Wednesday 1 May 2013

De-Nesting Diaries: Wednesday May 1st

In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have. -Lee Iacocca, automobile executive (b. 1924)


Gam:

MEANING:
noun: 1. A leg, especially a woman's attractive leg.
noun
: 2. A school of whales. 3. A social visit, especially between whalers or ship crews.
verb tr., intr.
: 4. To hold such a visit; to spend time talking.


ETYMOLOGY:
For 1: Probably from Polari, from Italian gamba (leg), from Latin gamba (leg). Polari is a jargon used among actors, circus performers, etc. in the UK. Earliest documented use: 1789.
For 2-4
: Perhaps a dialectal variant of game. Earliest documented use: 1850.


You mean your head was damaged like that with the helmet on?  Just think where you would be if you hadn't had it.  That is really scary.  Sun is out. Gail 

Hi Gail!

You said it. I'd probably be sending this message from Down Under and I don't mean Australia! My brand name of my new helmet, (Purchased last fall as a spare! What forethought!!), is called Savant. My cycling chums and I refer to them as Idiot Savant Coconut Protectors as The Sisterhood think we are "idiots" for riding as we do and seem have about as much sense as an empty coconut shell. Of course, they think the latter whether we ride or not!

Sun is out here as well so plan to do another ride around Stanley Park later.  Cheers, Patrizzio! Pic: Would have preferred this vehicle had transported me to VGH!


  • Nicole Marie

    Hi pat, thanks for the suggestions
  • Patrick James Dunn

    When is your Dad's birthday? Cheers, Patrizzio!
  • Nicole Marie

    Saturday but he is busy with skating so we are having a party at the parents on Sunday night for dinner
Hi Mick!

Glad to hear that things are going so well! Say hello to Bill if you actually see him. I'm sure Nurse Polly is nothing but a Dream Caregiver!!! As I mentioned, I think,
I'm going to start trying to put together a fairly regular bridge group.  With you, Sarge, Whirlygig and Ted Keating, I think we could have a viable group. Having a few more than four is probably a good idea with busy schedules, etc. Any idea when might be a good time to arrange a game? Give me a number of possible dates/times and I'll call lads to see what might work.




I can pass along The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Quite enjoying it. Ray gave it to me on Saturday and I'll be finished shortly. Will put together some others, in addition to some recommended by The Book Club Lady, and will pop around either today or tomorrow, (Will steal your ice machine for my ribs/shoulder when you are not looking!), as I've another book to collect from Robo Man.  Buona Fortuna with physio!!! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pic: Thought cartoon would bring back memories of wine-tasting with Sir Andrew in the motel in Jackson.
 

  • Corey William

    Hey pat. I'm going to y supervisors 50th bday this weekend and he is an advocate of scotch. Give me a couple names for good bottles of scotch that you can buy at BC liquor stores... Between $60-80

Hi Kid Canine!

$60-$70

Price: $69.95 

$70-80

Price: $72.99 
Price: $74.95 Volume: 
Price: $75.20 
I'd go for the Tomintoul as it is not quite as well known. Consultant's Fee: $100! Cheers, Patrizzio! 

  • Corey William

    Oh I got a new name! Thanks pat. I knew I could count on you.
    Do you take cheque, cash, or debit?
  • Patrick James Dunn

    Hi again, KC! All three so that will be $300! Woof! Woof! Woof!
Hi Patrick

I trust you are recovering well and back in the saddle but not cycling quite so far, as you tone down for UK cycling partners. 

As Chris was in York today I first of all visited Evans Cycles to enquire about Montague bikes. They had none in stock but said they could get bikes for you with say a fortnight's notice and requiring a £50 deposit. They seemed to be more familiar with the Navigator rather than the Paratrooper. Price of Navigator was £800. They have one or two bikes in store at Gatwick their headquarters . The shop itself was pretty impressive( by the standards of the bike shop I use locally). I myself made a typical purchase of some lubricant (bike).

After that somewhat abortive visit I drove down south of York to an out of town retail centre, parked the car, did a quick change and headed north into York using the disused Selby to York railway line. I have cycled south to Selby before and this leads on to Cross Pennine Trails. Travelling north followed the Ouse for much of the way, through the city, off road, and north into the country . Excellent paved route, very flat , passing features such as the racecourse, back of St Peters School York, tour boats, castle, Minster in the distance . At one point I spotted one of the more redundant traffic signs where I had to lift the bike up and down some 15 steps on and off a bridge where the sign declared-"cyclists must dismount". Knowing you disobey signs at will I may look forward to seeing you perform otherwise.

Please let me know if you want me to follow up the Montague business - how is the price? Have you other irons in the fire? 

Weather here has been good for cycling last few days, mid teens at best, light winds, intermittent sunshine - I could do with it a bit warmer since I am now into shorts. When and if we tackle Filey on GYBR we need to have a following westerly (prevailing) wind . Easterly and North easterly are not only a nuisance but cold also.

Incidentally I cycled for two hours non stop for the second day running after having an Americano with cream at Starbucks and finishing with a Mocha at Cafe Nero, after lunching at a strange and somewhat ramshackle establishment on the railway route.  I know you are interested in this kind of thing. Best wishes Jim



Montague Navigator 2013
Montague Navigator 2013
The Navigator is a 27-speed folding bike that is built for the daily commute. Along with 700c tires and the Octagon height-adjustable stem, this bike comes standard with fenders and a rear rack, prepared for the commute to work in rain or shine. It folds in under 20 seconds without the use of tools, offering flexibility in today’s multi-tasking world.Each bike in our pavement series comes equipped with 700c wheels. This wheel size offers a significantly better ride than 24", 20", or 16" wheels. By keeping it smooth over potholes, and enchancing the handling of the bike, the 700c wheels are ideal over pavement and trails.

ADVANTAGES









  • Full-size comfort bike for cruising city streets and boardwalks with 700c standard wheels.
  • Folds to 36" x 28" x 12" in under thirty seconds without the use of tools.
  • Compact size allows for convenient storage in a car boot, boat, closet, or private plane.
  • Limited lifetime warranty on frame.
  • The Octagon offers all the benefits of an angle adjustable stem without shortening “reach” when raised. This unique design allows for handlebar height to be changed while preserving the way the bike handles and rides. Also, with the octagonal shape of the post, steering remains engaged while raising or lowering the stem. For more information on the OCTAGON check out www.octagoncycles.com.
  • Equipped with industry standard wheels and components serviceable at any bike shop.
  • Patented technology not available from any other company.
  • The portable nature of the bicycle allows it to be taken anywhere.
  • SPECIAL FEATURES






  • Montague Folding Integrated Technology (F.I.T.™): The Navigator frame is designed around a patented folding system. This design eliminates the need to break the frame in order to fold the bike. Not only does this make folding easier but it makes this bike the strongest folding bike on the market. The Folding Integrated Technology (F.I.T.) is based around frame construction concepts designed for serious full suspension downhill bikes.
  • Clever integration of CLIX technology allows for the Navigator to be folded in under 20 seconds without the use of tools. A flip of the CLIX quick release lever on the top tube and the bike folds to a compact size
  • Safety lock: Recessed drop out for quick release prevents frame from folding even with quick release not tightened.
  • Colour: Midnight Blue/Black
  • Free delivery UK ROI, France, Germany, Belgium

  • frame size road: 21"
    Soft Carry Case at half price: £49.99

    List Price: £899.99
    Price: £810.00

     Hi Jim!

    Thanks very much for research! Above is what I found on the Montague UK website. I put in a 21" frame size but I would also want to try the 19". I have both with my two Brodie's and am comfortable with each. However, want to test ride each size before deciding upon foldable. If not too, too much trouble could you find out if shop will bring in both. I'm happy to send along deposit. Probably around beginning of July to allow for delivery and to coincide, roughly, with our arrival. Just give me your account number and password and I'll have  my Nigerian business partner transfer £11 million pounds into your Chequing account. That should buy a few latttes!

    As well, want to buy the Soft Carry Case. Seems to be on for half price with offer in question. Price you were quoted seems about right. Not sure if what I found is online pricing. Ofter cheaper, as you probably know from all your lubricant purchases! 



    Simply loved your description of the Selby to York rail line, challenge of not dismounting for 15 steps, prevailing winds and plethora of java infusions. "Ramshackle" is definitely what I aim for when travelling, much to Cora Lee's despair. She still wakes, screaming in the middle of the night, drenched in perspiration, from the recurring nightmare involving spending a night in what I would characterize as a "quaint" motel, in Paso Robles, California, in the mid '90's. Just because it sported a horse-hair filled mattress and one could see the ground through a hole in the worn, discoloured lino in front of the toilette she was, apparently, not amused. Price was right and the odd bedbug gave it charm!

    On a more positive note, had confirmation yesterday that Beau Soleil is mine for September.  I've already sent out an Expression of Interest to the Swedish Association of Nubile Masseuses so that the winnowing process can begin! If you come to stay, and I'd be more than delighted if you would, I'm sure that would convince Robo Man to part with some of his tutoring cash and make the journey! He claims the idea of sitting on plane for eight hours is what is dissuading him. I told him to stand up, in the aisle, after take-off, for the duration, doing all sorts of stretches. He could probably lead a small group in the galley and recoup travel expenses at the same time!
    Fondestos to you and Chris from Cora Lee. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pic: Would have preferred this vehicle had transported me to VGH!

     Hi Patrizio

    So sorry to hear about your bike accident and glad you are on the mend, but obviously it didn't keep you from intermidable epistles!

    You and Corinne are very welcome to stay from 11th to 17th July - in your email you mention staying at the end of your trip did you mean start?  My new computer going strange so will write again soon. xx

    Hello Duhlink!

    Grand to hear from you and know that you haven't lost your "intermidable" (A cross between "interminable" and "formidabale"?), frankness! Thank you for allowing us to stay, (July11th-17th), but I was also hoping we could impose at the end of the trip as well. We fly back to Vancouver on October 19th, finishing the canal cruise on October 12th. I'm planning to leave the foldable bike, which I hope to purchase in York, with friends, near Lyon, before we make our way to England. In all likelihood, we would be in London for a few nights, (October 16th/17th-19th), before flying home. Depends, to a certain extent, on how long we stay with Andre and Rosemary and travel connections from their place, Chabeuil, outside Valence, about an hour and a half from Lyon, to London.

    If you come to stay in France, and we'd be more than delighted if you would, I'm sure that would convince Jamie to make the journey as well. An offer you can't refuse, I'm sure. Fondestos to you from Cora Lee. Cheers, Patrizzio!


    I wish.  My daughter's wedding on July 21 is costing me a fortune and I think my older son may get engaged this later this year so that means another wedding for me next years - 3 kids married in 3 years. I'll have to foot the bill for the rehearsal dinner plus make a contribution to the "wedding fund" like I did for his younger brother last year. This is all adding up to a throat choking amount of money!  We'll see..Thanks for allowing me to dream. Trice

    Greetings from Il Palazzo dei Sogni in Vancouver!

    Hi again, Beatricce!

    Just follow your dreams! Nothing else matters! Don't short-change yourself. Impose a wedding tax, (retroactively, if needs be), to help pay for trip! Cheers, Patrizzio!


    Thanks for the note. You two are really seeing the world and all the nooks and crannies,good for you! Thanks for the info,it sounds so inviting. I sure hope one day I can find someone to travel with like you and Coralee do. Who knows? Maybe  you have an older friend?  LOL 

    We have experienced weather and flooding conditions in the past{2011} and it appears as if there could be trouble again. Since my home is on the lakefront I am extremely worried.. We have set up sandbags and my son thinks we need to have more in place. We just had about a foot of really heavy snow andnow the melting is on so we are holding our breath.

    Not sure I told you but my great granddaughter appeared on the scene about a year and 7 months ago. We love her because she is adorable,and I tell people she is just like me!!!!!! Ha!
    Went to Chicxulub on the Mayan in Jan for a couple of weeks and then to Texas for Feb., so I missed a good part of the winter. I had a nice stay.I am going to forward your documents to my kids, just in case they would like to go to France. I wish you a super great holiday. How is your knee from the old bike injury? And yes I am well. Take Care, and we shouldn't lose touch. It can happen too easily.
    Hi again, Shirley!

    You sound as if you have been doing a fair bit of travelling yourself! I wonder if we happened to be in Texas at the same time. Where were you?

    In response to your inquiry about my knee, I had a total hip replacement in May, 2010. Very, very pleased with outcome so absolutely no complaints on that account. However, on a more sombre note, unfortunately, for me, on Tuesday afternoon, April 16th, I had a bike accident on 27th and Crown, not far from the UBC Endowment Lands.
    Congratulations on your great granddaughter! Well done!! Anyway, I'm alive and so, so fine. Cheers, Patrizzio!


       Hi Patrick,

    My place if that suits you. I can even park you below if you call me a few minutes before your arrival, here in New West. Anytime after 9pm. Look forward to the reunion.

    This email was interrupted by a Skype call from Frankfurt. It was Oliver Bender. He is coming to be my guest in July. If you are interested we can all meet. He is doing very well, is involved with a business, has a been married many years to a beautiful Italian women and they have two sons around 9 and 12.

    If they had used my services in "Barbara" the wind machines would have been turned down (less is more) and the country bus would not have looked like it had just been just repainted for a movie prop. Snobby Bobby would have given explicit instructions that it be refinished to look old and  faded. The bus looked like a Hungarian Ikarus by the way which where very common in the DDR. What could not have been improved upon was the subtle portrayal of life in "der Republik." The repression was actually understated and everything was fairly nuanced – a very successful depiction of the atmosphere in those strange times.

     Like you, i have been keeping myself busy with sending out dispatches, via the internet. You got my blog post this morning, no doubt, which has provided my lots of pleasure. This also allows me to archive lots of impressions into a kind of condensed format. I don't make any claims to being a good writer, but i have enjoyed the process, of turning more to language to record. That said, i will be taking a SFU writers course (for the Senior set) starting in less then two weeks. I think it is called something like finding your writing style. Being retired and having interests, or even passions, is hugely  important for us all. bob
    Happy springtime  . . .
    With no apologies to those of you in less fortunate climes, we are outside today in our t-shirts, shorts and I am barefoot.  We're expecting 10 days of warm to hot sunny weather.  A good thing because I have a few chores to finish up before I leave for a Southern Italian vacation with my sister Beverly on May 11th.  And I am finally almost recovered from a horrible spring cold which has kept me in bed for the last three days . .  very unusual for me to be that sick, and I can't blame the grandchildren this time.  Perhaps I picked it up at the hospital last week, where I spent 6 hours with my mom while she had MOHS surgery on her nose for basal skin cancer. 

    For those of you who know some of this stuff and/or have seen the photos, I'm sorry to repeat, but a group email is easiest for me at present.
    Mike has been pronounced "cured" or at least acceptably healed.  The wound finally closed over, and last week the wound clinic staff released him, as did the specialist in infectious diseases (who had him on 42 days of IV antibiotics and oral fungal meds from mid-February thru the end of March),  The plastic surgeon is done with him too (never had to do much but look at the wound with a "watch and wait" attitude).  It's been a long 6 months for him since open-heart surgery October 12th, and follow up surgeries on Dec 14, 18 and January 29 to remove loose wires, reverse his a-fib, and treat recurring infections. But finally everything seems to be back to what is "normal" for Mike.  His hemoglobin is where it should be, and he can run a mile again more quickly than he did 4 years ago before his first open-heart surgery.  His electrocardiogram shows no signs of fibrillation or flutter and the doctor that did his ablation in December said to check back in a year or so.  Mike says his cardio feels "normal" and it will just take a while for him to build back up his muscles.  He's playing squash 2 or 3 times a week again, is in a league at the athletic club and, all in all, feels pretty good.  I am glad to have my helper back in the garden and, in general, it's a huge relief to be done (hopefully) with all these medical issues.

    Katie and her family are preparing for a trip to Barcelona in June.  She's been working late the past few weeks to make up for the work she'll miss next month and the hours she'll need to cut back on over the summer when Michael will be deployed to Djibouti, a small country at the southern end of the Red Sea abutting Somalia.  The US Airforce is there in support of war operations in Somalia: I'm guessing pirates. He'll be gone from late June or early July till September.  Katie's got the kids scheduled for a variety of camps, and she's planned several weekend outings including two trips to Sun River (central Oregon resort) and a camping trip to Jedediah State Park in California (Redwood area, absolutely beautiful).  It will be a tough summer for her, and hopefully we can help out a bit.  Paul will be 9 in August, Amanda is 5.  He's a big time athlete, she's a budding artist.  Both are doing well enough in school.  Amanda can read pretty well and writes me letters.  She's in kindergarten at St. James pre-school and will be in public kindergarten next year, where she will be one of the oldest kids, just missing the "cut-off" date.  Paul is in third grade and, at age 8, is one of the youngest kids in the class.  Except for "recess," which is his favorite class, he likes math and science.

    Elizabeth is doing pretty well.  She's still plagued by back pain from a degenerated disc.  She's had two cortisone shots and does her exercises, but I can see in her face that it hurts to do lots of stuff.  Her job is tolerable but not particularly challenging or enjoyable.  One of these days, she'll get moving on finding another.  Her new anti-depressant meds seem to be more effective than the old.  She comes out one day each weekend to do her laundry and visit, and she has several friends that she enjoys hanging out with at clubs, soccer games, and parties.
    My mom, who'll be 98, in two weeks is still in remarkably good health, although there are times when she gets winy (not winey), and I want to punch her.  But she remains pretty active with her pedometer, walking 10,000 steps a day, going to the morning exercise class at her retirement home and shopping at the local grocery store twice a week with her friend Charlie.  Her favorite activity is going out for lunch, and then she can get "winey."  Beverly and I are taking her out next week for her birthday.  

    I am looking forward to a break from the pressures of the last six months.  And I'm looking forward to being more active outside when I get back from Italy.  I've become rather lax in my exercise routine of late.  There are some major yard projects that are too much for us . . like refurbishing the gravel pathways throughout the gardens, and mulching all the beds . I've gotten several referrals for help and will call for bids when I get back.  Still the yard has never looked better, and it is gratifying to see the results of all our work.  It's hard to believe that 15 years ago, this was just an empty field. I don't know if we'll attempt a veggie garden again this year.  We never fenced it in, so Bambi and his friends occasionally eat the beans, and last year the elk herd tramped through the squash.  Growing tomatoes in Oregon is almost futile.  It never gets warm enough soon enough for them to ripen properly.  We keep talking about putting in an electric fence.  It's not difficult and it would keep the deer out, not sure about the elk.

    Mike and I are looking forward to a relatively relaxing summer and a trip to southwest Utah, including Bryce and Zion national parks in late August or early September.  I'm also heading to NJ for my 50th high school reunion this fall.
    Since we'll be in town June through late August, we'd enjoy a visit if you're in the area.  I hope you are all well and enjoying springtime. Marilyn The pictures below are from Easter weekend
     
    Thanks for this Patrick. I was not aware that mike was having such a touch time with his health and good to see how well he has recovered. We still make that anti pasta we had at their house en route to California and it is one of my favorite dishes. Mike
    I suppose if you cracked a rib under your arm I don't suppose they can do anything about it. 
    Getting dings or getting old isn't for sissies. gg


    Hello Everybody,

    This message includes the two latest posts; one from Thailand and the other from Cambodia. Tubtim shrine in the heart of Bangkok's upscale Chidlom District, receives few visitors but yet is a fascinating spot by a canal. A second post moves the journey on to Cambodia with a late afternoon arrival in Phnom Penh.

    Tubtim fertility shrine, Bangkok:


    http://wordfrombob.blogspot.ca/2013/04/at-fertility-shrine-bangkok.html

    Return to Cambodia:
    http://wordfrombob.blogspot.ca/2013/04/return-to-cambodia.html

    Once again, if anybody would prefer not to receive these travel posts, please let me know, and i will remove your name(s). Best Wishes from sunny New Westminster, bob
    Hello! Just hoping you can find a moment to assist with this.


    I just wrote an article that is a finalist in a contest - now I need
    votes to win! (As you know, Publishers no longer decide what to
    publish, the Public does instead.)

    You can find the article via the following links. At the bottom,

    there's a Like button to click - and I suspect this is easier to do if
    you already have a Facebook page.

    Also, apologies if you have already received this request via another

    channel. Many thanks for your support! Deborah

    http://www.tonictoronto.com/May-2013/The-Chair/


    OR:


    http://www.tonictoronto.com
    , then click on Contests. Then Scroll down.
     I am Finalist #1
    .


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