De-Nesting Diaries: Wednesday, March 20th

A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions. -Confucius, philosopher and teacher (c. 551-478 BCE) 

900 year old church in Norway!

 You are in my calendar.  Will keep in touch when I arrive.  Best, Ann

Quick reply on the bikes front Patrick.

First of all you can use my bike and I would use Christine's or my road bike as a temporary measure.

Secondly Harrogate, ( 8 miles away) has a "Specialized" dealer at high end and also a branch of the the nationwide network Halfords who have a large selection of bikes and transporters. You will be able to see their web sites from where you are.

I find island malts remind me of childhood medicine. Such unsophistication! Regards Jim

Hi Maggie!

Trust you are well. Midway, (http://www.midwayfilm.com/), was a very disturbing film but necessary, obviously. I've forwarded it to a number of similarly concerned friends so I'm sure it will be seen by more and more people.

Not sure what is up with the weather today. Forecast was for more rain but there is nothing but blue sky outside my window, as I scribe, so perhaps I'll be able to ride over to the Aquatic Centre, just on the other side of the Burrard Bridge from us, without getting wet before I get wet! Fondestos form Cora Lee to you and Francesco. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Hi Pat,

What's up? I just joined you in the rain and am recovering from the jet lag. Look forward to seeing you one of these days. Kjell

Hi Kjell!

Welcome back! Trust you are well, in spite of jet-lag! I must admit, I didn't think you were coming until April! Not sure where I came up with that date! May simply have slipped my mind as we have been rather busy here, last three weeks or so, working on the loft which Chloë will be moving back into in a week or so .

Not sure what is up with the weather today. Forecast was for more rain but there is nothing but blue sky outside my window, as I scribe. Before your message arrived I thought I might ride over to the Aquatic Centre, just on the other side of the Burrard Bridge from us, without getting wet before I get wet! However, if you are interested in a short ride, given your jet-lag, I'd be happy to come to your place and we could head to Harbourside and/or Ambleside/Dundarave Village. Or beyond, to the further reaches of Horeshoe Bay. Cora Lee just left for a full day/evening at VPL, Friends of VPL work/meeting, but I'm sure she sends her greetings to you and Jane. I'll call once I've sent this message and we can chat. Do want to see Barbara, (Do you know it? Have you seen it?), as I missed it at VIFF. Various showings until March 24th.

Winner: Best Director, Berlin Film Festival

Over the last decade, with films like Jerichow and Yella, Christian Petzold has quietly established himself among the pre-eminent German filmmakers of the day. His latest, Barbara, has cemented that reputation, and won the prize for the Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival last year. 

It’s a rigorously controlled film that resists genre shorthand and lets up its secrets gradually. We see a new female doctor arrive at a provincial hospital in what is still East Germany. She (Petzold’s regular star, Nina Hoss) is a transfer from Berlin, and immediately strikes her colleagues as distant and aloof. But there are reasons, as they suspect. Her small apartment is regularly searched, meanwhile her preference for cycling to and from work seems designed to make it more difficult for the Stasi to keep an eye on her.

The enigmatic, measured buildup pays off big time in the film’s gripping climax, when all the pieces come together to combine elements of the thriller and melodrama with real emotional purchase. Barbara sneaks up on you, but it sticks.  Cheers, Patrizzio!



Hello Urban Zucchinis!
Quite enjoyed Ruthless' "Bon Mots"! Curious to know what you thought of The Clinton Library. Would certainly love to visit Arkansas and Little Rock in particular. Next trip to Dallas we'll continue on from there to Tennessee and Kentucky for bourbon tasting! How are the pooches?

Trust you are both well. How goes the commute? Sorry I've not been in touch sooner but we have been rather busy here, last three weeks or so, working on the loft. With any luck, with respect to matters related to new flooring, painting, light fixtures, cleaning, etc., Chloë should be moving back there in a week or so.

Not sure what was up with the weather today. Forecast was for more rain but there was nothing but blue sky outside my window as I was scribing mid-morning. Earlier had thought I might ride over to the Aquatic Centre, just on the other side of the Burrard Bridge from us, without getting too, too wet before getting wet! With reprieve I decided to do a few errands so I suited up after lunch and headed for Kerrisdale, via Spanish Banks/UBC/MD. Had to do a bit of banking related to Mom's estate at the Scotiabank on 41st and Arbutus. Knew I could log about 25 K if I followed this route so was chuffed that I actually had 27 K on the odometer when I reached my destination. Only took a few minutes to sign a few papers and I was off again, retracing my route home. Once again, over the course of most of the ride, with little rhyme and less reason, in terms of seeming direction from which arctic blasts emanated, (wind really was cold, much more than just chilly), I was often battling winds that almost brought me to a standstill or else threatened to blow me sideways. Latter is rather unnerving, I can tell you. Nevertheless, in spite of the damnable hurricane I made it home safely with 52.5 K, over 2:39:28, AVG 19.7 KPH, MAX 55.4 KPH. Was quite surprised by the AVG as I was struggling much of the time. Furthermore, I didn't even try to break 50 K as I headed down the Foreshore Hill as the opposing gusts, as I started descent, had been so fierce that I felt nothing was to be gained, no matter how hard I tried to pedal. Surprisingly, once I rounded the slight curve, roughly about halfway down, the wind shifted and I was able to accelerate quite easily to record what is one of my best speeds on this particular run.

Not sure if the weather patterns are changing or not but I must say that I have never, ever, experienced winds as strong and unrelenting as they have been lately. We weren't here last March so not sure if similar gales faced local cyclists a year ago or not. Of course, I've encountered amazing gusts and constant headwinds everywhere from Falcon Lake to LA to Dallas to environs hereabouts but the current spate of such unsettled weather generated "blows"is really quite something, at least to have to ride against. 

When I finally made it home I hung some of my garments on hangers, from a couple of latches on the storage cupboard on the deck. Overhang protects about two or three feet closest to windows from rain so a good place to let my outer gear air-out. After showering I took a quick trip to Costco, (Needed to buy 2012 TurboTax as have to start work on filing our returns.), and when I returned Chloë was home from work at Aunt Leah's, (She has a permanent part-time job, as of March 4th, doing fund raising and event planning so she is finally breaking into her chosen field. She is still keeping as many shifts as she can at GIB as she will not qualify for medical coverage with AL until she's worked there for three months. As well, (although early days yet), it looks like the organization may well offer her a full-time position as, according to Chloë, the non-profit is really understaffed, given the quite large and significant array of social services it offers. More when we know more!), and drew my attention to the fact that my cycling pants and leggings were being blown away! Guess I'll have to weigh them down with empty malt bottles, in future!

This morning Cora Lee left for a full day/evening at VPL, Friends work/meeting, but I'm sure she sends her greetings to you both. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

I am currently out of the office.  For urgent matters, please call or text my cell.  Thanks!

Malala Yousafzai

Hi Raymond!

Sorry I've not been in touch for a bit. Watched that squash clip quite a few times as I had to concentrate to actually not be fooled as was the opponent. Reminded me of some of Steve Lawton's fakes, back when we were still playing singles. 18th Century? His moves were always remarkable, especially to a player like me, but this lad's double is something else indeed!!! Have had a number of messages from Jim over last few days. He's been very helpful about answering questions regarding bikes. I'm pretty sure I will buy one in England, to leave, somewhere, for future trips, there and in France or elsewhere in Europe.

Not sure if this actually works or not but thought I'd pass it along:

Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices of cucumber in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

Trust you and Sylvia are both well. This morning Cora Lee left for a full day/evening at VPL, Friends work/meeting, but I'm sure she sends her greetings to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!    

Hi Big Al!

Great idea about the cow catcher. If it came equippped with a razor edged blade it would be good for slicing off offending stanchions as well! I'm sure Cora Lee would be pleased to offer her services to Jesse but you might wish to warn neighbours as she can be a tad indiscriminate. On the other hand, maybe she could facilitate a block's worth of claims in one fell swoop!

This morning Cora Lee left for a full day/evening at VPL, Friends work/meeting, but I'm sure she sends her demolition greetings to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Thanks for the eye-opening video!!!! Cactus

Hi Vinnie!

Difficult video to watch but needs to be seen. This morning Cora Lee left for a full day/evening at VPL, Friends work/meeting, but I'm sure she sends her fond greetings to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Quick reply on the bikes front Patrick.

First of all you can use my bike and I would use Christine's or my road bike as a temporary measure.

Secondly Harrogate( 8 miles away) has a "Specialized" dealer at high end and also a branch of the the nationwide network Halfords who have a large selection of bikes and transporters. You will be able to see their web sites from where you are.

I find island malts remind me of childhood medicine. Such unsophistication! Regards Jim

Hi again James!
 

Thanks very much for mentioning Halfords. I did take a quick look at the website. Curiously, I found a "foldable" bike that looks interesting and might make travelling easier. Need to do more research however. This morning Cora Lee left for a full day/evening at VPL, Friends work/meeting, but I'm sure she sends her greetings to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pic: Seen any of these pecking at your daffodils?