Itty Bitty Book Review: "A Better Man" by Louise Peeny

Rosa, the duck, accompanies Louise Penny on her current series of readings. Fans will get the reference.

I enjoyed this latest very much and I think what I like most about what she does is she does mix things up.  It certainly isn't a straight "who dun it".  And I like her quirky humour. One reviewer mentioned he felt the regular characters of Three Pines were getting tiresome. I don't find that at all. I think they act somewhat as the "fool" in Shakespeare and provide some relief from what can be rather intense writing.

Lavender in the Cotswolds

Isn't this a great photo!

Cotswold Lavender Farm 📍 
Set in the heart of the beautiful Cotswold Hills overlooking Broadway and the Vale of Evesham. Lavender was first planted here in the year 2000 in fields previously used to grow Wheat 🌾 and Barley. 💜💜💜🍃🌱
Credit: @lensereflection

Motorino Electric Scooter

This was parked in the West Point Grey Library parking lot but it seems like it is actually an electric scooter rather than an electric motorcycle. It didn't have a real licence plate so I guess it's definitely a scooter. If you look at the Motorino website, they have scooters that look more like this than the electric motorcycles. But it does surprise me these are not considered vehicles.

John, perhaps you would know more about this? I'm a little confused.

They are based in Vancouver on 2nd Avenue so perhaps I'll take a look some day.

https://motorino.ca

Electric Scooters

The MOTORINO™ brand of electric scooters is the culmination of continuous product development and user experience and offers stylish, practical, and economical transportation in a wide range of body styles, sizes, and colors to suit any rider. With over 12 years of constant improvement, Motorino Electric Scooters have evolved into a very reliable means of transportation.

Because they are classed as motor assisted cycles, there’s no driver’s license, registration, or insurance required and you can park them almost anywhere you can park a regular bicycle.

Enjoying my Louise Penny novel

It arrived at 10:02 am yesterday and the earliest I could have got it on Kindle would have been 9:01 am (official launch 12pm Eastern time) I am enjoying what I've read so far. Also, love the colour and the end papes design. It looks very nice beside my everything we love about the south of France cushion don't you think?

I don't actually have any Louise Penny novels in our home. I started reading them after she had published a few so got them out of the library. I did buy one on kindle so I could begin reading at 9:01 am on the release day but only did that once since I couldn't give it to anyone. Patty did the same thing and felt the same way. I guess I've bought quite a few now but I always give them away and usually tell people to pass them along. I don't feel I need to collect them and giving them away gives me pleasure.

Alice Munro

Susan and Chris have been on a cruise in the Baltics and Susan emailed this today:

"Hi Janice,
We disembarked yesterday and went immediately to the Nobel Museum, which Clare had urged us to see.  I thought of you when I saw the Alice Munro exhibit, which is in one of the photos.  The one of the film suspended from the ceiling is of  the film clips of all the Nobel laureates."

Well, I was very thrilled to get this from Susan. She knows what a big fan I am of Alice Munro. I was trying to get the clip on YouTube but couldn't get it. I did get this wonderful interview and was surprised by how candid she was. So often, she just wants to "get out of town" when she does interviews.

Person 2 Person interview with Alice Munro in 2015 produced by TVO (TV Ontario)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlXjN6rnGb4

I always have Alice about two feet away from the chair I read in so can dip in at any time. When she won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013, we completed our set in first editions of her work. We only had to buy a couple of the early ones since she was someone I bought as soon as the book came out.  In those days I usually divided my buying at Munro's and Ivy's in Victoria although I might well have bought the last one on Amazon although I'm not sure.  I'll maybe leave myself with the memory that I didn't!

Thank you, Susan!

A new direction for my blog

We had lots of laughs with Donna, Linda, and Cec having dinner at the University Golf Club last night but I think my blog readers have probably had enough photos of food and all of us:)

I'm going to get away from recording social events and try to challenge myself to doing other things. Today I thought I'd start off with some thoughts on humour. It seemed like a good way to start since last night we were supposed to go to Minerva's starting at Donna's place first. When Jim and I went to  go to the garage leave, the gate was stuck so we couldn't get the car out!

So, plans changed and we ended up at the golf club for dinner since it's so close to us. Our dear friends took this all in good humour and we had a wonderful evening ending at our place with the dessert Donna brought...fresh peaches and absolutely delicious homemade brownies. Thanks, guys!

"Dave" is a local journalist in Edinburgh and picks his top funniest jokes every year.
I guess I like these because they have a gentle quality and aren't particularly political. I didn't immediately get #4 for some reason. I'll blame it on being number challenged :)

Edinburgh Comedy Fringe Festival Jokes

Dave’s 10 funniest jokes of the 2019 fringe

1. I keep randomly shouting out “Broccoli” and “Cauliflower”. I think I might have Florets. – Olaf Falafel

2. Someone stole my antidepressants. Whoever they are, I hope they’re happy. – Richard Stott

3. What’s driving Brexit? From here it looks like it’s probably the Duke of Edinburgh. – Milton Jones

4. A cowboy asked me if I could help him round up 18 cows. I said, “Yes, of course. That’s 20 cows.” – Jake Lambert

5. A thesaurus is great. There’s no other word for it. – Ross Smith

6. Sleep is my favourite thing in the world. It’s the reason I get up in the morning. – Ross Smith

7. I accidentally booked myself on to an escapology course; I’m really struggling to get out of it. – Adele Cliff

8. After learning six hours of basic semaphore, I was flagging. – Richard Pulsford

9. To be or not to be a horse rider, that is Equestrian. – Mark Simmons

10. I’ve got an Eton-themed advent calendar, where all the doors are opened for me by my dad’s contacts. – Ivo Graham

Itty Bitty Book Review:

"Excellent Women" by Barbara Pym

This was published in 1952 and my version has an introduction by Alexander McCall Smith which he wrote in 2008. He is the perfect person to introduce the novel and reading it was an added treat.

It is really quite amusing...this small contained world that she describes. I hadn't read Barbara Pym for quite a while and had forgotten about her really but this novel was mentioned in the FB British Bookclub group and I was quite sure I hadn't read it. I'm glad I did finally. The poet, Philip Larkin, who was responsible for getting her back in favour remarked that he would rather have another Pym novel than another Jane Austen novel. Well, that's going a bit far but I do understand his enthusiasm for Pym.

Launch of the latest Louise Penny today

I ordered my copy on Amazon a while ago and I see it has been shipped and will arrive Tuesday. So, I know what I'll be reading next week!

Loved these Datsuns in the University Golf Club Parking lot.

With the right hand drive they are from Japan. Beautifully restored. I especially love the purple one. Now, Susan K., I expect you will prefer the pink one since you're not too keen on purple :)

A rainy afternoon with friends...

...but no one will ever complain about summer rain again since it means less chance of smoke from wildfires.

Brian and Susan invited us to join them with Nicky and Stan who were in town for an appointment. It was just great to see everyone and Susan served up a super lunch topped off with great blueberry pie.

We had a lot of laughs about "senior moments". I think Jim's took the cake...or should I say pie.

Thanks, guys!

What you can get for 300 Euros in Europe

I mentioned in a previous post that our lovely Hotel Suisse in Nice is now 300 Euros a night and that we will be giving it a pass. In her recent email to me Maureen mentioned a trip she is taking to Poland which costs 300 Euros...wow, what a deal! The hotel and area look lovely too.

Well, it was quite wonderful looking over the Promenades des Anglais from the balcony and sipping wine but...

This is what Maureen got for 300 Euros. Maureen lives in Bielefeld, Germany, which is 761 kilometres from Kolberg so quite a long coach ride plus 2 meals a day, tours, and even a mud bath and massage!

"I have booked a Coach trip to Kolberg Poland, five days staying at   NEW SCAPOL HOTEL  KOLBERG. Poland. a reasonable Price,  300 Euros, bus trip to Kolberg,  Hotel half-Pension, a tour to the Island of Wollin and a tour along the coast-line, and including a massage, a mud bath, and pool gymnastics (which I will not take part) rather go into the town and   enjoy a lunch at one of the many Restaurants there, especialy Fish  Look the web Restaurants in Kolberg.     Poland is becomming more and more  for Holidays because of the reasonable Prices and tasty dishes. "

Kołobrzeg (or Kolberg) is a Polish city on the Baltic Sea, known for its spas. Its Gothic St. Mary’s Basilica has a 14th-century bronze baptistery and a huge 16th-century chandelier. Nearby, the castlelike town hall houses a modern art gallery, a concert hall and a cafe. Stretching far out to sea, Kołobrzeg Pier has views of the promenade and the nearby 17th-century Lighthouse, which was rebuilt after being bombed in WWII.

Visiting Cornwall in photos

Maureen, Jim's cousin who lives in Germany, reads my blog and read about how we never did get to Cornwall. She visits an old friend in Cornwall regularly when she visits her sister in Plymouth. She linked me to lots and lots of photos. Thank you so much, Maureen!  It was a very sweet thing to do and I loved them all. Here are a few.

Service dog training...love it!

Great photo of dogs watching a performance of Billy Elliott in Stratford, Ontario. They’re training to become service dogs, and they're practicing what it's like to help their handlers navigate through a theatre.

And we can't leave out a mention of cats. This could be our old cat Max but a bit too innocent looking...he was anything but.

The Furry Starry Night' based on original by Vincent van Gogh - re-imagined by Svetlana Petrova and Zarathustra the Cat (FatCatArt)

Handi Cuisine of India with Donna last night

This restaurant was in Dunbar but due to redevelopment it had to move. It's now on Broadway just off Alma. Donna was very familiar with the Dunbar location but it was a new experience for us. Excellent food and have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. We hadn't had really good Indian food for a while.

And Donna helped us with some stuff with our phones when we came back to our place for dessert. Great peach pie from Save-On. They do have a good bakery.

Too busy talking so got almost no photos. Good conversation is better than photos any day!

Ittty Bitty Book Review: "Big Sky"

Big Sky" by Kate Atkinson

Well, Atkinson doesn't do cosy mysteries or cosy anything. Quite the twists and turns but you do know the bad guys are going to get what they deserve but you could never guess quite how.  She's quite an amazing writer but not for everyone that' for sure.

The Beautiful Cotswolds FB group

Since I joined The British Bookclub on FB, other groups to do with Britain pop up as options to join. I'm really enjoying seeing all these lovely photos being posted in this group. We spent a week in Bourton-on-the water in a converted carriage house. It was a spacious two bedroom cottage. We had travelled south to Devon and were staying in a different B & B every night. Richard was with us (about 9 yrs old I think) and we were going to head to Cornwall but we were concerned about getting places to stay since it was pretty packed. Jim saw an advertisemnt for this place and we phoned and it was available. We'll never forget driving into the Cotswolds. It was just exactly as we had pictured the English countryside. It was wonderful to have a comfortable base to explore all the little villages.

"Summers day Bourton-on-the-water beautiful Cotswolds"

Photo by Trish Whitaker posted in FB The Beautiful Cotswolds group.


"Ancient Castle Combe,Wiltshire, England.

Often called ‘the prettiest village in England’, Castle Combe is Situated in a conservation area on the southernmost edge of the Cotswolds, just twelve miles from the city of Bath."

Photo by Jason Koslow posted in FB The Beautiful Cotswolds group.

Having fun following Linda's cruise

Linda is cruising with her granddaughter Lexie to a lot of places we've been so it's been interesting to  vicariously revisit. Here's the itinerary:

We did a house//car exchange to Quebec City in 1978 for 6 weeks when Richard wa 9 months old. One of the side trips we did was to the Saguenay and we stayed at a dairy farm just for fun. I remember they had 14 rocking chairs in the living room and family from all round came to visit in the evening. I don't remember seeing any cruise ships in Bagotville at that time.

And she's posting lots of great photos along the way.  Take a look at:

http://linfish69.blogspot.com

A few treasures

Jim found this small back bookcase by the garbage recently. I was wanting something exactly like this and it fits perfectly into the space I had in mind.  I was thinking we might make the trek out to IKEA to get something like this.

And doesn''t Susan's sketch of my wonderful little desk I had recently bought in Palm Springs look perfect there?  As Fern said, "I didn't think you would leave that desk there but you found a way to bring it back."  Thank you, Susan!

P.S. This isn't the original as she did that in a sketch book but the copy I printed up on glossy photo paper looks pretty good I think.