Ending the year on a comic note...

Somehow I got into a cartoon wave for some of Richard's presents this year and he got us the classic graphic novels, Maus I & II, which won a Pulitzer prize...a "comic" but not a comic story.


I found the "Incredible Hulk" lunchkit in Hollywood. Richard used to love being scared to death just before bedtime by Jim's impression of "Trebble Hoag" as he called him.



I'm looking forward to reading these.

Party Hats

My cousin, John, has been teasing me about expecting "party hats" ever since he saw last year's Christmas dinner pictures with us all wearing our hats from the crackers. So, on our now traditional Dec 29 lunch I had a surprise for him. This is a little hat I bought in Thailand years ago and has been decorating the top of our Christmas tree (I had a plush mouse before that...I like unusual things for the top of the tree). However, Jim made a protest this year and we went with his choice...a snowman in a Santa hat.


John with his party hat.



The Year of the Snowman.



The Year of the Hat.



The Year of the Mouse.

Cats and Dogs....

Introducing Holly...a.k.a. Buddy Holly



Kate and Jean's new dog...isn't she a sweetie!




Oscar, the cat Don and Elaine share with their neighbour, doesn't appear too impressed with his new toy.

Congratulations Kate and Jean!

We were very pleased to hear Kate and Jean's big news that they are going to be married. We are very happy for you and wish you all the very best!

Mary on the Buddha Board

We've been having fun with this!
The idea is you make a design "in the moment" and it disappears all on its own.

Welcome to the official web site of the British Monarchy

I just watched the Queen's Christmas message on this site. Jim's brother, Ian, is right in style as his shade of green socks he was wearing last night are the same shade of green the Queen chose in her suit! You can also get the podcast here.


Welcome to the official web site of the British Monarchy

From our family to yours...

Merry Christmas everyone!

For all you cat lovers...

CATS

Itty Bitty Book Review: "Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures"

"Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures" by Vincent Lam

This was the Giller Prize winner for this year and very well deserved. I'm impressed with this first short story collection by an Emergency Room Doctor and it is very much about his professional experiences. I see his first novel will be published by Doubleday. I look forward to it. I think he is a writer to watch with special interest.

Stanley Park mon amour...

It was heartbreaking to hear that Stanley Park has lost 20% of its trees due to our many recent storms. I've had so much pleasure from this park over the years beginning with family picnics, going to the zoo and aquarium, watching the yachts come in Sunday evenings at Brockton Point, rowing on Lost Lagoon, riding bicycles around it with friends, playing tennis and pitch and putt, teaching swimming at Lumberman's Arch, walking around it with Jim, ...and on it goes.

If you're looking for a gift for someone who has everything you might want to donate to the "Gifts for Parks" program.

Vancouver Park Board - 'Gifts for Parks' Program

Great neighbours

We had our neighbours over for a drink today and we feel so lucky to have such great people for neighbours...Elaine, Bonnie, Susan and Chris, Cindy and Dave, Colin and Chrystal and wee William age 10 months who of course stole the show!

Person of the Year: You - CNN.com

Good on Time Magazine for naming all us bloggers, YouTubers, etc. "Person of the Year"!

Person of the Year: You - CNN.com

Everything's yummy at Fern's

Lunch at Fern's at Christmas is always a taste delight...wonderful tourtiere and homemade chutney (and a tourtiere and chutney to take home...I love this Christmas tradition) and a whole raft of new cookies this year. Thanks, Fern...it was really fun! I took a little movie of all the ducks in front but they were too far out and you couldn't really see them.


Linda, Carole, Fern

More bears...

Bearwear 2006

These bears are always fun to see at the Grand Pacific Hotel...great charity for Queen Alexandria Hospital too.

Pate Brisee

Annette is always telling me how easy it is to make this pastry so I bought a tart pan with a removable bottom a while ago but just got around to experimenting with a recipe from EAT called "Roasted Tomato Tart". I liked all the ingredients...cheese (I used 4 yr old goat cheddar), onions, tomatoes, nicoise olives, herbes de Provence, fleur de sel. Tim and Bronwen were the guinea pigs. It was quite delicious except the pastry did fall apart when I put it in the pan and half the crust fell on the floor when I took it out of the oven since the side part of the pan fell off.

Bags from Germany!

I was thrilled the other day to open a package from Germany and find three shopping bags to add to my collection of bags. Maureen saw the photo I posted of my collection and sent these to add to it. It was so thoughtful...thank you so much! When I look at these I will think of the many happy times we spent together here in Canada, in Germany, and in our wonderful village of Carqueiranne.

Itty Bitty Book Review: The Custodian of Paradise

"The Custodian of Paradise" by Wayne Johnston

I have felt Johnston has been somewhat under rated and really felt his "Colony of Unrequited Dreams" and "The Navigator of New York" should have received more acclaim although "Colony" was at least nominated for the Giller. I was surprised to see that "Custodian" hadn't been nominated for anything until I read it. I'm not really sure about its literary merit. It's a gripping story and the plot held me but so does Dan Brown and his books definitely don't have literary merit however great they are for reading when in "trains, planes, and automobiles" situations. I'll have to think more about it. Perhaps it's the myth quality I couldn't quite get into.

Storm Aftermath

Certainly a lot of debris around from the recent snowstorm. They are dealing with it all very quickly around our neighbourhood. Trees have been pruned and they've started with the chipping and clearing away.



I saw this deer while I was out walking so was pleased to be able to make a little movie. I guess they have quite a hard time in the snow.

Just to get into the Christmas spirit...

Magnolia Digital Arts

My friend, Trish, has begun to market her wonderful photographs and her website is really worth having a look at. I especially like the Mexico ones...but of course, that will be no surprise to anyone who knows how much I love the primary colours!

Magnolia Digital Arts

She has some of her Mexico photos hanging at the Baja Grill on Bay Street...open for lunch Mon-Fri and dinner daily from 5pm. This is the old El Rancho for those of you who have been in Victoria for quite a while. Our first house was in this area and this became our favourite restaurant especially for the paella...it was worth the price just to smell the garlic wafting throughout the restaurant while it was being prepared. It was a very reasonable place especially in the early days when they didn't have a liquor licence and they let us bring our own wine.

BAJA GRILL VICTORIA BC

House boat living...The Pink Dishrack

Last night we enjoyed having dinner with the Fishers and the Andersons at the Fin and Gill Restaurant at the West Bay Marina and of course the highlight was to visit the houseboat "The Pink Dishrack" where the Fishers were staying for a couple of nights. The Fishers would like to buy a houseboat at Fisherman's Wharf but there seem to be various glitches at the moment. Funny how both Ann and another friend, Roger, have recently been very intrigued by living on a houseboat. At West Bay you barely feel like you're on a houseboat because of the concrete floats and wharves...probably very encouraging in a storm but there is something very special about Fisherman's Wharf.

Westbay Marine Village B & B

Crow gets the food...

I set out some food for the birds in the snow but the crow got it. The little birds didn't have a chance. I needed the services of dead-eye Fern and her slingshot.

Victoria BC Winter Driving

This video is for Richard whose Greyhound bus from Seattle gave up in Bellingham. No hotels to be had so a group of passengers got together and took a taxi to Vancouver. At least he got to sleep in his own bed...albeit it was 4:30am.

Cat Massages Dog and other Animals Videos on StupidVideos.com

The Curlings sent me this and I thought it was very amusing...enjoy!

Cat Massages Dog and other Animals Videos on StupidVideos.com

Market in Aix-en-Provence

Going through my photos and came across these ones that I took in 2005. A little bit of everything in this market...from soup to skulls...

We spent a wonderful sunny Sunday in Aix taking in their up scale flea market. It is a beautiful city with all the plane trees in leaf.