlooking the Ottawa River. While we walked to the elevator we passed six grand fireplaces housed around and circling the largest wigwam-themed-chimney I've ever seen. 

This  four-story-centred six-sided tower burns six fireplaces warming and comforting Montebello's guests

This wigwam-shaped resort hotel allows one to walk freely on four floors with the top floor reasonably close to the top of the wigwam. There are six spokes jutting away from the centre of the building housing the rooms. There are memorable photographs on these walls:

Stephen Harper and friends

I see Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pierre Trudeau.

Stephen Harper and George W. Bush

My Great Grandfather Garfield Leonard McDonald

If and when we revisit this place I'll have my clubs in the trunk for a quick nine holes. Please take note of the excellent stance and grip employed by the old timer who has a special name to be sure.

            I'll add a few shots of our own right now.

The Log Cabin grew and grew into a magnificent hotel on the Ottawa River.

A succulent bit of Cod perfectly cooked.

This chair needs the repair shop one more time.

Backgammon anyone?

Life Sized Artwork Covers The Timbers

We enjoyed our stay at Montebello and considered staying another day until we woke in the morning to a forecasted snowfall that changed our minds. We packed it up and hit the road to Ottawa at 8:15. The huge road snow-shovels eat up the two-way highway seemingly faster than our 50 klicks per hour for almost two hours before the snowfall subsided and we finally reached Ottawa. 

I asked Terryl to open her window while we trolled Wellington and Sussex Street for a few more pictures in Canada's seat of government.

What's This?

Sixteen days later

The sun is shining on this bright and windy day of April 8, 2025. Yesterday we looked for some (almost real looking) plants and actually found them at 60% off at the first store we stopped at: Michael's on North Queen. These beauties will add greenery and grace to our balcony in a week or two. We've loved the balcony and always spend plenty of time enjoying the fresh breezes with welcomed sun and/or shade at various times in spring and summer days.

Today I hit golf balls in the Brampton Golf Club's Simulator room. Eric, one of our golf pros told me to move the ball slightly forward in the stance, and that club speed can be increased by moving to a longer club. It worked.

This season I'm dialled into Rick Smith who has trained golfers of all levels for 30 years. These films come to me from Performance Golf Zone and for a small fee I can see and re-see a slew of Rick's films that are solid builders of a quality swing even for an old-timer like me.

Six days later

Today is one day after Trump declared April 2, 2025 as Liberation Day and hit the world with [he called them Reciprocal?) tariffs to Make America Great Again (MAGA). At 09:30 on April 3rd the stock markets tanked. For example Apple dropped 9.25%, Walt Disney 9.24% and Amazon 8.89% and so on giving us the worst down day in  five years. The Canadian dollar went up a cent and the USA dollar went down.

As I write this on Friday evening April 4th the scenario has repeated yesterday's nightmare and the stock markets plunged right up to the final bell.

The world's governments are reeling under the shocking burden Donald Trump foisted on every country that makes or grows things to sell into the USA markets. He explicitly declared in so many (many) words that any country that sells more goods to the USA than buys goods from the USA is not trading fairly which leaves the USA in a trading deficit. Example: in 2023 America purchased $431.2 billion dollars of goods and services from Canada; in the same year Canada purchased only $270.0 billion dollars of goods and services from the USA. Shall we set these numbers on a per capita basis? 

$431.2 billion dollars divided by 350 million American people = $1,228.57 of purchases by each person in America; Therefore $270 billion dollars divided by 40 million Canadian people = $6,750.00 of purchases for each person living in Canada. My mathematics clearly state that Canada on a per capita basis spends five times what Americans purchase from Canada. Who's not trading fairly Donald J Trump? 

Four days later

On April 6, 2025 across the plains and cities of the USA one sees countless displays of disgust for the Trump Administration in the form of Public Gatherings in significant locals. There are Town Hall meetings with citizens bellowing unpleasant threats directly at their Government's departments demanding justice for all, and a definite increase of verbal and written activity from current and former Democratic leaders denigrating Donald Trump's Executive Orders that are diminishing their institutions with firings and closures.

Listen to their news broadcasts; it's all there.

This is part of an article from The Washington Post today complete with abbreviated f... words.

"Inside and outside the White House, advisers say Trump is unbowed even as the world reels from the biggest increase in trade hostilities in a century. They say Trump is unperturbed by negative headlines or criticism from foreign leaders. He is determined to listen to a single voice — his own — to secure what he views as his political legacy. Trump has long characterized import duties as necessary to revive the U.S. economy, at one point calling tariffs “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.”

“He’s at the peak of just not giving a f--- anymore,” said a White House official with knowledge of Trump’s thinking. “Bad news stories? Doesn’t give a f---. He’s going to do what he’s going to do. He’s going to do what he promised to do on the campaign trail.” (This was written by Natalie Allison and her colleagues)

The United States is a vast and diverse country and an old and resilient democracy that won’t quickly fold into authoritarianism and illiberalism the way Russia or Hungary did. The habits of freedom, 250 years old, still run deep in our bones — deeper than anything this president can ruin over the next few years. But that certain idea of America that once typified us, and for which we were once so admired, is evaporating. (written by Brett Stephens)

Dear USA citizens: Please don't allow Trump to ruin your country. It has been 250 years in the making; don't let him ruin it in 8

I'll have the last word here. My carefully selected investments over the last 34 years have increased in value slowly and steadily. The top line may have lost some value from time to time but it always bounced back. Trump's Liberation Day on April 2, 2025 changed all that. Currently my paper losses are over 10% and there's nothing I can do about that. Or is there? Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway have a load of cash that has been building for six months (the day Trump was elected). If Buffett starts to buy again I'll do the same. However, I don't believe the world's Financial Reports will be positive as long as Trump wears a King's Crown atop his combover pretending to be presidential.

Three days later

At 9:30 April 9, 20025 the market responded to Trump's change of mind. Again? Following a deluge of inquiries from around the world but especially from the billionaires living in the USA directed at Trump exclusively, he paused his pre-ordained Tariffs one more time.

The stock market bounced up almost across the board. Those that had the cash and had put it to work made up to 20% profit on the day. [That's about  2 1/2 years of normal profit.] 

On one hand he takes it away and on the other he gives it back. Maybe he just can't make up his mind! 

I telephoned Nesbitt Burns on April 9 around 14:00 regarding investing into TSE's low entry point. We agreed to consider an overnight plan they would prepare. Christopher Campbell called at 14:30 with their plan to buy Eli Lilly and Amazon at these suppressed values. He then gave a detailed account of these two titans of Industry and, after several enquiries I agreed and we went ahead. 

Warren Buffet would be proud; Not because today's decision was something he would have done today, but that my plan has always been to invest and hold for as long as possible to make the most of Buffett's three prized principals of investing: 1. Buy and Hold 2. Don't try to Time the Market 3. Buy only great Companies and if you buy in lower than their real value that's a bonus that will serve you well.

At this political moment in time the USA is uncertain of the world wide position of importance it has held for half a century. Politically they follow Trump's infamous phrase and directives to 'Make America Great Again.' On most days he'll say words like, "I don't want to be concerned about the rest of these countries that have been cheating us for years." 

Full Stop.