THE VINTAGE YEARS

"THIS COLUMN should
come: with. some kind of
warning,. like ‘‘Stay ..
"clear. -— “crankly, old
lady crossing.” gee

ts winter: come at. ”

Jast, bringing the arthritis.
More likely,just plain oid
“age; wrestling. with modern
mores

We're pretty ‘good, ‘taken.
all’ round; at hiding ‘our. :

dismay. at!what’s’ happened oe

"to. the world we used to:
“know, and ‘not that tong

: 3: But'now. aind: then, we find.
: “ourselves mumbling i im-" =

t doesn’? t last,. thank :

“goodness; it’s awfully, hard oS

onthe complexion.»
‘But: take:the royals. 1:
“mean;-for ¥ years. and ‘years ..
of our.youth we had. Queen
Mary: and King George who:
were. ‘properly royal: They:
were, our: bench-mark 2 actu

"RENOVATION SPENDING |
projected :..to *. increase "3.5%"

! cording to. “Canada Mort-:
“gage. and:,,Housing  Corp.’s.
Renovation :

“ (CMHC): National
. -Markets reports...

‘Renovation spending i is expected:
{6 Teach’ $17.5° billion /in 1994, up’
. froma’ $16.8 billic “projected for.”

. » Tesults,® “the

“this year.
; “Projected iticreases in housing
. starts ‘and. sales of existing houses

next; year ‘will help spur activity in.

the “renovation market,’’ ° said
Gilles’ Proulx; CMHIC's chief
‘ economist. ‘‘Home: sales tend ‘to
boost ‘the renovation market
‘because many improvement pro-

jects are done shortly. before, or

-immediately..after a ‘house is
sold,” he added.

Regionally, B.C. will have the
highest increase in renovation and

repair spending this year, up 51%

 . to’ $2.2: billion, and a 4.5% in-

crease next year to $2.3 billion.

The province will benefit: from
strong housing’ markets and a
solid economic recovery that fuels
employment and income growth.

. The. report also highlights 1991
‘spending patterns by homeowners
based on Statistics Canada’s latest
Housing Repair, and Renovation
Survey. :

Renovation spending by. home-
-owners in’ 1991 totalled. $11.5
billion, or nearly 70% of the total
renovation .-spending’ -that year.
Among homeowners who reported
some renovation .work, the
average spent was $2,621,

Homeowner renovations fall
into five categories of spending:
renovations

and: alterations,

ally for ruling with con-
summate dignity.
When we sang ‘“‘God
save...,’’? we meant it.
When George VI came to

the throne with his charm-

ing, unaffected wife, they
continued in the gentle
manner and conduct that

“the role demanded.

‘Thus we shaped our views
of the monarchy and its
relationship to our lives.

Now what have we got?
Royal sybarites frolicking
freely ‘with paramours; car-
rying onin such fashion as
to draw the attention. of the
tabloids.

They. are soiling the royal
profile and encouraging

-.dark thoughts.

Queen Mary would have

had. their heads on a plate.

It seems clear; at this:

‘distance at least, what with

the fuss about income taxes -
as well-as unbecoming con-

-duct, that the monarchy has

moved into the twilight,

“ though perhaps it’s obvious

only:to the. so- called colo-.
nies.

Wein Canada, like others:
: . of the possessions, have...

_"preatly:advanced from. our.
_ Original, need for. advice and :
~ protection, 5 :

We have now earned « our.

~ own place‘on the world:

stage.
And ‘another thing; while. :

T have my. dander up:
what’s going on in the
: sports’ world? -°

‘Almost daily we see

“reports of: young’ men, still.
boys a lot 0 of them, being

S structural, additions, rep. 3airs “and
.” maintenance,

replacement. of
equipment and new installations.
The largest category of spending

vin. 1991 was for:renovations and

alterations which: accounted for
39.4% of homeowner spending of

Based on the. 1991
largest
spenders fall into. two age ‘groups
— aged 35 to 44 and. 45 to 54,

- $4.5 billion nationally.

These ‘two groups accounted for

survey.
renovation ,

4 They are soiling the royal profile

_ and encouraging dark thoughts.99

bought and sold and traded
for astonishing millions of
dollars.

This is for playing games,

’ for Heaven’s sake; it’s for.

TV privileges, and vouths
without sufficient life expe-
rience or educational: .
balance are thrust into the
complicated pressures of
stardom.

The world’s skewed.

Of course it always was,
but in our day, because . °
news of change and upset
took time to reach us, when

' it finally showed up we still

had time to study a situation
or an offer and evaluate it.
A lot of the time we were

:..quité ignorant of events un-.
_ til they had already turned

the world upside down. :
- When the bull-headed : ’

English were trying to wreak”

their will on the American’

colonies all those years ago,. .

it took weeks for a jetter.to ©

me cross the Atlantic and days.

after landing to:reach the”

‘body.to whom it was ad-"
‘dressed.

_ and bone-headed as they

always were — the machines
jusi verify it faster.

So we’re still cranky, and
wet candidate signs all over
the verges and the boule-
vards don’t help. There
oughta be a law...

Nor is our spirit soothed —

by this hiatus in federal
governing while the new

boys and girls get'settled in. .

We old folks have extra
time we don’t need to .
speculate on our futures |
when those same boys and
girls start to work, as they

" have outlined, on our. pen-

sion figures.
Universality certainly
doesn’t represent equality,

_ we agree, but the deci- .
-sion-makers are still in the

workplace and have a-dif-
ferent perspective. © °°
All right, I'll put a sock
in it. ve just one more.
grumble to unload; and that
has to do.with youth. |
-Ah;- blessed. youth, the™:

"posts ‘used to say; but that

How.would we all now “pi * ams

changed had those old chaps «
‘in knee-breeches had fax.
..machines?. .

Do'the fancy 1 machines °,

: help i in times of world crisis

in these days?’ One has to.
‘say, not much. ©. ;
: People. are as stiff-nedked

on the rise

more: than half. of ‘all renovation
spending in. 1991 and spent more,
on average, than : $3, 600 per

. renovation ‘proj ect.

Contract“ renovation... work;
which “includes -labor- plus
materials or labor only, accounted

for. ‘two-thirds © of. .every . dollar 4

spent on renovation’ in-1991. Of

-the $11.5. billion spent’on renova-

tions in ©1991, $7.7. billion was

spent, on’ contract. work: and $3.8°°

" billion for.materials only.

was before teenagers began
to lug baseball bats around
with them, looking for a
chance to bash someone.

We are the more confused
because these young people
have so much available to
them, both for advancing
themselves and simply for .
entertainment.

One would.think there
wasn’t time left to waste on = ns
trouble... -— we

We see an obvious prob: -
lem in that they have no
regular chores.. Who chops
and stacks firewood these:
days? You buy. it wrapped.
at the gas station. ~../:

‘Who has to go for the -
milk, or clean out'the: °°"
chicken run, or. bring snow.
for wash. water?” on

They have free entry to.

"all the books in the world):

to machines that.can help
them, create unimaginable
futures, to world-ciass:

"spectacles and: incredible
“heroes via the TV; and,

they’re so-bored they. nee

“to jazz things i up with a little

mayhem?”

| And spare you, | too Pye

Join us in 1 the re elaxed aimosphew of » _
MOUNT SEYMOUR UNITED CHURCH”

on

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2: 30 P, Mo

and listen to chamber music the way

it was meant to be enjoyed

"Featuring works by

Hummel °- Fux « Vivaldi e Schubert '

Performed by
The Pro Nova Ensemble ‘with guest artists
Philippe Etter (viola) Marlis MacAuley (flute)
and Alan Rinehart (guitar). Ensemble members are
Aurora Felde, Audrey Nodwell, and Hans-Karl Pilez. :

FREE ADMISSION |

~ This concert will be cepeated: December 2; nh 30 pm):
at the Ferry Building, West Vancouver. te

Mt. Seymour United Church is at 1200 Parkgate, North Vancouver
CNorth off. Mt t Seymour Parkway ju just west of the Mi. ft Seymour tumef)