Hi Ann!
Sorry I've not "chimed" in before this, since learning you will be back in Vancouver! Look forward to hearing all about your recent travels. Had a pleasant, if brief, chat with your Mother, about a week or so ago. We were having dinner next door with Clara and Dusty and she happened to call, or perhaps Rosita did. I'm not sure but anyway we visited and caught up on various "things". She seemed well so trust that this is the case.
Trust life goes well with and for you. Have you attended any of Deborah's recent shows? Had notice of another one just today! Busy as ever, it seems. Let us know, when you've a moment, about date for dinner, and we'll plan accordingly. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Pics: Our favourite steak house, Redding, California. Have been going there for more than 25 years! Joyce and Bruce Middleton, couple we met at the bar and ended up sitting together the evening we were there, February 15th, en route home.
Hello Harry:
My name is Patrick Dunn and I'd like to attend the luncheon on Wednesday, April 3rd, if this is still possible. I apologize for not sending the message earlier. No excuses but plenty of reasons. Please let me know if you can squeeze me in and if so, I'll pop by your office and drop off the cheque, ($20, no wine, thanks), on or before March 25th, as I often cycle out to campus. One of my regular routes. Thanks and Cheers, Patrizzio!
PS: Thanks as well, Nadine, wherever you are!
I shall attempt to reply to some and only some of the topics you raise- its late.
On the bike front, last time we were in Australia there was a high
class pawn broker from whom we bought 2 bikes with the proviso we would
get 50% back when we handed them in. As this was for 6 weeks it was a
lot cheaper than our renting them and we managed
without hiring a car.
I use a small bike shop in Wetherby and I feel sure we could
organise something with him either buy/sell or rent. Alternatively there
is a bigger bike shop in Tadcaster 7 miles away. Of course you may want
to organize something elsewhere.
2 inches of snow overnight so my definition of spring has now
slipped from March 1 to April 1. This bodes badly for my mind-set in
October when anticipating winter 2014.
Need to review England's disaster against Wales with Ray in the
next few days. He is pretty analytic about such matters. I tend to be
too critical.
Talking of criticism, I had acquired a very small bottle of Ardberg
from a friend and decided to sample it after I heard you had been
drinking it. I note this is an Islay malt and is not my preference- I am
surprised I still drink malts after my initiation
as an uninitiated on Laphraoig and Lagavulan- forgive mis-spellings. I
had to flush the ends of these bottles away as they just weren't
getting drunk.
Went to Betty's this afternoon to spend two afternoon tea vouchers
we had received from the family. Had to carry some of the cakes away to
eat at home. Remarkably quiet - most unlike usual, largely due to the
snow and the ageing population of Harrogate.
Talking of cold weather and daffodils - they and the crocuses are
having a hard time here. Flattened with the cold and snow , slowly
raising their heads again before being struck down again. I wouldn't
mind but these are mine I am referring to.
We should perhaps show you and Corinne some of the Yorkshire canals
when you are over here. Not being from this area myself I find it
interesting exploring them myself which can either be done on foot or by
bike. One can even take a houseboat out for a
day at Skipton on the leeds - Liverpool canal-something I have never
done- only been on once.
As for swimming one of your other hobbies I feel we should meet any
"requirement" of yours ( my interpretation) by a pleasant dip in the
North Sea- Ray can tell you much about this. I might even be tempted to
have my first such swim in the last 45 years.
You can have the choice of Saltburn, Staithes, Whitby, Scarborough,
Filey and Bridlington hence avoiding Hartlepool while exploring Captain
Cook country.
Budget time this week so more depression in the country to come. Hope this finds you both well. Jim
Hi Chris and Jim!
Thanks for your last message, James. Much appreciate the information on bicycles. I do think, at least at this point, that I'd like to buy a bike to leave somewhere, either in France or England, to have for future trips. That might change, of course, depending on what I can find relative to costs and type of bicycle. Again, I think I'd like to find something fairly early on in trip so visit to you is probably best bet, unless you think that perhaps London might offer better pricing. Obviously, probably more selection simply because of size of the city. Haven't really done much thinking about types yet but am leaning towards a hybrid, possible with mountain tires for added flexibility. I don't plan to do much, if any, off road cycling but wonder about Cornwall or your neck of the woods. Any suggestions much appreciated. I think I'd look at $1,500-$2,00 CDN. Does that seem reasonable? Obviously less if something suitable is available. Other concern will be transportation. Do you know anything about bikes on trains? If we rent a car I suppose I'll look into an inexpensive rack.
With respect to malt, I sincerely hope you flushed the ends down your throat and not the sink! Leave any other unfinished bottles fro me and I'll dispose of them!
Yorkshire canals sound very appealing indeed but I'd prefer not to have ice-therapy in the North Sea if you don't mind. However, in the horrible event of a misguided plunge, that's when those bottle ends would come in handy!!! Either that or to dispel the Budget Depression Blues!!!
Well, time to sign off. Obviously, you need to up your tipplage. I'll be sure, when we visit, not to bring an Islay, probably an anaemic Lowland will suit you uninitiated palette! Fondestos to you both from Cora Lee. Buona Fortuna with the daffodils and the crocuses. Cheers, Il Conduttore!
Pics: Lucy; Will, her dad, and Ted, father-in-law. (He knows Raymond from VSB. He was a math teacher as well.); Stephanie, Lucy's mom and Keating's daughter;
Snapolas taken last evening before bridge and dinner with Ted and Elaine. Hazel is 10 months old. Cheers, Patrizzio/Dad!Hi Chris and Jim!
Thanks for your last message, James. Much appreciate the information on bicycles. I do think, at least at this point, that I'd like to buy a bike to leave somewhere, either in France or England, to have for future trips. That might change, of course, depending on what I can find relative to costs and type of bicycle. Again, I think I'd like to find something fairly early on in trip so visit to you is probably best bet, unless you think that perhaps London might offer better pricing. Obviously, probably more selection simply because of size of the city. Haven't really done much thinking about types yet but am leaning towards a hybrid, possible with mountain tires for added flexibility. I don't plan to do much, if any, off road cycling but wonder about Cornwall or your neck of the woods. Any suggestions much appreciated. I think I'd look at $1,500-$2,00 CDN. Does that seem reasonable? Obviously less if something suitable is available. Other concern will be transportation. Do you know anything about bikes on trains? If we rent a car I suppose I'll look into an inexpensive rack.
With respect to malt, I sincerely hope you flushed the ends down your throat and not the sink! Leave any other unfinished bottles fro me and I'll dispose of them!
Yorkshire canals sound very appealing indeed but I'd prefer not to have ice-therapy in the North Sea if you don't mind. However, in the horrible event of a misguided plunge, that's when those bottle ends would come in handy!!! Either that or to dispel the Budget Depression Blues!!!
Well, time to sign off. Obviously, you need to up your tipplage. I'll be sure, when we visit, not to bring an Islay, probably an anaemic Lowland will suit you uninitiated palette! Fondestos to you both from Cora Lee. Buona Fortuna with the daffodils and the crocuses. Cheers, Il Conduttore!
Pics: Lucy; Will, her dad, and Ted, father-in-law. (He knows Raymond from VSB. He was a math teacher as well.); Stephanie, Lucy's mom and Keating's daughter;
This looks like fun! On Vancouver Island.
http://www.freespiritspheres.com/
Hello Goiils!
P,
hope you got a good
ride in lasterday. Ray & I had a great ride to Steveston in spite of
heavy winds that nearly ripped us off the bridge to the airport.
I cannot ride today as hoped. I am anchored here with Tia and also awaiting some appliance deliveries for the suite downstairs.
We are heading to Kamloops tomorrow and return via Kelowna on Sunday evening, weather permitting. Ride safe. Be well, W
Too stinkin' touchy feely! Probably groovy if one is all hopped up on paragoric infused chocolate, however! I spit on Free Spirit Spheres. Give me a bed of nails any night! Love and Cheers, Patrizzio/Dad!
Thanks for the call on Saturday. Great to catch up as time simply whizzes by, almost like Whirlygig and Robo Man out to Iona!!! Thanks for links. Took a cursory look at first one but second one doesn't seem to lead anywhere. Anyway, thanks for getting me started. I'll probably forward first to aforementioned lads as Raymondo, in particular, is keen on Kettle Valley.Managed to get out to UBC on Sunday afternoon after I took Chloë over t the loft and we did a few things. I painted a spot that had been missed, high up on the outer wall, above the picture window. She held the rickety ladder while I covered over the bare patch. Cora Lee came over after praying for my black soul so I left the two to sand and oil the stairs. (They were quite pleased with how well the wood came up with just on application of teak oil. Poor staircase hadn't had any love and attention for some time so the steps were very dry. Will probably give it a couple more applications and then not bother with Varathane. This way Chloë can treat it every six months or so, quite easily.
Once home I suited up and headed out to UBC as I knew Seawall to SP would be a zoo, given gorgeous weather. Just a regulare, out along Spanish Banks, up Forshore Hill and along MD to Crown and back to MD via a short loop through Musqueam. (By the time I set off I guess the wind had lessened, relative to your epic, heart stopping experience so return along MD or outgoing parallel to Spanish Banks wasn't overly punishing.) Turned up to cycle through Wesbrook Village and past the new Grade 9-12 Secondary School on West 16th Avenue. Looks like a number of sports fields are under construction adjacent to the school itself. Bit of dipsy doodling around campus proper, along Main Mall which has just been completely re-landscaped. Must say, am quite impressed with the way the concourse now looks. Guess Campus Planning have finally been able to bring a coherent design to bear on what was a mish-mash of styles along this core, arterial east-west now pedestrian/bike only corridor.
Had a lovely evening with Elaine and Ted Keating and I finally met their new grand-daughter, Hazel, a 10 month old cutie-pie! Polly and Mick Carter were along as well so we had fun hearing about their recent trip to California where they did a fair bit of cycling, more than wine tasting to Mick's dismay! Rosita and I took top spots so came away with armloads of fantastic bridge prizes! Elaine's meals are always something special and one of the tastiest dishes was bbq'd halibut kebabs. They have a Haida Gwaii connezzione. In fact it is a fisherman friend of Severn Cullis-Suzuki who is married and lives with her husband and two children there. Stephanie, E's/T's middle daughter, went to school with Severn. In the early 2000's, (can't remember exactly when), she and Stephanie, along with a group of like-minded friends, cycled across Canada. One of the stops on the enviro-eco tour, (her dad's Prius, the first one sold in Canada, was one of the support vehicles!), was at Falcon Lake to stay overnight with Clara and Dusty! For dessert, along with a number of other wonderful desserts, Elaine had baked some delightful St Patrick's Day cookies, shaped as shamrocks, pots of gold and leprechuan's hats.
Yesterday I drove Cora Lee back to the loft were she had an appointment to
see Bob, owner of a van parked outside Chloë's building she managed to
damage on Sunday afternoon! Fortunately it was really only a minor scrape,
(no damage to her vehicle), but contact
"tore", literally, the fibre-glass wheel fender/housing. She left a
note on the windshield but only heard from the owner after she came back
home. Anyway, we met outside the loft and then proceeded to a body shop
just around the corner on Powell, Craftsman
Collison. Estimate was for over $500. Ridiculous, in the extreme, but
fortunately Bob thought so too. (Funnily enough he is Croatian and he
could be Ragin' Bull's brother or even better yet, his
Doppelgänger! His mannerisms, speech
patterns and body type are uncannily, almost frighteningly, similar to
those of Barnacle Branko!) Another place, literally across the street,
(only did mechanical repairs), recommended two
other shops but a block away. Stopped at the first place, run by a
Chinese chap, who said he could fix it, right away, for $100, with tax,
$112! Cora Lee paid on the spot. We offered Bob a ride downtown as he
had to leave van there for a few hours. He thanked
us but he said he would take the bus. However, before we waved goodbye
he said if he ever wanted anything "destroyed" he would call Cora Lee!
The Stanchionette, The Sisterhood equivalent of the Stanchion, I
assume!!!
Enjoyed the after-burner boost until Brockton Point and then it was back to fighting the unrelenting blasts, although somewhat sheltered, at times by trees and thick shrubbery. Some work is being done on the Seawall near the water park close to Lumberman's Arch and the barrier which might necessitate one touching the ground (Consequently, in spite of posted notices to the contrary, as you recall, I normally use the Pedestrian Only walkway on this section!), has not been replaced, (I noted this on my first loop.), so I delighted in following this "legal" route on each subsequent loop. In part, this was a blessing as the Seawall was crammed with parents and children enjoying Spring Break. Consequently I had to avoid, countless times, very young children, many on training bikes, zig-zagging all over the bike path, more often than not, unsupervised by cell phone using guardians.
Nonetheless, I did enjoy my circuits and soon fell into a rhythm, girding my loins for those parts of the ride I knew would present wind blown or human based difficulties. Crowds did thin out after 4:00pm so I was able to gain a bit of time on the "assisted" flats to make up for the Prospect Point Hill climb and my tiring leg muscles. Still, the wind never abated and was blowing just as infuriatingly as it had been when I set out around 12:30pm. This being the case, I elected, on the final return leg to follow Moberly Road, at Stamps Landing., to Charleson Road as I hoped there would be a modicum of shelter from the wind along this route, not as exposed as the Seaside Bicycle Route which is right next to the open water of False Creek, between Cambie Bridge and home. Literally, my legs made the decision for me as I simply could not believe how strong the constant, unforgiving, maddening westerly continued to be!
Well, time to sign off. Will chat soon, I trust. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!
Just wanted you to know that on March 23, the second of my shows in
March - AND the one and ONLY show in Toronto this spring - takes
place.
It's at Scadding Court, at Bathurst Street and Dundas St. West, being
held in the gym between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The location is TTC-accessible, wheelchair accessible and there is
parking off of Bathurst St.
Details, along with some photos, are on my blog at:
http://inside-outstyleanddesign.blogspot.com
Even if the weather still thinks it's winter, you can make spring
happen by coming to Spring Fling this Saturday. Look forward to seeing
you there! Deborah
Buona Fortuna with Spring Fling at Scadding Court! Busy as ever, I see!
Not sure if you have seen Ann Hughes of late but she will be visiting Vancouver in early April. Bit of a mix-up with dates as it turns out that Friday, April 12th, (the night we had invited her for dinner), is the night of the SLAIS Alumni Recent Grad evening. We have been reasonably active in the association, (Coriandre more so than me), and enjoy supporting our Alma Mater so would like to attend the function. Cora Lee somehow missed an earlier notice informing people of the date so we hope Ann can make it either Saturday or Sunday. She has been doing a fair bit of travelling since we last saw her so looking forward to hearing all about her various junkets.
Trust life continues to go well with and for you. Cheers, Patrizzio!
A founder of the anti-GM food movement on how he got it wrong
Patrick James Dunn Is he your Doppelgänger, Prince Valiant?
I am on a mission! This is so sad! It makes recycling more important then ever! M
I am on a mission! This is so sad! It makes recycling more important then ever! M
Dear Friends;
This video is about an island in the ocean at 2000 km from any other coast line.
Nobody lives there, only birds... and yet ...............
You will not believe your eyes!!!!!!!
This film should be seen by the entire world, please don't throw
anything into the sea. Unbelievable, just look at the
consequences!!!!!
http://www.midwayfilm.com/
This video is about an island in the ocean at 2000 km from any other coast line.
Nobody lives there, only birds... and yet ...............
You will not believe your eyes!!!!!!!
This film should be seen by the entire world, please don't throw
anything into the sea. Unbelievable, just look at the
consequences!!!!!
http://www.midwayfilm.com/
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