Mark,
Yes, let’s confirm early on Thursday
AM.
Charlie & I are driving to Portland that day and
were planning to leave in the early afternoon. I have just been alerted that the
ETD may be earlier than originally planned. G
Henkell Trocken and More!
Hi Whirlygig!
Your Dad and Her Majesty have the same taste! One of the Royal Highness's
favourite drops of bubbly. In fact, she often bathes in a tubful!!!
As I mentioned in earlier message hope you have a great tourney. Please send
along regards and best wishes to gang. Give me a shout upon return. Cheers,
Il Conduttore!
Your Dad and Her Majesty have the same taste! One of the Royal Highness's
favourite drops of bubbly. In fact, she often bathes in a tubful!!!
As I mentioned in earlier message hope you have a great tourney. Please send
along regards and best wishes to gang. Give me a shout upon return. Cheers,
Il Conduttore!
P,
We must drink some HT to their memory (- not to what they respectively can
no longer remember). May Annie bathe in bubbly.
Thanks. I will pass along your best wishes to the Doubles crowd. Gord Usher
always pins your last opus to the board behind the courts. Should be fun --
the tourney is oversubscribed!
Enjoy your rides over the next few days. See you for a ride early next week, G
We must drink some HT to their memory (- not to what they respectively can
no longer remember). May Annie bathe in bubbly.
Thanks. I will pass along your best wishes to the Doubles crowd. Gord Usher
always pins your last opus to the board behind the courts. Should be fun --
the tourney is oversubscribed!
Enjoy your rides over the next few days. See you for a ride early next week, G
Hi Guys,
I’m probably going to take my boys skiing tomorrow but if anything changes
would love to join up. I know George has joined with the 21st century and has
communication capabilities so I’ll call if I have a change of plans. I would be
available on Friday later in the morning if there’s a change and I’ll be doing
some work in the vicinity of the Burrard and Pacific. Have fun! Al
Gentlemen,
I
will pass on tomorrow as (a) the weather looks iffy and (b) I really
have a number of projects I have been neglecting, choosing to hunker
down under my cover drinking hot tea as the wind howled and the rain
pelted. I'd rather work inside now and be free to cycle when the
weather is nice than vica versa. I have however upped my workout
schedule at VRC to stay in tip top shape for the Vancouver to Seattle
ride.
más adelante//bjp
Please permit me this brief note on a more serious matter.
I was becoming concerned about the growing use of non-official languages in the members' discussions of constitutional issues. I'm not exactly sure which languages Burnaby North and the Conductor are trying to communicate in, but it doesn't seem to be working.
Then I realized that we've not determined whether our constitution was promulgated under federal or provincial jurisdiction. This lacuna may be a source of the periodic constitutional crises we seem doomed to endure. The situation may have made worse by the fact that BC is one of only two Canadian jurisdictions (along with Newfoundland and Labrador) not to have legislated an official language. Even, if I may use the example without intending any offence, the Yukon has adopted, I understand, several official languages.
We may not be ready yet to give this matter the sober consideration it deserves. Perhaps a committee could be struck. Patrick may want to give it some thought during his antipodal expedition and report back to us. I don't think we'd expect anything over fifty pages.
As English is the only language I know, I hesitate to suggest another. But in honour of our favourite spirit and Burns perhaps we should consider Gaelic.
Slainte* mhor agad!
*Which I understand to mean I can't find the diacritical marks on this bloody thing.
I was becoming concerned about the growing use of non-official languages in the members' discussions of constitutional issues. I'm not exactly sure which languages Burnaby North and the Conductor are trying to communicate in, but it doesn't seem to be working.
Then I realized that we've not determined whether our constitution was promulgated under federal or provincial jurisdiction. This lacuna may be a source of the periodic constitutional crises we seem doomed to endure. The situation may have made worse by the fact that BC is one of only two Canadian jurisdictions (along with Newfoundland and Labrador) not to have legislated an official language. Even, if I may use the example without intending any offence, the Yukon has adopted, I understand, several official languages.
We may not be ready yet to give this matter the sober consideration it deserves. Perhaps a committee could be struck. Patrick may want to give it some thought during his antipodal expedition and report back to us. I don't think we'd expect anything over fifty pages.
As English is the only language I know, I hesitate to suggest another. But in honour of our favourite spirit and Burns perhaps we should consider Gaelic.
Slainte* mhor agad!
*Which I understand to mean I can't find the diacritical marks on this bloody thing.
If indeed, as Guy suggests, Il Conduttore is about to adventure off to the Antipodes*, it will behoove him to bring his schnorkel. As the attached Google Earth link should serve to clarify, his destination would appear to put him at a mid-point between the shores of the Great Australian Bight and the autumnal northern shores of Antarctica. [Figure that one out, gents.]
* With as many threes as could be mustered, I put the terrace of The Island Inn at
49° 6’ 16.93” N & 123° 8’ 9.33” W
8^) cheers, MarkI move that Mark's query about my use of the term "antipodal" be referred to the terminology subcommittee of the the official languages committee, if and when that committee is formed.
Guy
- Dear Learned and Esteemed Colleagues!
I must say that I am more than flattered by the amount of scientific and legal discussion that my humble scrivenings have engendered in the body politic, so to speak. Aside from the "rounding up" of the seconds of longitude and latitude, Marcus Aurelius' sextant reckonings are quite remarkable while Guy's succinct, pelucid consideration of the babel which plagues the NRBC correspondence is nothing short of a touchstone, nay a benchmark in legal discourse.
I fear, nonetheless, that both are motivated by quotidian impulses, perhaps devolving into obsessive compulsive bureaucratic urges to control the free spirit of the NRBC, on the one hand through exact demarcation and limitation of location, on the other, through a desire to force a multiplicity of tongues and expression into a Procrustean bed of parlance, Onespeak, so to speak. I for one, spit on their honeyed words and pretty pictures, preferring Wellerisms over Big Brotherisms: "A rolling stone gathers no moss", exclaimed Il Conduttore, as he left the peletonieri sipping lattes at the Terra Bread Cafe with the Giggling Sisterhood!
But Beware, my foolhardy fellows for I know better what lurks beneath the smiles of the Ladyes Fayre. As Manservant to her Liege Ladyship, I still have a heavy number of unpaid chauffeuring commitments to discharge, even though Her Ladyship was able to start weight bearing this past Friday! Unfortunately, for me, she now has use of the Royal Cane with which to beat me soundly about my hunched shoulders/withers! In spite of her return to self-locomotion, my unjustly imposed obligations remain painfully onerous and Her Disdainfullness keeps finding ways to order me about with but the flick of a royal finger, the practiced ease of a haughty aristocrat!
I remain, Your Loyal friend and Confidant, Il Conduttore! President of Wellerisms International!
Daor Foghlamtha agus Chomhghleacaithe esteemed!
Caithfidh mé a rá go bhfuil mé ag níos mó ná flattered de mhéid na díospóireachta eolaíoch agus dlíthiúla a bhfuil mo scrivenings humble engendered sa chomhlacht polaiteach, mar a déarfá. Chomh maith as an "slánú suas" an soicind den domhanfhaid agus domhanleithid, tá reckonings sextant Marcus Aurelius 'sách dochreidte cé go bhfuil gonta Guy ar, breithniú pelucid na Babel a plagues an comhfhreagras NRBC aon ní gearr de slat tomhais, nay tagarmharc i ndioscúrsa dlíthiúil .
Eagla orm, mar sin féin, go bhfuil an dá bhfuil spreagtha ag impulses quotidian, b'fhéidir, a chuirtear isteach i maorlathach mífholláin obsessive molann chun rialú a dhéanamh ar an spiorad saor in aisce ar an NRBC, ar thaobh amháin trí críochú cruinn agus teorannú ar shuíomh, ar an taobh eile, trí mian chun fórsa iliomad dteangacha agus cur in iúl i leaba Procrustean de parlance, Onespeak, mar a déarfá. Mé le haghaidh ceann amháin, ar a n-spit focail honeyed agus pictiúir go leor, preferring Wellerisms thar Brotherisms Big: "Bailíonn A cloch rollach aon caonach", exclaimed Il Conduttore, mar a d'fhág sé an peletonieri lattes sipping ag an Chatháin Arán Terra leis an Sisterhood giggling!
Ach Seachain, tá a fhios agam comhaltaí foolhardy le haghaidh níos fearr agam cad lurks faoi bhun an smiles na Fayre Ladyes. Mar Manservant di Ladyship Liege, tá mé fós ag roinnt de na gealltanais trom chauffeuring neamhíoctha a urscaoileadh, cé go raibh sí in ann tús a meáchan Ladyship bhfuil dé haoine seo caite! Ar an drochuair, dom, tá sí anois ar úsáid a bhaint as na cána Ríoga a bheidh le buille dom soundly faoi mo ghuaillí / Withers hunched! In ainneoin d'fhill sí ar féin-taistil, fanann mo hoibleagáidí a fhorchuirtear painfully dochraidí míchóir agus coimeádann sí Disdainfullness bealaí a aimsiú chun ordú dom faoi leis ach an flick de finger ríoga, an éascaíocht a chleachtadh de Aristocrat haughty!
Fanacht liom, Do chara Loyal agus dóchas, Il Conduttore! Uachtarán Wellerisms Idirnáisiúnta!
Дорогие уроки и уважаемые коллеги!
Надо сказать, что я более чем польщен количество научных и юридических обсуждения, что мой скромный scrivenings породили в политическое тело, так сказать. Помимо "округление" в секундах широты и долготы, Марк Аврелий "секстант подсчетам весьма замечательны в то время как сжатый Гая, pelucid рассмотрение столпотворение которая свирепствует в NRBC переписка является не чем иным критерием, нет отсчета в правовом дискурсе .
Я боюсь, тем не менее, что оба они мотивированы банальный импульсов, может быть, возложенных на обсессивно-компульсивное бюрократических призывает контролировать свободный дух NRBC, с одной стороны, путем точных границ и ограничение места, с другой стороны, через желание, чтобы заставитьмножественности языков и выражения в прокрустово ложе языком, Onespeak, так сказать. Я, например, плевать на их медовый слова и красивые картинки, предпочитая более Wellerisms Большой Brotherisms: "перекати-вода не течет", воскликнула Ира Conduttore, как он покинул peletonieri потягивая латте в кафе Хлеб Terra с хихикая сестричество!
Но будьте осторожны, мои парни безрассудно, ибо я знаю лучше, что скрывается под улыбки Fayre Ladyes. Как слуга к ней Льеж светлость, я до сих пор тяжелое количество неоплаченных chauffeuring обязательства выполнять, несмотря на ее милость смог начать вес, имеющий в эту пятницу! К сожалению, для меня, у нее теперь есть использования Королевской Кане, с которым меня бить крепко о моих плеч сгорбленной / холке! Несмотря на ее возвращение к самостоятельной передвижения, мой несправедливо введенные обязательства остаются обременительными и болезненно Ее Disdainfullness продолжает поиск путей к порядку мне о с, но одним движением пальца королевской практикуется легкость надменный аристократ!
Я остаюсь, Ваш верный друг и доверенное лицо, Ил Conduttore! Президент Wellerisms International!
Gentile apprese e stimati colleghi!
Devo dire che sono più che lusingato dalla quantità di discussione scientifica e legale che la mia umile scrivenings hanno generato nel corpo politico, per così dire. A parte le "retate" dei secondi di longitudine e latitudine, Marco Aurelio 'calcoli sestante sono notevoli mentre succinta Guy, considerazione pelucid della babele che affligge la corrispondenza NRBC è a dir poco una pietra di paragone, anzi un punto di riferimento nel discorso giuridico .
Temo, tuttavia, che entrambi sono motivati da impulsi quotidiano, magari devolvendo in ossessivo compulsivo burocratico invita a controllare lo spirito libero della NRBC, da un lato attraverso la demarcazione esatta e la limitazione di posizione, dall'altro, attraverso il desiderio di forza una molteplicità di lingue e di espressione in un letto di Procuste di linguaggio, Onespeak, per così dire. Per quanto mi riguarda, sputare sulle loro parole melliflue e belle immagini, preferendo Wellerisms oltre Brotherisms Big: "Una pietra che rotola non raccoglie muschio", esclamò Il Conduttore, in quanto ha lasciato la peletonieri sorseggiando Lattes al Caffè Pane Terra con la Sorellanza Giggling!
Ma attenzione, i miei compagni temerario perché so meglio cosa si cela sotto i sorrisi del Fayre Ladyes. Come servo a sua signoria Liegi, ho ancora un numero pesante di impegni non pagati chauffeur a svolgere, anche se sua signoria era in grado di iniziare con questo peso Venerdì scorso! Purtroppo, per me, ora ha l'uso del Cane Reale con cui colpire me profondamente sulle mie spalle curve / garrese! A dispetto del suo ritorno all'auto-locomozione, i miei obblighi imposti ingiustamente rimanere dolorosamente onerosi e le sue Disdainfullness continua a trovare modi per ordinare me, ma con un semplice spostamento del dito reale, la facilità praticata di un aristocratico altezzoso!
Rimango, il tuo fedele amico e confidente, Il Conduttore! Presidente della Wellerisms internazionale!
عزیز آموخته و همکاران محترم!
من باید بگویم که من بیشتر از مقدار بحث علمی و حقوقی که به scrivenings فروتن من در بدنه سیاسی engendered، پس به صحبت flattered. گذشته از "گرد کردن تا" ثانیه طول جغرافیایی و عرض جغرافیایی، reckonings ذات السدس مارکوس Aurelius "هستند بسیار قابل توجه است در حالی که موجز گای، در نظر گرفتن pelucid بابل که طاعون مکاتبات NRBC است هیچ چیز کمتر از سنگ محک، نه معیار در گفتمان حقوقی .
با این حال ، من می ترسم، که هر دو توسط تکانه های روزمره انگیزه، شاید واگذاری به بوروکراتیک وسواس مصرانه برای کنترل روح آزاد NRBC، از یک سو از طریق علامت گذاری دقیق و محدودیت محل، از سوی دیگر، از طریق میل به زورتعدد زبان و بیان به تخت بزور بکار وادارنده طرز سخن گفتن، Onespeak تا به صحبت می کنند. من برای یکی، تف بر روی کلمات عسلی و تصاویر زیبا، ترجیح می دهند Wellerisms بیش از Brotherisms بزرگ : "سنگ نورد جمع آوری بدون خزه، گفت :" ایل Conduttore، به عنوان peletonieri sipping lattes را در قهوه خانه نان ترا با خواهری Giggling را ترک کرد!
اما مراقب باشید ، همراهان دارای تهور بی مورد من برای من بهتر است آنچه در زیر لبخند Fayre Ladyes lurks. به عنوان نوکر به سرکار علیه لیژ او، من هنوز هم تعداد سنگین از تعهدات پرداخت نشده chauffeuring به تخلیه، حتی اگر سرکار علیه او قادر به شروع تحمل وزن این جمعه گذشته بود! متاسفانه، برای من، او در حال حاضر استفاده از عصا سلطنتی که با آن به ضرب و شتم من کاملا در مورد شانه های قوز من / قسمت واقع بین استخوانهای کتف به رغم بازگشت خود به خود، نقل و انقال نیرو، به ناحق تعهدات تحمیل من باقی می ماند دردناکی طاقت فرسا و Disdainfullness او را نگه می دارد پیدا کردن راه به من سفارش مورد با اما تلنگر انگشت سلطنتی، سهولت عمل یک اشراف زاده متکبر!
من باقی می ماند ، دوست وفادار و محرم اسرار شما، IL Conduttore! رئیس جمهور Wellerisms بین المللی!
Dragi Učeni i cijenjenim kolegama!
Moram reći da sam više nego polaskan za iznos znanstvenih i pravnih rasprava koje su mom skromnom scrivenings stvorile u političko tijelo, da tako kažemo. Osim "zaokruživanje" u sekundi geografske dužine i širine, Marka Aurelija "sekstant reckonings su prilično neobičan, a Guy je kratak, pelucid obzir Babel koji pošasti NRBC dopisivanje nije ništa kratko je kamen, štoviše presedan u pravnom diskursu .
Bojim se, ipak, da su oba motivirana svakodnevni impulsi, možda nadležnost u opsesivno kompulzivnog birokratske poziva za kontrolu bez duha NRBC, s jedne strane kroz točno razgraničenje i ograničenja lokacije, s druge strane, kroz želju na snagumnoštvo jezika i izražavanja u Procrustean krevet govora, Onespeak, da tako kažem. I za jedan, pljuje na sladak kao med riječi i lijepe slike, preferirajući Wellerisms preko Big Brotherisms: "Rolling Stone okuplja ne Moss", uzviknula Il Conduttore, kao što je on napustio peletonieri ispijanje kavu u kavani Terra Kruh sa Giggling sestrinstvo!
Ali pazi, moj ludo odvažan novaci jer znam bolje što vreba ispod osmjesima Ladyes fayre. Kao što je sluga joj Liege visočanstvo, još uvijek imam teške broj neplaćenih obveza za chauffeuring iscjedak, iako Njeno visočanstvo je bio u mogućnosti pokrenuti weight bearing proteklog petak! Nažalost, za mene, ona je sada koriste u Royal Cane s kojima se mi tukli čvrsto oko mog ramena pogrbljeno / grebena! Unatoč njezina povratka u self-kretanja, moj nepravedno nametnuti obveze ostaju bolno težak i njezin Disdainfullness drži pronalaženje načina kako da me o tome, ali s pokretom kraljevske prst, prakticirali jednostavnost oholi plemić!
Ja i dalje, Vaše Odan prijatelj i pouzdanik, Il Conduttore! Predsjednik Međunarodnog Wellerisms!
亲爱的教训和尊敬的同事！
我必须说我超过不敢恭维，科学化，法制化的讨论，愚见scrivenings常表现为在政治体，可以这么说。除了在“四舍五入高达”的经度和纬度的秒，马库斯 - 奥勒留“六分仪reckonings是相当了不起的Guy的简洁，在巴贝尔这瘟疫的NRBC的信件pelucid考虑则是无关的试金石，反对法律话语的基准。
不过，我担心，都是瘴疠的冲动，也许是出于强迫官僚下放敦促控制的NRBC的自由精神，一方面，通过精确的划分和地点的限制，另一方面，通过武力的愿望，的方言，表达多重的说法Onespeak，削足适履的床，可以这么说。我吐在他们的甜言蜜语和漂亮的图片，宁愿过大Brotherisms Wellerisms：“滚石不生苔”，惊呼金正日Conduttore，因为他离开peletonieri在特拉面包咖啡馆喝着拿铁与傻笑姐妹！
但要注意，我有勇无谋研究员更好地知道什么Ladyes Fayre的笑容之下潜伏着。作为她列日老夫的男仆，我仍然有一个无偿接送承诺履行的沉重，尽管她老人家是能够过去的这个星期五开始负重！不幸的是，对我来说，她现在已经击败我驼背的肩膀/肩，我寐皇家手杖的使用！尽管她的回归到自我的运动，我不公正地强加的义务仍然痛苦的繁重，她Disdainfullness不断寻找办法，为了我与，但一个皇家手指轻弹，一个高傲的贵族实行的缓解！
我仍然存在，您忠实的朋友和知己，金正日Conduttore！总统Wellerisms国际！
Hi Patrick
Thank you so much for the email. I do apologize for the delay in getting back in touch with you. I tend to get inundated with email at work and so I can sometimes be tardy with getting to my own personal email account. I know that it is not a very good excuse, but it is the truth nonetheless.
I am looking forward to the singles event at the VPL. I would give you a full report, however the event is after our club get together at your place. So any update will have to wait until we are all back together again. I wonder what the event will be like though. Will we discuss books? Will it be a success? Will there be enough people to make it a go? So many questions. I guess only time will tell.
I have been reading some great books of late. Many of them dealing with internet crime and I have been enjoying them greatly. So many talented computer hackers out there. As I read more and more about them, I realize just how vulnerable we can all be at times. I am also reading the autobiography of duff mckagan from Guns N Roses. A rock band that I enjoyed in my youth. Heck who am I kidding? I still like them.
I continue to run as much as I can, although it has been getting harder and harder to get out. I seem to be feeling lazy these days. I am hoping that I'm lazy only due to the weather and when it turns nicer out, I'll be motivated again. I do continue to swim though, and I am looking forward to booking my holiday. This year, I think it will be Australia.
Anyway Patrick, speaking of swimming I must retire to bed. 5am comes quickly. Far too quickly these days. I had hoped to be in bed before 9pm. So much for that plan!
Take care and talk with you soon,..Dave
Hi Titanium Man!
My turn to apologize for being so tardy with my reply! Unlike you, I have no "work-related" email to deal with. However, as a Manservant to her Liege Ladyship, I have a heavy number of unpaid chauffeuring commitments to discharge so my imposed obligations are probably more onerous than your forensic investigations, putting evildoers away with the flick of a finger, the practiced ease of a Lisbeth Salander! (Saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, US version, on Thursday afternoon and enjoyed it immensely. Still like the Swedish films but feel that this remake is very, very good. Not something that I had expected, to tell you the truth.)
You didn't mention if any of the books about internet credit card and identity theft were by Misha Glenny? We will be off to Australia, our fifth visit, in March, so if you have never been and would like some suggestions, we'd be delighted to share some of our experiences.
I think that the VPL event is a great idea and trust that all goes swimmingly, so to speak. Speaking of which, I used to get up about 5:30am when I was still working at UBC to that I could cycle in to pool for 7:30am, before starting at Library. Need to become more disciplined now so that I can do somewhat the same at the Aquatic Centre. If I arrive there around 7:00am I would be able to log my three miles, (my benchmark for now), before noon and then have more of the day to devote to other activities. On Wednesday I was able to do 3.25 miles and did shave off a few minutes for each mile so was pleased to see that my form seems to be improving, even if slowly. Still, this exercise seems to be helping my shoulder so am grateful for that.
On the cycling front, Robo Ray and I did our usual Stanley Park jaunt, meeting friend, Kjell, on the West Van side of Lions Gate. (He is probably an inch or so taller than you and is quite uncomfortable about riding over LG, fearing, so he says, of being blown over railing!) At any rate, we made our to Travers and Marine Drive and then back to his place, near Tatlow and Marine. Kjell has not been riding much of late so he didn't want to attempt Seymour, as I had first suggested when we rendezvoused. At any rate, after we waved goodbye, Raymundo and I made our back towards LG and discovered a very pleasant, freshly surfaced bike trail which we followed back to the bridge. At some point it skirts the Capilano Reserve of the Squamish First Nation. Not sure how far it goes to the east but will investigate on our next ride in this vicinity. From looking a some cycling maps, think that it might go as far along the north side of Welch Street and West 1st Street from Pemberton Avenue to MacKay Avenue. Eventually, I gather, "The Spirit Trail will be a unique, waterfront-oriented, multi-use and fully accessible greenway that will provide pedestrians, cyclists, inline skaters and people with wheeled mobility aids access across the North Shore, from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove."
For the present, however, it makes a wonderful addition to our North Shore ride and we had logged almost 40km by the time we were headed back over LG. Weather was superb and sun even graced us by peeking out from behind the clouds as we made our way downhill from Prospect Point. At bottom, I asked Robo Ray if he fancied another loop of the Seawall but he declined. he has not been riding much since snow and nasty weather have prevented much sustained cycling and felt his legs were tired. This being the case, I accompanied him to Macdonald and Point Grey and then, waving goodbye, made my way back towards Science World. I wanted to stop at Tru-Value Optical on Ash and Broadway to collect another receipt for new glasses I had purchased last August. (Couldn't seem to find original and needed it to submit a claim to our Pacicifc Blue Cross plan, along with physio charges I'd amassed last fall before seeing shoulder specialist. Had waited to submit former as our vision allowance didn't kick in until 2012.) Was pleased to pull up to storefront with 75.33km on my trusty odometre!!!
Home by just before 4:00pm so it was a pretty lengthy ride, chronologically speaking, as we left Harbour Terrace at 11:00am. Slow but sure!! Still, I was delighted to have been able to enjoy the wonderful day. The temperature was truly pleasant and I didn't realize until I took off my cycling togs that I hadn't been wearing the vest that I usually put on for extra warmth/wind protection, over my two long-sleeved undershirts. Had fully intended to wear it as forecast indicated that it was to be cool and windy. Not so at all. (As an aside, I had a brief telephone chat with my brother-in-law, George, in Manitoba, yesterday afternoon, and he harangued me, as he is wont to do, about how inexpensive it is to live at Falcon Lake, property values/taxes, etc., compared to Vancouver. I just laughed at him and asked if he could cycle in January, dressed as I had been, without even socks!)
Time to take Her majesty to church so will say goodbye for now. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Nice to hear from you and that things are well and you are living life to
the fullest! I would expect nothing less.
I did email you the day before I left for Victoria ( see below ) but after
not hearing back assumed I had been cast out of the riders of the purple
sage club for reasons unknown.
I'm glad to see that you got out and that the weather was so compliant
although sad to hear you had to go solo. Unfortunately the weather was not
so cooperative over in Victoria and to the contrary it was downright nasty!
It snowed about 6 inches one night and a lot of the Phillipino crew, many
who had never seen snow were out making snowmen and dancing around really
enjoying themselves. That was fun to see but it soon turned bitterly cold
and then no one felt like going outside. That lasted a couple of days and
then it really warmed up and the rain started coming down in torrents.
All in all I probably did about 10 hours of work in 7 days so it was quite
tedious and I really had to try and numb myself and relax which I did
nightly at the crew bar. I can't complain as the food was fantastic and no
one really cared what we were doing as long as we surfaced here and there
and walked around to show ourselves. After our rounds we would go have a
coffee or sandwich which were available 24/7 at stations around the ship.
generally once we had done a lap of the ship we would retire to our cabins
and watch TV or have a nap until the next meal was ready. I did run up and
down the stairs in the ship a few mornings just to try and keep up with the
fitness regimin that I have become accustomed to and this made me feel a lot
better. There are a total of 12 storeys and I would do it 5 or 6 times
alternating between running and brisk walking in varied sequences. Actually
felt like a really good workout ,had a good sweat going by the end.
I came home Saturday evening and had Michael Stone who is Gerry Teahan's
cousins son and the Vice president of Harbour Marine systems for which I was
doing the work as our guest. Sean and Maureen came over and all the Teahan
kids and Mike had a great time reminiscing about old times in Ontario.
Mike caught a cab for the airport at 6:00 am the next morning, I had offered
to drive him but he insisted on getting his own way and I didn't argue too
much as the cab is a company expense for him anyway. I went back to bed and
had a nice sleep in, getting up around ten which felt great as I missed my
own bed!.
I had my breakfast and was just checking some emails when I got a call from
that my sister to inform me that my aunt Freda had passed away. I think I
had mentioned her to you as the one who had Alzheimers and we had Oz (Long
John Baldry's ex partner looking after her). The good news is that she
passed peacefully in her sleep and was in good health up to that point so we
should all be so lucky.
Oz was pretty upset as he has been very close to her for the past 5 years, I
was also saddened of course but thankful that we were able to keep her in
her own home which was her wish. Actually she said that the only way she
wanted to leave that house was with toes up!.
I'm feeling weary now so I'm going to sign off but again it was great to
hear from you and I'd love to get out for a ride soon. talk to you soon.
Cheers, Al
| Hi Big Al! My turn to apologize for being so tardy with my reply! Trust that all the legal/emotional matters surrounding the death of your Aunt Freda are being resolved. Even harder when a death results in causing more familial discord. At any rate, I hope we can arrange a mutually convenient time to look at bike rack. I'm hoping to pop by VPD building near Cambie Bridge this afternoon. I'm leaving shortly for the Aquatic Centre. Forecast looks promising for Wednesday so am wondering if you are interested/available for a ride. Not sure which other Riders of the Purple Sage might wish to join peleton. Notwithstanding, let me know and we'll plan accordingly. Cheers, Patrizzio! Hi Patrizio, Just to let you know we checked with Leggs and the Penguin and both not available. So we thought we would leave it with the 6 of us for the bridge (and our daughter and her boyfriend for dinner only). We are going to develop the rules for "speed" bridge using only the 6 of us and should be a new trend and lots of fun. Anyways the important thing is to have you folks over before the Durstons leave on their cruise and enjoy each other's company. (Plus empty my basement a bit more - prizes) Charlie Hi Champagne! Speed bridge with just the six of us sounds terrific. However, beware, we had two tables of bridge at the Carter's yesterday evening and I was overall high player, by miles!!!! Watch out!!! On Saturday we celebrated Clarisse's 87th birthday. I had picked up tenderloin steaks at Costco on Thursday evening and Sarge cut them up on Friday evening so that we could marinate them. Dusty did his famous twice-baked potatoes and Clara her delicious turnip puff. Cora Lee and I prepared twice baked cauliflower and Chloë whipped up a tangy dressing for the Ceasar salad I threw together just before we sat down to eat. Flamin' and sarge brought a host of wonderful cheeses along with melt-in-your-mouth bite-sized quiche. We started with a Clava, Casablanca, 2009 Sauvignon Balnc, 12.5%, and I was delighted as I'd not tasated it before. Once again, had purchased it on spec before Christmas. Lovely colour, pale gold with a bit of green, grapefruit with a bit of grass and spice, reminding me of Rancho Sisquoc's of years gone by. Sutherlands had brought a Black Hills, Oliver, 2008 Chardonnay, 14.1%. A sumptuous, complex wine indeed. Apple, pear and lemon citrus on the palate with great acidity and subtle notes of butterscotch on the finish. Only bad thing I can say about the wine is that Dusty liked it so much there was not enough for anyone else!!! Clara started on a bottle of Layer Cake, 2010, Malbec, Mendoza, 14.6%, (I'd bought it earlier that day at Liberty on GI as it is one of her favourites.), and I know why. Spicy nose, with black pepper, powerful cherry and blackberry flavors on the palate, downright jammy with a pleasing, long, long finish. Not sure if you know it or not but "in addition to Malbec, Layer Cake also produce Cabernet, Primitivo, Cotes du Rhone, and Shiraz, all from different regions of the world. Jayson Woodbridge is the force behind Layer Cake. He’s also the owner of Hundred Acre wines, a high-end wine label based in Napa that sells wines starting at about $250 a bottle. Each Layer Cake wine is grown, made, bottled and labeled in its country of origin before being shipped to the US." By chance, Flamin' and Sarge brought a Layer Cake, 2010 Shiraz, McLaren Vale, 14.1%, an extremely well-balanced wine, just short of a fruit bomb, fresh blueberries, blackberries and cherries, dark and dense, pepper and dark chocolate. This is certainly an inky Shiraz with a long, lingering finish. Decided to put up a local against these two impressive reds and decided upon a La Frenz, Naramata Bench, 2006 Merlot, 13.5%. Not disappointed by any stretch of the imagination as one finds aromas of dark fruits and chocolate on the nose, cassis and coffee on the palate. Again, a very balanced wine with well-structured tannins and a nice lingering, satisfying finish. Just sat down to eat when Rebecca and Corey joined us for the meal. They had both been working and were planning on stopping by to say hello anyway so we simply set two more places. (Chloë had been working until 8:00pm so she wished her Grandmother all the best beore she dashed off to Maya's birthday party.) All in all, a delightful meal with some quite impressive wines, not to mention the delicious food. For dessert I had ordered a strawberry mousse cake, (Cora Lee could eat everything but the bottom layer.), from the bakery at the Pacific Culinary Institute, just at the entrance to GI, under the bridge, just before the Seawall), so we sang For She's A Jolly Good Fellow before Rosie blew out the candles. Only had three, an 8 and a 5 with an upside down 5 as we didn't have a 2! Guests left at around 11:00pm as it had been a full evening. I put on the dishwasher and settled Her Majesty in bed before turning in myself, to read a few chapters of Winter in Madrid. Wonderful way to end a truly wonderful day! Cheers, Patrizzio! Have you seen these? The advantages of group travels: http://www.youtube.com/v/gBnvGS4u3F0?hl=en&fs=1&autoplay=1 http://www.youtube.com/v/LuVPnW0s3Vo?hl=en&fs=1&autoplay=1  Hello Patrick & Corinne … and a belated Happy 2012!! I hope this short missive finds you both well … or as well as can be expected under the circumstances, Corinne. Have you started to recover from your falls upon falls and other unfortunate happenings? Surely you've had enough of being laid up and frequently laid out but not always as you might wish. Our thoughts are with you and with your dedicated care-giver. Things are pretty tickety-boo here in The Naramata. I am on my own for a few days as Petey is in Denver and Vancouver doing some bizness. Fortunately, Petey had cleared the driveway (having a ball on the Kubota) before he left as we had a snowstorm yesterday, which, had it lasted, would have meant an extra unstable layer that even the "little red wonder car" couldn't master. Fortunately (again) a nice warm front moved in overnight and now the driveway is pretty much bare. Should be no problem for my early a.m. trip into town for spin class tomorrow. Petey is home tomorrow night and then off again on Sunday for ten days in Santiago. I'd thought that maybe I'd go with him but we were too late to get a flight down on points … and it certainly wasn't worth paying for! Besides, it won't be that long now till we head out for San Miguel. Thanks for the tips about restos, the Calzada de la Aurora, and the local mansions tour. It all sounds good. I don't think we'll have any trouble amusing ourselves there. In fact, i suspect that two weeks may not be long enough especially if the weather is good.  Attached are a few pics you might enjoy. The first is of our New Year's Eve table all set for the first course, which (as I hope you can see) was a lovely plate of smoked salmon. The wine you see in the glasses was a 2007 Blue Mountain chardonnay that was certainly worth the wait to drink and the trouble to make the appointment and drive down to pick it up. It was so good that it was also our before-dinner drink even passing up various single malts! Petey did a lovely Beouf Wellington with roasted veggies on the side for main course. A 2002 (our second-last one) Nota Bene was the perfect accompaniment. A very lightly dressed small plate of greens constituted the next course and cleared our palates for the lovely, luscious lemon tarts (you can see them resting coquettishly on the table in the photo) for dessert. Accompanied by an itsy-bitsy glass of 2010 Poplar Grove late harvest riesling, it was yummy, yummy, yummy. It probably goes without saying that I did not stay upright long enough to see in the new year but Petey woke me for a minute at minuit for a welcome-to-2012 buss.  The other two pics (rather artful, no?) are of our red delicious tree in winter. Petey took these mainly so that I would have some proof of our farmer-type status and the fact that it can and does snow here (a fair bit at times) for an old friend and colleague with whom I've recently reconnected. She and her husband live in Ottawa for six months and in Florida for the other six months. Karen and I taught together at Garson-Falconbridge Secondary School in 1966-68. Karen taught English and I science, math, and phys ed (!?). I was even a bridesmaid at her wedding, a fact that I'd somehow misplaced in the intervening years. We lost track of one another after awhile when I left Sudbury and moved around a fair bit in the late '60s and early '70s. She tracked me down in 2010 as it was her and John's 40th wedding anniversary. She had hoped that Petey and I might be able to visit them in Florida sometime that year as they were having an ongoing celebration. Alas, we had too many other travel plans and could not make it. We're hoping to go in the fall this year on our way to or from a wedding (my sister Deb's son Brett is marrying a very rich young lady whose Dad and Mum are former residents of one of the Baltic countries) in Mexico. We've already done the big Mexican resort thing so we do not want to spend all our time in Mexico--four or five days should be plenty. On the other hand, we don't want to go all that way for less than a week. Hence, the plan to stop off in Florida to see Karen and John. We may also get the chance, at the same time, to see my other sister and brother-in-law's place in Cape Coral, which is within an hour or so's drive of where Karen and John live in South Fort Myers. Safe journeys to y'all at the Island Inn. Take care of yourselves and each other. With love and many cheers, Lurkin' Lynnie XOXO P.S. We had a great time at the SOWTS (South Okanagan Whisky Tasting Society) Robbie Burns night on Sunday. I had 7 (quite generous as Petey was one of the appointed pourers) "tastes" of different whiskies plus two large glasses of red wine, so it was a very good thing that we were staying overnight at the hotel where the event was held!! I'll have to get Petey to fill you in on the details of the whiskies and the haggis as I don't really remember the former and did not have any of the latter, although the rest of dinner (steak and mushroom pie, roasted veggies, an almost-as-amazing-as-Corinne's smashed potato dish, three interesting and very tasty salads, and trifle for dessert) was yummy and very well executed. Hi Lynne, No Longer Lurking in the Shadows but Front and Centre! Thanks for best wishes in 2012 , newsy letter and snaps. Felt rather envious hearing about all your wonderful meals and tastings!!! Must apologize for being so tardy with my reply! Indentured servants do not own their own time, unlike the Landed Gentry of the The Naramata! Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio! | |
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