Home again after six weeks Outside.

Home at last. Who decided on that French translation?

What a lovely day to return to the Territory. I should've been back late last night, but a sudden soggy snow squall in Ottawa stranded the airplane on the runway for five hours. The Air Canada staff made the wait almost bearable -- with free drinks, good humour, and frequent women's hockey gold medal updates -- and also booked me on this morning's flight north and even put me up in an airport hotel in Vancouver for the night. Quite a feat considering the matter of that trifling sporting event going on down there at the moment.

Now its time to relax for a couple of days, and then re-start the year from scratch.

Many thanks to those who passed along condolences to Carole and me. Much appreciated.

A point in favour of small northern homes over larger southern ones: no hot water tap is ever that far from the water heater.