Gustav Leonhardt, the harpsichordist and conductor, has died.
He was 83 and retired from performance last month. His wife has told colleagues that he died Monday afternoon.Hi Patrick
To
paraphrase Basil Fawlty in relation to LinkedIn" I think I got away
with it" or at least nearly. I appreciate your nominating me for Spooks(
dare I write that to a Canadian) and presume you will be doing that
through Linkedin. My career details are in invisible text to maintain
security and my lack of identity.
Sherlock took an interesting course last night with him and his adversary Moriarty in "The Final Problem". Despite their demise another series has been announced. The episode was stranger even than usual but we enjoyed it and it has had very good reviews for both leading actors ie Benedict ( in danger of being typecast he is said to be so good) and Martin Freeman ( previously of The Office). I note that Downton won at the Golden Globes.
Sherlock took an interesting course last night with him and his adversary Moriarty in "The Final Problem". Despite their demise another series has been announced. The episode was stranger even than usual but we enjoyed it and it has had very good reviews for both leading actors ie Benedict ( in danger of being typecast he is said to be so good) and Martin Freeman ( previously of The Office). I note that Downton won at the Golden Globes.
I am not impressed by the behaviour of
the peleton and suggest you try and get a few Brits or better still
Englishmen in for better teamwork, resilience, punctuality and
persistence ( 14 medals at the last Olympic cycling events).Our liking
for latte(Americano with cream actually) stops merely shows off our
gifted amateur approach and we never ever stop for canned or bottled
beers or to put the bikes on buses. Additionally we always dismount when
instructed and only rarely have abusive conversations with locals-
usually those with dogs.
I note your first team ride of the new
Year only took place around the 10th of the month and furthermore you
dismiss my cycling and other efforts too lightly. Just because Christine
is the only person I can find to ride with me hasn't stopped my putting
in my regular intensive if not extensive mileage.
Following my work on the steps
close to Ray's house (not his front door ones) I am regularly out
running and running the risk of doing harm to myself in various ways.
Doing this rather than cycling means I have more time to do my homework
and research on the make-up of matter and alternative energy scenarios.
I had a Eureka moment on the way into Harrogate when the radio show
revealed that I could buy a rubber sucker to help extricate halogen
light bulbs from their holders. Apparently these are only available in
toy shops on the end of arrows! Not sure if I shall have to walk thro
the streets of Wetherby with a Robin Hood set.
Please pass our sympathies on to
Corinne as she doesn't seem to be getting too much of that at home. Ed
is due to have his plaster removed later this week and I feel is less
worthy of sympathy given how he did it in a night club celebrating.
Despite their financial position we hear they are off to the Lake
District at the weekend for an overnight stay to celebrate the cast
removal.
The Italian cruise incident is the hot
topic at present even tho there were few Brits on board- sensibly as who
would want to cruise the Med in early January -especially if it
required a compulsory swim. This should remove the pressure from me to
start holidaying that way. For some reason Christine wants to try
cycling in Holland - I am not in favour of short break holidays with the
attendant airport problems.
Good luck with the pelaton and I hope to hear more abusive reports from your colleagues and how the Canadian collider is doing. Best wishes Basil and Sybil
Fawlty Bicycle Racks!
Hi Basil!
Your undercover name is almost perfect! Shouldn't be too, too hard to play the role of a bumbling idiot and stay in character even in highly stressful situations what with all of your experience in that vein!!!
We've seen a few episodes of the "modern" Sherlock and enjoyed them. Believe the next series will start shortly here. Watched Downton, (recorded), last night after Golden Globes. By chance, I saw Julian Fellowes, et al, receiving the award!
After you read this last installment, you will understand that there may well not be another peleton!
Not surprisingly, Her Majesty's Royal Foot is actually feeling a tad more uncomfortable since she had the pins removed last Friday. Her Royal Irritability Level has gone up a corresponding notch or two, as a direct result, and Her Highness is taking it out, in spades, on the harried service staff. Even Maggie's tail is not immune from her evil wheels! Last night she downed an Extra Strength Tylenol before I tucked her into bed with her book, Winter in Madrid, by C. J. Sansom, and two bean bags, (pre-heated in microwave), one for her neck, the other for her left foot, to keep her warm.
Once Her Majesty was settled for the night, I had a few minutes, free of servitude, to scribe. After last Tuesday's ride/fiasco, I wanted to swim on Wednesday and did just that, managing a slow but steady three miles, so quite pleased with distance, although time, three hours, needs significant improvement. Still, I trust that will happen if I manage to keep a regular schedule up. As I was doing a few calf stretches by the side of the pool I bumped into Matt Garrey, my former squash doubles partner. He had strained something in his leg while running so was swimming, with flippers, until he recovered. We had a brief chat in changing room before he had to head off and I made my way home to collect Cora Lee. We had an appointment at the Travel Clinic, Vancouver Coastal Health, on the corner of Ash and Broadway. Just by good luck, found a parking spot right across the street, on Ash, after a car pulled out just after I had helped Cora Lee onto sidewalk, while illegally parked!
Clinic staff were very friendly, efficient and helpful. I needed shots for Hep A and B, tetanus, polio and diphtheria while Cora Lee required later and a booster for Hep. She had already had first two shots of this course of inoculation as a result of her volunteer work at WISH and First United. We paid, ($90 each), thanked staff and as I was leaving said I would see them in a month for my second hep shot. Dropped Corinne at home and then went to visit Imre.
Just past the corner of Macdonald/4th I noticed two policemen on motorcycles, heading east and after I went through lights on Bayswater, but a block further along, flashing lights came on and I pulled over, completely blocking one lane as there were parked cars the length of the block. Had no idea what I was being stopped for as I certainly wasn't speeding and had not run any lights. When officer came to window it turned out to be a woman and I knew The Sisterhood was involved somehow! She informed me that my bike rack would prevent any infra-red cameras from taking a picture of my rear license plate and asked me for my driver's license. I asked her if she was going to give me a ticket and she said she was and left to return to her chopper to write me up.
All sorts of questions were popping up in my mind and by the time she returned I had decided I'd ask a few of them, trying to keep my frustration and annoyance under control. Before I had a chance to say anything, once she appeared at my window, she asked me to sign the ticket, (She specifically said that it was not an admission that I had committed an offense but merely a confirmation that she had issued the ticket so I decided I'd sign and see what she had to say.), and after I did so she would explain how I could contest it. All in all she was very polite and even joked that she was freezing on her bike while I was wearing shorts. I knew part of this was a way to jolly me a bit after being stopped in the first place and I also knew I wasn't going to get anywhere by being difficult. Nevertheless, I was a bit taken aback when I saw that the fine was for $196!
She probably saw he shock on my face and quickly outlined the fact that if I arranged a court date, (details on back of ticket), within next six months and presented a picture of vehicle without the bike rack, the ticket would be waived. Relieved as I was that there was an out I was still confused about a number of matters. If I had had a bike on rack would she have stopped me? If this was the case, how does this situation play out with infra-red cameras? Presumably, having a bike or bikes on rack would make it even less likely for the license plate to be captured. Logically this should mean that bike racks should be designed to ensure that the license plate is visible by both the naked eye and/or cameras under all circumstances, rack loaded or not. I didn't want to become embroiled in this debate so took the ticket and made for Jim's place.
Enjoyed a fairly lengthy, most pleasant visit with him, (He is doing very well, considering!), and he was as puzzled as I was about nature of ticket. Following day I phoned Rack Attack, where I bought rack in first place, and they had never heard of such ticketing. This being the case, it seems to me that some jurisdiction or body, ICBC, Ministry of Transportation or VPD, for example, should have issued some sort of notice in the media or perhaps through car registration and insurance renewal alerting those bike rack owners of possible contravention of traffic law. I know that I require car insurance to drive or I face a very stiff penalty. If I had known about visibility issue I would have taken steps to ensure that my license plate could be seen. To me it is beyond ridiculous that I have been driving with this rack since 2007 and all of a sudden I have committed a crime. When did infra-red cameras come into use? Have you ever seen or heard about bicycle racks being the focus of this attention? I have not. I know that ignorance of the law is no defense but how is one to know if the retailers providing such devices are not aware themselves?
Anyway, I plan to try to follow up over the next few days, starting with a visit to VPD, on bike! For the time being I haven't decided if I'll remove the rack or simply put the old bike I no longer use on it! Cheers, a rather frustrated and grumpy, Il Conduttore!
Fawlty Bicycle Racks!
Hi Basil!
Your undercover name is almost perfect! Shouldn't be too, too hard to play the role of a bumbling idiot and stay in character even in highly stressful situations what with all of your experience in that vein!!!
We've seen a few episodes of the "modern" Sherlock and enjoyed them. Believe the next series will start shortly here. Watched Downton, (recorded), last night after Golden Globes. By chance, I saw Julian Fellowes, et al, receiving the award!
After you read this last installment, you will understand that there may well not be another peleton!
Not surprisingly, Her Majesty's Royal Foot is actually feeling a tad more uncomfortable since she had the pins removed last Friday. Her Royal Irritability Level has gone up a corresponding notch or two, as a direct result, and Her Highness is taking it out, in spades, on the harried service staff. Even Maggie's tail is not immune from her evil wheels! Last night she downed an Extra Strength Tylenol before I tucked her into bed with her book, Winter in Madrid, by C. J. Sansom, and two bean bags, (pre-heated in microwave), one for her neck, the other for her left foot, to keep her warm.
Once Her Majesty was settled for the night, I had a few minutes, free of servitude, to scribe. After last Tuesday's ride/fiasco, I wanted to swim on Wednesday and did just that, managing a slow but steady three miles, so quite pleased with distance, although time, three hours, needs significant improvement. Still, I trust that will happen if I manage to keep a regular schedule up. As I was doing a few calf stretches by the side of the pool I bumped into Matt Garrey, my former squash doubles partner. He had strained something in his leg while running so was swimming, with flippers, until he recovered. We had a brief chat in changing room before he had to head off and I made my way home to collect Cora Lee. We had an appointment at the Travel Clinic, Vancouver Coastal Health, on the corner of Ash and Broadway. Just by good luck, found a parking spot right across the street, on Ash, after a car pulled out just after I had helped Cora Lee onto sidewalk, while illegally parked!
Clinic staff were very friendly, efficient and helpful. I needed shots for Hep A and B, tetanus, polio and diphtheria while Cora Lee required later and a booster for Hep. She had already had first two shots of this course of inoculation as a result of her volunteer work at WISH and First United. We paid, ($90 each), thanked staff and as I was leaving said I would see them in a month for my second hep shot. Dropped Corinne at home and then went to visit Imre.
Just past the corner of Macdonald/4th I noticed two policemen on motorcycles, heading east and after I went through lights on Bayswater, but a block further along, flashing lights came on and I pulled over, completely blocking one lane as there were parked cars the length of the block. Had no idea what I was being stopped for as I certainly wasn't speeding and had not run any lights. When officer came to window it turned out to be a woman and I knew The Sisterhood was involved somehow! She informed me that my bike rack would prevent any infra-red cameras from taking a picture of my rear license plate and asked me for my driver's license. I asked her if she was going to give me a ticket and she said she was and left to return to her chopper to write me up.
All sorts of questions were popping up in my mind and by the time she returned I had decided I'd ask a few of them, trying to keep my frustration and annoyance under control. Before I had a chance to say anything, once she appeared at my window, she asked me to sign the ticket, (She specifically said that it was not an admission that I had committed an offense but merely a confirmation that she had issued the ticket so I decided I'd sign and see what she had to say.), and after I did so she would explain how I could contest it. All in all she was very polite and even joked that she was freezing on her bike while I was wearing shorts. I knew part of this was a way to jolly me a bit after being stopped in the first place and I also knew I wasn't going to get anywhere by being difficult. Nevertheless, I was a bit taken aback when I saw that the fine was for $196!
She probably saw he shock on my face and quickly outlined the fact that if I arranged a court date, (details on back of ticket), within next six months and presented a picture of vehicle without the bike rack, the ticket would be waived. Relieved as I was that there was an out I was still confused about a number of matters. If I had had a bike on rack would she have stopped me? If this was the case, how does this situation play out with infra-red cameras? Presumably, having a bike or bikes on rack would make it even less likely for the license plate to be captured. Logically this should mean that bike racks should be designed to ensure that the license plate is visible by both the naked eye and/or cameras under all circumstances, rack loaded or not. I didn't want to become embroiled in this debate so took the ticket and made for Jim's place.
Enjoyed a fairly lengthy, most pleasant visit with him, (He is doing very well, considering!), and he was as puzzled as I was about nature of ticket. Following day I phoned Rack Attack, where I bought rack in first place, and they had never heard of such ticketing. This being the case, it seems to me that some jurisdiction or body, ICBC, Ministry of Transportation or VPD, for example, should have issued some sort of notice in the media or perhaps through car registration and insurance renewal alerting those bike rack owners of possible contravention of traffic law. I know that I require car insurance to drive or I face a very stiff penalty. If I had known about visibility issue I would have taken steps to ensure that my license plate could be seen. To me it is beyond ridiculous that I have been driving with this rack since 2007 and all of a sudden I have committed a crime. When did infra-red cameras come into use? Have you ever seen or heard about bicycle racks being the focus of this attention? I have not. I know that ignorance of the law is no defense but how is one to know if the retailers providing such devices are not aware themselves?
Anyway, I plan to try to follow up over the next few days, starting with a visit to VPD, on bike! For the time being I haven't decided if I'll remove the rack or simply put the old bike I no longer use on it! Cheers, a rather frustrated and grumpy, Il Conduttore!
Here’s a photo from our Hallmark party on Saturday night.
On
the left, Alex Smith (my co-director here at the network) and actress
Candace Cameron (Full House series alumni and has made movies for us)
I sat between Valerie Harper and Jane Seymour at dinner, both were wonderful company!
I
wore a chic simple black Calvin Klein heavy sheath dress with ¾ sleeves
with a simple line of black leather bound buttons down the right-front
of dress with Sam Edelman black patent shoes.
It
was a wonderful night all around and a great success for the company.
We were disappointed that Stacy Kiebler did not bring George Clooney
though. But she did escort him to the GG’s I see!
Love to all!
PS: Had a nice breakfast date with Alexander yesterday, he’s doing very well on his own!
Oh and I wore the earrings that Chloe gave me!!!
The long-awaited day of celebration is here...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BETTY WHITE from all of your friends @ Hallmark Channel USA!!!
Gee thanks...'cause there's nothing we like more than getting jokesabout oral sex from our Dads, right kids??
Hi Tinsel Town!
Great snap of Hallmark party! I don't know what you are talking about when you mention subject of "oral sex"! I was simply wondering whether Chloë had managed to program the electric toothbrush she received for Christmas! Fondestos and Cheers, Poppa "We Don't Need No Stinkin' Dental Floss" San!
Oh and I wore the earrings that Chloe gave me!!!
Gee thanks...'cause there's nothing we like more than getting jokesabout oral sex from our Dads, right kids??
Hi Tinsel Town!
Great snap of Hallmark party! I don't know what you are talking about when you mention subject of "oral sex"! I was simply wondering whether Chloë had managed to program the electric toothbrush she received for Christmas! Fondestos and Cheers, Poppa "We Don't Need No Stinkin' Dental Floss" San!
Corinne,
How are you doing? Any chance for a night of bridge here (and delicious dinner?) before the young folks go off on their cruise? We’re pretty flexible between now and the end of the month.
AND no snow predicted rest of year. Charlie
Hi Charlie, early Feb would work best as I'm still not weight bearing. Mom and Dad leave on the 10th of Feb. Are you around in early Feb? Best Corinne
Hi Charlie, early Feb would work best as I'm still not weight bearing. Mom and Dad leave on the 10th of Feb. Are you around in early Feb? Best Corinne
Feb 2, 3 or 4 is fine. Plus less chance of snowstorm! Charlie
Hi Charlie, bridge on the 3rd would work best. I'm not yet walking but should be able to do stairs by then.What can we bring?? Best Corinne
Forgot the time – between 5:30 and 6pm on Feb 3? Or earlier if you want as we are all retired!
Charlie
Hi Folks!
Sounds
great. We have you on our social calendar. Bring just yourselves and a
bottle of wine if you like. Of course I will plenty of wine here! Thanks, Charlie
Hi Flash!
I resent these online services and their restricted character length and rail against the short attention spans which underpin this inability to process considered argument and discussion as opposed to nanobits of text extolling nothing but the mindless, pre-masticated pap of reality shows and their zombie followers! Rant now over!
Glad you are managing to keep The Big Bad Wolf from the door! Rossland sounded wonderful. Friend, Whirlygig, was there over hols as well and said they enjoyed some pretty good downhill skiing. Still working on rack solution and am inclined to ask Big Molly, friend Al Waldron, Mr Whiz Kid of Special Effects fame, a Young Dusty who can do just about everything, if he might be able to weld something, (He started out as welder at Canron on False Creek before he morphed into working in film industry. At Canron he was involved with some of the huge fittings for Canada Place!), to bottom of rack. However, license plate must be illuminated so I'll need some more "stuff", electrical wiring, hook-ups to tie into existing system, etc., to satisfy that additional requirement or risk another citation!
Not sure about riding weather over next little while so will most likely be heading back to pool. Not that I mind. In fact, really look forward to whirlpool and sauna, particularly with current temperatures! Keep in touch. Would be great to see you all before we leave on March 5th. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Thank you so much, Patrick! Please give my love to everyone.
I read your lovely Christmas e-mail and it really cheered me up just at the right time, but I've been so busy with all the trainings and traveling to seminars for the new job since then, I couldn't find a nice quiet moment to sit down and write a decent answer. I think you sent me some good energy to get this new job:)The crazy period should be over in a week so I will let you in on some more details then.
Love and hugs, Morana
Hi Morana!
Don't worry about replying! I'm retired while you are just beginning your career. Onward! Fight!!
Keep in touch. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!
Barbarossa - I'm replying here because I ran out of room on the Linked in note - they don't allow you too many letters.
Hello Pat - Happy New Year.
We're
back from Rossland after a chilly but relatively snow-free Christmas
(there was about a foot or so on the ground in Rossland - hardly worthy
of note). Skiing was somewhat patchy, but the cross-country was
excellent. I went every day save for 2 - Christmas, when I was putting
the bird in the oven for 21 and the 27th where it was raining and not
particularly conducive to any type of winter sports.
Glad
to hear Corinne is on the mend - I shudder to think about pins and such
in her foot, but I hope it will all end well enough with her hale and
hearty as always.
Best of luck
with the swimming - I do wish I had the luxury of such long, languid
days in the pool, but no rest for us over the next little while. They
say that things are slow in Vancouver but Kirsten is absolutely run off
her feet these days. Work for me is not too bad - there is always room
for improvement but I'm optimistic for a better year than last, which
was better than 2010, which was better than 2009 - which isn't saying
much, because 2009 was a triumph of hope over experience from a business
point of view. However, we made it through, some what more humbled and
bowed than before, but still ourselves with our health and sense of
humour intact. That Lexus I was looking at before the downturn just
isn't that alluring anymore (not, that, honestly it ever was). I'm
keener to save my pennies and emulate my grandparents and parents from a
saving point of view. No frivolous purchases, except for necessities,
like $1000 pre-distressed pairs of shoes and $800 pairs of jeans that
are all sparkly. Oh, and food, and insurance, and a bit of travel...
As
for the bike rack, it was my understanding that the rule has always
been such that the rear plate on the car must be visible at all times
and cannot be obscured by anything, like a bike rack. The fellow at Rack
Attack was, as far as I'm concerned, lying like a rug about this. It
has always been the case but rarely enforced, but possibly they are now
stepping up enforcement. It's ironic that you were stopped in the dead
of winter. One would think that the summer might be a better time to do
this sort of a blitz. An option is to place your rear license plate on
the rack itself so it is visible from behind. Of course one must make
sure it is securely fastened lest you lose it, because that will get you
pulled over in a nanosecond.
However,
this 'infra-red' camera issue is new to me. I wasn't aware they were
using such technology and I'm not sure what the benefit is...
Ah,
just looked it up - it's an automated system for reading license
plates. A police car can read several thousand an hour - if they're
looking for someone in particular they can drive around and search
license plates automatically.
Still,
$196 is a bit abrupt. Good luck in court. Have you signed yourself up
for the Gran Fondo in Kelowna yet? Think of getting let off the hook
once you show your unadorned car photo as your entry fee for the Fondo.
When
are you off on your next round-the-world trip? I understand cruises in
Italy are very cheap all of a sudden. Such a shame about that one - I
can imagine they'll want some answers from the captain, but he was just
bringing the ship close so he could show off to the family of one of the
chefs on board. Here's hoping it doesn't slip off the shoal it's on
and spill its 1.9 million litres of oil...
Chat soon. -A.
Hi Flash!
I resent these online services and their restricted character length and rail against the short attention spans which underpin this inability to process considered argument and discussion as opposed to nanobits of text extolling nothing but the mindless, pre-masticated pap of reality shows and their zombie followers! Rant now over!
Glad you are managing to keep The Big Bad Wolf from the door! Rossland sounded wonderful. Friend, Whirlygig, was there over hols as well and said they enjoyed some pretty good downhill skiing. Still working on rack solution and am inclined to ask Big Molly, friend Al Waldron, Mr Whiz Kid of Special Effects fame, a Young Dusty who can do just about everything, if he might be able to weld something, (He started out as welder at Canron on False Creek before he morphed into working in film industry. At Canron he was involved with some of the huge fittings for Canada Place!), to bottom of rack. However, license plate must be illuminated so I'll need some more "stuff", electrical wiring, hook-ups to tie into existing system, etc., to satisfy that additional requirement or risk another citation!
Not sure about riding weather over next little while so will most likely be heading back to pool. Not that I mind. In fact, really look forward to whirlpool and sauna, particularly with current temperatures! Keep in touch. Would be great to see you all before we leave on March 5th. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Thank you so much, Patrick! Please give my love to everyone.
I read your lovely Christmas e-mail and it really cheered me up just at the right time, but I've been so busy with all the trainings and traveling to seminars for the new job since then, I couldn't find a nice quiet moment to sit down and write a decent answer. I think you sent me some good energy to get this new job:)The crazy period should be over in a week so I will let you in on some more details then.
Love and hugs, Morana
Hi Morana!
Don't worry about replying! I'm retired while you are just beginning your career. Onward! Fight!!
Keep in touch. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!
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