The
sheep have gone on strike / they are demanding better slaughtering
conditions. -Dinos Christianopoulos, poet (b. 20 Mar 1931)
So sweet! What book! Car Corinne and Patrick, What a nice treat to hear from you the other night. You have lovely feet Corinne and Patrick looked good! You are sure being outstanding parents and grandparents to Chloe and Rowan - they are so fortunate to have you nearby. It sounds like you are carrying on Dusty’s tradition of doing home renovation work.
We continue to try hard to practice self isolation. Fortunately Vancouver is at its best as the blossoms are starting to bloom and the sun is shining. We are out for walks along with quite a few other people so I don’t breathe when we pass someone - as if that will help but it makes me feel better.
I think we will drive home after our 14 days. Our friends who were in Southern Spain emailed this morning that they are now in Heathrow and said if you didn’t know about the crisis you might not be aware as the airport seems to be functioning as normal.
Stacee and Sean are out grocery shopping for us which is very helpful except they think we should drink 1% milk and we like 2% - but let’s not be fussy! Jeff keeps sending us scary information about what to watch for and what to do including the minute you come in the door you should go directly to the shower and bath then put on all clean cloths. Thanks again for the call and do take care of yourselves and family. Dawn
Hi Self-Isolating, Return from Afar, People! Lovely
to chat with you and know you are safely home from Israel and further
afield. We have close friends who had to cut their trip in India short.
It was a nightmare, both financial and otherwise, booking
a flight let alone return journey to Sydney, NS! So many friends and
family have had travel plans cancelled, as you can well imagine. You
might remember Lynne and Peter Lighthall, now living in Victoria. They
are mirroring your current behaviour as they have just returned from two
months in Palm Desert.
Not sure if we mentioned it during chat but it is also hitting
fairly close to home, inasmuch as we have a very good friend, Jamie,
recently on tour with Bach Choir who was supposed to visit us at the end
of
this week. Unfortunately, he had to return directly to London. The
CORAVID-19 pandemic reminds me of the SARS outbreak, in 2003, when I was
on sabbatical in Australia.
Lady Dar had been with me for six weeks but
I remained for another month or so, [planned],
to work on my research project. Our flights went through Singapore and I
had decided to spend a week there, on return leg, to explore the city
and surrounding countryside. I wasn't overly worried about myself,
per se, but was worried about Mom, perhaps infecting her!
In the end I was able to book a return flight through Seoul. Had to pay
around $100, or more, can't really remember, to extend my Australian
visa, for two or three weeks, as most of the flights were already fully
booked for same reasons! One of the benefits was that I spent the day in
Seoul with the son of a close friend who was teaching there for a year.
He gave me a wonderful overview of the city. Would love to go back to
see more of it and the country, of course. Even more of a pull as we
just finished watching final episodes of Saimdang: Memoir of Colors, on
Netflix.
Again, as we may have mentioned,
this calls into question our planned driving trip to LA in early May,
to attend Pierre's graduation, from Engineering. At
the moment all campus in-person classes have been cancelled and are
only offered on-line. Whether this will affect actual graduation, in
terms of completed course work, exams passed, etc., and/or the physical
graduation ceremony itself, remains to be seen.
As you obviously know, travel south has been restricted. Looking even
further ahead, we are currently in the planning stage for a trip to Viet
Nam, Laos and Cambodia, with friends, Colleen and Big Al, this coming
September.
We haven't yet booked any flights,
tours or hotels so that is not a worry. However, given what is
happening, [and can only become worse in the foreseeable future!], to
the world economy, it simply may not be prudent to incur the
considerable expense of such travel, especially when we are facing
bearing most of the costs for the basement suite we are helping Chloë
put in her townhouse, in great good part to help her "survive" as a
single parent, and on maternity leave, let alone in the face of a
recession/depression! At
any rate, we feel we will be able to weather this current crisis,
better than so many others, of course, given our financial/housing
situation, so are grateful for that, it goes without saying. Still,
certainly not something that we could ever have imagined when we all
wished in 2020!
That being said, life continues to unfold, more or less normally, [other than
No Kissing and shoulder bumping when that is even possible! [Lady Dar is a Self
Righteous Dictator in this regard!]
Little Chap is thriving and I am hoping he will have a paper route soon
to help pay for the basement suite we are
currently having put in at Winnipeg Street. We are optimistic that
drywall will be finished by early next week so that we can begin
painting before floor is laid. Lady Dar
and
Chloë met with Rona, this past week, and arranged
to
make some changes to kitchen installation that had been proposed
originally and booked installation to take place on April 13th, date
suggested by our
contractor. Bathroom vanity is already at Chloë's, [upstairs], and toilet is waiting at a local store, Splash. The fridge and washer/dryer are being held
at Home Hardware. We are crossing our fingers that she will be able to rent the place by May 1st!
Had been swimming and deep water walking, when not cycling but on Tuesday, March 10th,
the Penticton Community Centre,
Cleland Theatre, McLaren Arena, Library and Museum, along with the
Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, South Okanagan Events Centre and
Memorial Arena closed to the public.
I'm
hoping that my monthly pass will be honoured, [I bought one at a GFA
fund-raiser, a couple of months ago, and was only about a week into it
as of
today! Clock didn't start ticking until first use.], for remaining
time, when place opens again, whenever that might be!
Since them I've been either boot hiking or snowshoeing on non-cycling day. This past Thursday saw a simply fabulous
snowshoe outing near Apex, [album below], with numerous rides around town. Yesterday, per esempio, by the time I had edited the snapolas I'd taken for the remarkable outing from Snowflake and completed a few
of the household chores assigned by the Harsh, Mean and Nasty
Taskmistress of The Burns Street Bistro it was just
before 1:00 pm when I was able to head out for another ride.
Towards
the end of the above-mentioned snowshoeing trek my legs felt weary
enough that I thought the next day would be an opportune time to give
them a rest. However, with the sun shining brightly
I couldn't resist hitting the road. The wind was out of the N at 17
km/h, gusting to 21 km/h and the temperature was almost shirt-sleeve
balmy at 11º C. While my legs felt pretty good I didn't relish fighting
the head wind all the way to Trout Creek so I decided
to fall back on my route regualre, yet again, as a slight, [just slight, mind you], nod towards not being invincible, Dear Reader!
However,
since I'd done just this, over last two rides, I simply couldn't face
following the exact same loop patterns so I started out with Churchill,
the shortest loop, then moved to Burnaby,
the next shortest, finally riding across Westminster to the SOEC
parking lot. One or two more cars here than earlier in the week but
otherwise almost completely empty so I whizzed around without having to
worry about dodging any vehicles.
By the time I'd finished
this circuit I headed for the Dynes loop to provide the rest of the
distance I required and when I'd completed this segment I headed back
along Lakeshore to make for Ellis and home. Was back in time to find
Rowan James being read to by Nana. He and Chloë had
been for along walk with a friend, and her newborn, from pre-natal
yoga. I had time for a quick shower while The Winnipeggers went home and
Lady Dar finished preparing Jackpot Casserole, the dinner we would take
to Chloë's that evening. Was quite pleased that
my AVG was 18.2 km/h, slightly higher than that for Wednesday's, 17.9
km/h, in spite of demand of snowshoe trek. Hip Hip Hooray! Garmin Map
and Stats fro ride:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4677873116#.XnY6HbQl-8A.email
AllTrails Map and Stats:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/recording-mar-20-4-37-pm-bf9ce4f?p=-1
Flamin' and Sarge drove up for the weekend, on Thursday evening, as they were starting to get cabin fever at Harbour Terrace. We spoke to them on the phone yesterday but won't see them, unfortunately, although Chloë/Rowan James went for a walk with Rebecca on the KVR this afternoon. Lady Dar made sandwiches at Soupateria this morning but didn't stay to hand them out. Procedure has changed, inasmuch as food is now handed out through a sliding door instead of allowing people inside to dining area. She came home with her own, high-end face mask as she, and numerous other volunteers, will be in even more demand, given that many of the local restaurants/fast-food outlets have closed, to take additional shifts. I will probably offer to help, as well, given growing need for such services. Have done so on a number of occasions, in the past, when she was away or otherwise engaged.
Yesterday, she picked up wine releases from Poplar Grove, Upper Bench and Township 7, [Release from Bartier Brothers, out of Oliver, is also ready to be collected and we were planning to stop in, en route to Spirit Ridge where F/S invited us over Easter. Not sure, now, if that is still on.], so we have plenty of wine to see us through. Fortunately, my malt cabinet is relatively full although Lady Dar uses only the most treasured and expensive bottles for hand sanitizer! Have plenty of books to keep us occupied for aeons and more series on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Crave than you can shake a stick at. As I think you took note of, we just finished The
Valhalla Murders:
Police profiler Arnar is sent back home from Oslo to his native
Iceland to investigate the country's first serial killer case. He teams
up with the local senior cop Kata.
Can hardly wait for Season 2 as I think another killer is out there! Frida night we started Hunters: Al Pacino stars in the series inspired by the real-life
Nazi hunters of the mid-20th century and Operation Paperclip, the US
government’s covert recruitment after the war of around 1,600 German
scientists, engineers
and technicians – including many former Nazis – to try and gain the US
an edge over the Soviets in the cold war and the space race.
Coming Friday, March 27th, is Ozark, [a
crime drama which tracks a family on the run, except there’s nowhere
for the Byrdes to go. Mart, (Jason Bateman), and Wendy, (Laura Linney),
made a deal with the devil when they agree to launder money for a
Mexican drug cartel, in a summer resort community in the Ozarks.],
Season 3. Simply remarkable performances by
everyone but what is really quite fascinating to see are the role
reversals taken by Linney and Bateman as series unfolds, and Marty
starts to understand what terrible, terrible criminal forces
he has unleashed. Not to mention all the films that are available. Lady
Dar just mentioned that The Cold War spy thriller
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is now on Netflix
but we can only watch as George Smiley slowly uncovers the Soviet mole if we have a UK or Japan IP address because
Netflix geo-restricts users who don’t have a local IP address for a specific region.
However, a premium VPN is like the perfect spy. A VPN can bypass
all of Netflix’s geoblocks by tunneling your IP address through one of
its UK or Japan servers. The Netflix catalog is unlocked and
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is ready for viewing. Not really sure I want to do this or, more importantly, pay for it, as so many other films are more readily available. Unfortunately, no green beer at Cannery Brewery this year, for St Patrick's Day,
with shutdowns, etc. However,
I am pleased to report that I managed to tipple some fine Irish
whiskey, [Writer's Tears, 40%, West Cork, Bourbon Cask, 40%, West Cork,
Peat Charred Cask, 43%, Method and Madness, Single Grain, Bourbon
Barrels, 46% and Pearse, Single Malt, Cask Strength, 59.3%],
to celebrate my namesake.
Took
a break from riding today and tried to catch up on correspondence. Lady
Dar spent a couple of hours spring cleaning the back patio, [She did
front yard over past two days.], after she made sandwiches at Soupateria this morning. She didn't stay to hand them out, however. Procedure has changed, inasmuch as food is now handed out through a sliding door instead of allowing people inside to dining area. She came home with her own, high-end face mask as she, and numerous other volunteers, will be in even more demand, given that many of the local restaurants/fast-food outlets have closed, to take additional shifts.
I will probably offer to help, as well, given growing need for such services. Have done so on a umber of occasions, in the past, when she was away or otherwise engaged. Late
this afternoon I took some of the storage tubs I put outside, over the
winter, into
the crawl space, so that we can begin using the space. Gorgeous in the
spring sun. Both Etta and Duke have taken to soaking up the heat there,
over last little while. After Lady Dar's fab dinner of home-made chicken fingers and cauliflower with white sauce we started another new series, Caliphate, [Kalifat, original Swedish title]: Agent Fatima gets a tip that a terrorist act is planned in Sweden. At
the same time, the teenager Sulle has opened her eyes to her student
assistant who opens the doors to a new fascinating world.
First episode is simply riveting. When we were
in Stockholm, in 2010, we stayed with a friend who lived about half an
hour, by subway, from centre of town and it was like living in Marrakesh
when I was there a million years ago, in 1970. Most of the locals wore traditional Arab garb and many of the stores sold Middle Eastern foodstuffs. Anyway, no wonder the series is set between Syria and Sweden. You'd be right at home just coming from Jerusalem!
Must away to read my book, Lost in the Sand, by Shanna Ahmad, a story of a Kurdish child's survival in the land of chemical experiments. With her story, she walks the reader through her worst nightmares that peace is becoming impossible. She reveals that she has a powerful love affair which according to Iraqi culture must remain unspoken. She devotes her life to bring stability and freedom to her land. Also to protect the borders of America from terrorist attack by attempting to bring a secret document to the nations of the West. Her story inspires the reader with her courage and determination to never give up.
Bit difficult to follow, at times, as I'm not overly familiar with Iraq's history and the names of many of the key political players, etc. Also, editing is not what it should be but, nonetheless it remains a necessary, if harrowing, read. Stay well. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Must away to do my shouldares as I am taking a break from riding today. Fondestos from Lady Dar, to you both, just in from spring cleaning the back patio. [Did front yard over past two days.] I
have to take some of the storage tubs I put outside, over the winter,
into the crawl space, so that we can begin using the space. Gorgeous in
the spring sun. Both Etta and Duke have taken to soaking up the heat
there, over last little while. Stay well. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hi Happy Hut People! Thanks again for sending along the snapolas I requested, not to mention the fabulous album. Not sure what your plans for Monday will be. I gather The Cousins are suffering from nasty colds so will not be going out until they are better. Are you planning to talk to Tony or Chuck? I've talked to Davd Pacey, today, as a result of his Flash Hike message and he wasn't sure what he and Margareta would be doing. He said he would be in touch but I thought I'd run my query by you first.
Must away to do my shouldares
as I am taking a break from riding today. Fondestos from Lady Dar, to
you both, just in from spring cleaning the back patio. [Did front yard
over past two days.] I have to take some of the storage tubs I put
outside, over the winter, into the crawl space, so
that we can begin using the outdoor space. Gorgeous in the spring sun.
Both Etta and Duke have taken to soaking up the heat there, over last
little while, when not napping inside! Chat soon. Stay well. Cheers,
Patrizzio! Pics:
Clark Kent Jr. and speed reading! [Lenses fell out of shades Chloë
picked up for him in LA.] Rowan James showing off his socks and how he
does his "shouldares"
and leg kicks! Chatting, while bathing, ["Whale" tub on kitchen
counter.], with Aunt Pamela, on FaceTime, from Winnipeg, city, to
Winnipeg, street! Nanny Darjeeling; Master Gardener Darjeeling!
The most rewarding poop ever!!! 😳😷 I'd rather face the virus than that epic poop!!! Good grief!!! He looks unfazed Lmao
Great photos Patrizzio! Thank you. We will be skiing tomorrow and Monday at Baldy. They are still open for 2 days, and we have 2 free passes so being Dutch we have to jump on this deal! Franzl is going with us. Have not heard from Tim or Tony. Tony may still not be able to come, Tim I am not sure. By the way, Senka asked me to ask you to include her name and email on the distribution list you use for Monday. You are using an old list that she is not on. Cheers, Aarturos
Hi Baldy People! In 2017 Arlo looked like a young Elton John! Thanks for update. With respect to Monday, I'll see what Chuck might wish to do as well as what David proposes, if in fact he is going out. I'm happy to ride so I'll find something one way or another.
On another matter, Josinta, Lady Dar doesn't feel we should be gathering for bridge so I'll send out a message to that effect. Not sure how others feel. Now I wish I had played last Monday! In a similar vein, I'm also wondering about hiking, etc. What are your thoughts! As well, Senka sent me a message about including her and I've added her to my hiking/snowshoeing distribution list. Enjoy your weekend+ on the slopes. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hello Burnstreet friends, I agree with Corinne, playing bridge is probably not a good idea. I am not sure yet about the hiking which is a little different.Although carpooling should be more of a worry. But that's something I would rather let our senior leadership decide. Ready to watch some Bavylon Berlin now. Cheers, Jos Hello Self-Isolating, Social Distancing Book Clubbers! Trust, as of this writing, everyone is well. To keep this so Lady Dar suggests we suspend our bridge and book club gatherings, at least until we know more about the spread of the virus, etc. While we are not sure how others feel, the two of us will only be discussing books with Chloë and Rowan James and limiting our reading to picture books! Cheers, Patrizzio! Thanks for the update! Dame Judith A WISE DECISION PATRICK. TAKE CARE EVERYONE…HUGS FROM HILDA 😊 😞👍❤️😀😀😀 Lou Stay safe and we will meet again when we get the “all clear”. Susan
Wise decision.😁😎 Meanwhile I suggest we keep communication lines open amongst the group. Topics such as ; Books read Wishlist books Must reads Etc
All can be shared. Thoughts.? Wow, Fandango 16 have not tried for awhile. Lets stay healthy Senka
Hello Self-Isolating, Social Distancing Bridge Players! Trust, as of this writing, everyone is well. To keep this so Lady Dar suggests we suspend our bridge gatherings, at least until we know more about the spread of the virus, etc. While we are not sure how others feel, the two of us will only be playing with Rowan James, [After a few rounds of Autobridge he is better than Goren and Omar Sharif together!], and Chloë, The Sisterhood against The Brotherhood! Finally, a partner who understands my bidding!!!
Of course, this is not an easy decision, at all, as we both so enjoy the game muchly and visiting with one and all over the course of an evening. Anyway, must away to join Lady Dar in drinking, through her face mask, [She made sandwiches at Soupateria this morning but didn't stay to hand them out. Procedure has changed, inasmuch as food is now handed out through a sliding door instead of allowing people inside to dining area.
She came home with her own, high-end face mask as she, and numerous other volunteers, will be in even more demand, given that many of the local restaurants/fast-food outlets have closed, to take additional shifts. I will probably offer to help, as well, given growing need for such services. Have done so on a umber of occasions, in the past, when she was away or otherwise engaged.] some 2016 Fandango to drown our sorrows! Stay well, apart! Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Lady Dar even wears her mask when watching CORVID-19 coverage on TV, just in case!
Bridge Club Shutdown! Totally agree. Bonnie Henry is my hero. Think we will be in a more serious state of shut down if folks don't take this seriously. Not convinced that many of the returning snow birds will actually self isolate. Be safe volunteering Corrine.
We also have a locked door policy at the Red Cross. And internal procedures for physical distancing. 1 client at a time in one door of the depot for pick up. Those with returns to a separate door....1 client at a time Lots of sanitation and gloves in involved. New word of the week....Cov-idiot. Take care everyone....until it is safe to congregate again. AEB
I really miss you guys and know the right decision has been made to shut things down at this difficult time . We will all get through it one way or another. I look forward to when we all play together again. It must be time to learn how to play the game on line. Stay healthy happy and get our gardens planted! Cheers, Carol Take care all...I have left the Shoreline and am in exile... so boring Thank goodness for phones and Netflix Vanessa flying in on Wednesday ... She will work remotely from here Meanwhile Ben and Isabella Continue to entertain Stay healthy all Judy XoHave a great time with Ben and Isabella Judy! The simple joys in life. Be healthy! Hi all. So sorry about Bridge but necessary hiatus. We can practice using the new word...covidiot.....there are definitely a few of them out there. Stay safe. Dianne
Hope your Irish celebrations were fun. We are a bit behind in the
correspondence, as we have become entranced in puzzle solving and
watching the train wreck of the Covid virus. We'll give a toast to the
Irish tonight to make up for our sins! Donna Florida
Thank you Patrick. We hope you are both well. Difficult times here as
elsewhere. Still getting out and about but avoiding most contacts or
distancing them. We are still communicating with Ray and Sylvia. Best wishes Jim and Christine
Patrick -- How lovely and cheering in a time of plague and isolation!
I'm OK here -- plenty of supplies and lots of friends on the phone or
e-mail -- but it really lifts the heart to find this in the morning
mail! A pleasant weekend and a joyful St. Paddy's to you and Corinne and the family -- Best always -- Jane
Happy St Patrick’s Day! Sorry to be late. We did celebrate and did cook
up some Colcannon. We reminisced about. celebrating one year on the Cook
Islands with an American determined to find a cabbage growing in a
tropical garden.
Charlotte and Paul
Are you in England? We have a lot of snowbirds that are having to sit
around doing nothing. I guess the Canadians are running to get over the
boarder b/4 they shut it down. We are doing great doing pickup. I got my
taxes filed yesterday!!!! Now I am making a to-do list for fixing the
AK boat so we can decide how early we want to go North. England--- that
reminds me I should send an email to a moved away friend. Thanks for the
card. Gail
Thanks for thinking of us. Love Mary Terry Thank you Pat Dunn et ux and back at ya!
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