P,
Thanks again for offering to host the readerless again. As far as I am
concerned, with you and me attending, we have more than a quorum.
Guy is the only one responding so far and he is in. With him present we can
rewrite the constitution -- but who would read it?
Let me know your riding plans over the next few days. I am playing the
Gamble so I may have to stop and take a shot occasionally. You know how slow
those games can be. W
The next meeting will be this Sunday, 4th December, at the Island Inn. Hope you can join us.
Thanks again for offering to host the readerless again. As far as I am
concerned, with you and me attending, we have more than a quorum.
Guy is the only one responding so far and he is in. With him present we can
rewrite the constitution -- but who would read it?
Let me know your riding plans over the next few days. I am playing the
Gamble so I may have to stop and take a shot occasionally. You know how slow
those games can be. W
The next meeting will be this Sunday, 4th December, at the Island Inn. Hope you can join us.
The book is Panicking Ralph, an early work by Bill James in his Harpur & Iles series (Pat).
Mark has chosen The Botany of Desire (Michael Pollan) as the next book after the James.
Milton has recommended Heart of Darkness (Conrad) to follow Mark’s choice.
Moe and Misha will arm wrestle to choose the next title after the Conrad.
I will be there Moe
Hello, The 4th works for me. Cheers,..Dave
Sorry, guys, can't make it. I've got squash league practice that night and, as captain, I need to be there. Milton
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Prince Valiant and Megan
Hello Long Lost Whistler Whirlygig! (An endangered species?)
Trust you are well now that you have finally broken radio silence! How was weekend on the slopes? Buona Fortuna with Gamble. Are you paired with Carlos The Jackal?
Finally took the plunge, so to speak, and went for my first swim in almost a year, yesterday! Took the Aquabus over to Hornby and then short stroll to Aquatic Centre. Must say that I was pleasantly surprised at how my shoulder responded. To tel the truth, I was dreading initial laps as last year I could hardly move my right arm and process was quite uncomfortable, overall. Don't know if lay-off has made a difference or something else is at work.
At any rate, I had decided to start slowly and set half a mile as my first goal. By time I was there I was feeling so comfortable, (my bi-lateral breathing was quite regular right from start so cycling must have helped my lung power), that I felt I could do a mile so did just that, "drafting behind a chap who was a tad speedier than I. Finished off with a quarter of a mile doing backstroke to wind down and relax shoulder muscles, logging 2.33K overall, Dear Reader! (I have asked Santa for an underwater odometer!) Hot tub was glorious, jets on my lower back simply divine, as was sauna.
Back to Granville Island, via Aquabus again, and then a quick drive out to UBC, Cecil Green House, to attend the retirement reception for Margaret Friesen, my boss of many years at InterLibray Loan. It was terrific to see her and many other colleagues so it was a grand trip down memory lane. Popped in to see my friend, Imre, on way home and caught up. Although his cancer is still in remission, he is not feeling the effects of his latest round of chemotherapy and has very little energy. Nonetheless, he enjoyed hearing about my swim as we first met at UBC's pool and swam together for many years.
Back to The Island Inn for a stunningly simple, yet gastronomically poifect dish by Coriandre. She fried mushrooms with prosciutto and served them on a bed of polenta. Topping literally dazzled our taste buds, the saltiness of the dry-cured ham balanced against the relative blandness of the polenta and mushrooms. I told Cora Lee that I thought it was better than some of the similar dishes we'd had at some very, very good restaurants in both Napa and Sonoma, over the years. No exaggeration at all, Dear Reader!
Anyway, so fueled, joined Flamin' and Sarge for late draw at VCC. Must have been the magic mushrooms as everyone played well and we dominated our opposition, although it was a reasonably close game for first five ends. Lots of fun and very friendly competition so a most pleasant outing.
With respect to rides this coming week, I'd like to do some cycling but want to swim for next few days to see how my shoulder responds. I know Robo Ray is keen so perhaps you can hook up with him, your separate schedules allowing. What I'd like to do, when I do ride, is to go around Stanley Park and then peel off at Aquatic Centre. Let me know what week holds for you in terms of times and we'll stitch something together and come up with a draft constitution, heavy on law enforcement!
Cheers, Il Conduttore!
Right wing, float-o-meter, auctioneers, Raybans and more |
P.33,
Great news about your recovering right wing in the water -- I hope your
affiliation changes when on dry land. We will back you in your swim around
Stanley Park -- we may even be able to catch up to you on our steeds by the
time you get out of the water and onto your bike at the Aquatic Centre.
Dragging a float-o-meter (gaunch-o-meter) behind you tied to one foot is the
answer.
You were missed at the auction last night. Lawton was passable as the
auctioneer but no match for the splendiferous Conductor. And yes, we bought
Maddison Squared in the end at a huge premium. Now we need an upset win --
firstly against Geoff Williams and the China Clipper tonight
I will coordinate with RayBan for riding and will copy you.
Ray,
It looks like our task master is doing swimmingly at one his former
endurance regimes. I don't know how he keeps the conversation going with all
that water around.
Let me know if you care to do a run around Stanley Park over the next couple
days, weather permitting, while Pat swims along side us. G
Ray,
I suggest we head out from here tomorrow around high noon and maybe we can
pick up the swimmer at the Heartbreak Terrace or from the waters nearby. The
frost should be gone by then.
My time restrictions are the same -- I need to be at JQ, Crown & 14th by
3PM.
I will copy all the other laggards in case they are available to join us.
Let me know where you prefer to meet, G
George,
I'll come by your place at noon and we'll go from there. Ray
Ray, Sounds good. See you then. G
George,
Thursday doesn't work for me, but the weather gods look to be smiling at Friday too. Does that have any potential? 8^) cheers, Mark
Ride? Did some mention a ride? I've not personally heard of it. I guess I'm on the outs!
Hi Lads!
I'd be more than happy to meet you at the Heartbreak Terrace at high noon tomorrow. (I'll have my water wings so I plan to swim back from Ambleside!) We could meet the Burnaboids/Ragin' Bull at Olympic Village, should any wish to join the biathlon! Cheers, Il Conduttore!
PS: Today's swim. I'm just behind Siwash Rock!
Hello Patrick & Corrine,
Thanks for the info on barging - as well as your log/pictures. I would assume you did a lot of pre-planning before you did this trip and sounds like it was an enjoyable experience. Was this your first time - would you do it again? When I looked at prices - I am not so clear on how it works and didn't investigate too fully, but assume the prices listed are per trip per boat rather than an individual fee depending on how many are on the boat?
Am sure it must have been an interesting way to view the area that you chose. A river-type cruise is something we would like to do at some point and this may be a good option - but likely not this coming year. We have booked an all-inclusive for a couple of weeks in January, then want to be free to go to New Jersey when the baby comes mid-February. Our plan is to concentrate on the getting the inside of the house completed this winter - at least that is my plan.
Enjoy your trip to Australia, etc. - and will be in touch. Cheers! Roma & Leonard
Hi Roma and Leonard!
With respect to barge trip, we did a fair bit of planning but much of it had to do with how boat trip would fit into rest of holiday. Once we had decided upon company and particular boat, things pretty much fell into place. This was our first experience and we certainly hope to do another one, exploring a different region of France. Pricing was based on type of boat and length of trip, at least in our case. However, just to be clear, this type of canal cruise is quite different from a river cruise on the Danube or Rhine, for example, so it really depends on what you have in mind for your holiday. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizio!
With respect to barge trip, we did a fair bit of planning but much of it had to do with how boat trip would fit into rest of holiday. Once we had decided upon company and particular boat, things pretty much fell into place. This was our first experience and we certainly hope to do another one, exploring a different region of France. Pricing was based on type of boat and length of trip, at least in our case. However, just to be clear, this type of canal cruise is quite different from a river cruise on the Danube or Rhine, for example, so it really depends on what you have in mind for your holiday. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizio!
Bonjour mon ami. Gayle has gone to her regular Wednesday morning aqua aerobics with two of my sisters so thought I should catch up on some emails. The thought of getting into a swimming pool on a winters day leaves me cold!
We are still waiting for our new grandson to arrive but it seems he is in no hurry to introduce himself to the world. Marnie has finished University until next September and is finding all this free time rather alien to her. She said her house has never looked so clean! I told her to enjoy it while she can since free time will be at a premium once the baby arrives! I have attached a photo of Marnie and Gayle taken last weekend when Gayle was in Southampton.
On the Sunday that Gayle was in Southampton I thought I would take the old bike for a long spin. Unfortunately I woke up to strong winds and rather dark skies so decided to abandon the bike and drove to the north coast for a walk instead. Parked at a cove called Chapel Porth and started the climb up the cliff path. The wind was quite fierce but fortunately was an 'on shore' so it was unlikely that I would be blown off the cliff edge. Because of the on shore winds the sea was very angry and grey and the waves enormous. Looking out over the Atlantic the clouds on the horizon were very dark and threatening but seemed a long way off so I continued with my walk. I seemed to walk for hours and never saw another human being. Just me the wind and the waves crashing against the cliff face below. It was quite exhilarating!
Our weather has now turned and we are getting a fair amount of rain and wind although it is still quite mild with highs of around 14degrees. I will be looking forward to our couple of weeks away in the Caribbean in January to break the winter up a bit.
We depleted our wine rack last evening so, as soon as Gayle gets back, we will be heading off on a wine purchasing expedition! We are fortunate in England that the supermarkets are allowed to sell wine. The supermarket we use regularly have a terrific selection both from the new world and Europe and they discount wines heavily. The government have been trying to persuade them not to sell alcohol below cost since they maintain it encourages binge drinking! There is no evidence of this and, so far, the supermarkets have resisted. I was thinking of you the other day when I read that two of our local companies, a brewery and cyder farm, have just released the first Cornish whiskey to be distilled for more than 300 years and the oldest to be produced in England for more than 100 years. It's a 7 year old, cask strength (61.3%) single malt. (7 years doesn't sound that old to me but I am no
connoisseur!) I would have brought you a bottle but it is selling at $245 for a 50cl bottle!
England is still bouncing along the bottom, economically speaking, not being helped by our European neighbours who can't seem to get their act together. All the public service are on strike today since the government want to increase their pension contributions and retirement age. I think this is going to be a winter of discontent!
We were hoping to go to London before Christmas to view the new Da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery which has taken 5 years to organise. Once in a lifetime opportunity. However, it will depend what happens with Marnie. Failing that we will try to get up there early in the new year.
Oh the good wife has just come through the door - hair wet and looking re-energised!
I hope Chloe is well on the mend now and will begin to feel the benefit of the operation. Best wishes to Cora Lee Bye for now Derek
England is still bouncing along the bottom, economically speaking, not being helped by our European neighbours who can't seem to get their act together. All the public service are on strike today since the government want to increase their pension contributions and retirement age. I think this is going to be a winter of discontent!
We were hoping to go to London before Christmas to view the new Da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery which has taken 5 years to organise. Once in a lifetime opportunity. However, it will depend what happens with Marnie. Failing that we will try to get up there early in the new year.
Oh the good wife has just come through the door - hair wet and looking re-energised!
I hope Chloe is well on the mend now and will begin to feel the benefit of the operation. Best wishes to Cora Lee Bye for now Derek
Lovely to hear from you and know all goes well, if a bit late, with new grandchild. Really enjoyed the picture of Marnie and Gayle. I was quite taken at the resemblance between Chrissy and Marnie. Further to your comment about a clean house, last week I happened to bump into a young woman who used to work for VIWF before the recent birth, about a year ago now, of her first child. We were both at a reading put on by the Writers Festival at VPL, downtown, and I had a very pleasant chat, catching up on her life. While she is delighted, of course, to be a mother she had to admit that she couldn't believe how all consuming her new "career" turned out to be! She was out for a rare evening, I gather, while her husband was parenting! Anyway, I'm sure Marnie will cope very well, especially with such doting grandparents on call!!!
Your description of your walk along the cliffs in the majestic, stormy weather conjured up pictures of Heathcliff! I'm sure you will enjoy the Caribbean even more as a direct result. Perhaps it would be cheaper if you purchased TWO bottles of the Cornish malt! Be curious to taste it at the distillery if that is a possibility. I'm quite a fan of cask strength so will have to make it a cycling destination!!
We thought of you last night and your mention of the the new Da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery while we were watching Masterpiece Contemporary, an episode called Framed, based on Frank Cottrell Boyce's novel, which tells the story of a curator relocated from the under-renovation National Gallery to a Welsh town while paintings are stored there. Absolutely delightful. You may have seen it as I gather it was aired in 2010. See it if you have not already done so.
For her part, Chloë is pretty much back to normal, as far as feeling stronger, but is still gravitating to softer foods. The back of her tongue and throat are still somewhat sensitive although it didn't stop her from purloining a number of soda biscuits that her grandmother had left on our kitchen counter, ear marked for me!
Attended a wonderful concert at VPL last evening, a fund raiser Cora Lee had organized for Friends of VPL. It was a dramatic reading, with piano and vocal accompaniment, of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The performers were all very, very accomplished artists so it was an entrancing performance, traditional carols, (breath taking sopranos), interwoven with inspired, in-character voices. Marvelous way to begin the season. Following on that, Chloë and I opened the first panel of my Rupert Bear Advent Calendar, Rupert leap-frogging over Badger, a few minutes ago!
Went back to Aquatic Centre yesterday, (Wednesday), morning. Cora Lee dropped me off on her way to VPL where she was headed to start set up for concert that evening. I cheated a little bit and sat in hot tub for about twenty minutes before swimming. While I didn't feel particularly stiff after swim of day before, I thought that I'd warm up my shoulder. Again, I was more than pleased to find that I could swim without any appreciable discomfort and so determined to up my crawl distance to 2K, tagging on 8 lengths of backstroke and two of kick boarding for a grand total of 2.5K or just a tad over 1.5 miles. Friends Whirlygig and Robo Ray will come by our place at noon today and we will ride around Stanley Park so I need to have a bite to eat before they arrive.
Fondestos to you both from Chloë and Cora Lee. Cheers, Patrizio!
Pics: Ride over Lions Gate, a week ago, Friday.
Starling mumuration!Hi Patrick
I'm writing because we've unexpectedly had several cancellations from volunteers for our Chuck Palahnuik event this evening at UBC.We are looking for three people to help with the very busy book signing which happens before and after the event. We'd need you at the Frederic Wood Theatre at UBC at 5pm today. I should mention that given the nature of Chuck's books (Fight Club etc), the event is likely to be a bit more boisterous than our usual events.
If you're available, please give us a call. Thanks Camilla
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I told Environment Minister Peter Kent and my M.P. that I want Canada to
commit to the Kyoto Protocol or leave the UN climate change summit. And you
can too, at http://action.davidsuzuki.org/kyoto
Not only is our government planning on abandoning Kyoto -- the only legally
binding international agreement with firm targets to reduce global warming
pollution -- they have been secretly urging other countries at the summit to
abandon the agreement as well.
This is a national embarrassment. If our leaders do not plan to contribute to
global efforts to stop climate change, they should go home and stop impeding
other countries from finding solutions.
Join us this week as we tell Peter Kent and your M.P. that Canadians want
their leaders to support Kyoto and contribute to climate change solutions or
go home. Go to http://action.davidsuzuki.org/kyoto
Spread the word to friends and colleagues
Thank you, Patrick, for sending a letter to your M.P. and Environment
Minister Peter Kent, demanding that Canada either contribute to global
efforts at the UN climate change summit or go home. Canada’s actions at the
summit thus far have been shameful.
The more voices that speak out on this issue, the better. You can help ensure
that Canadian leaders get the message this week by forwarding this email to
your friends.
====Forward this message to your friends=====
