This is for Richard...he loved The Simpsons

 You never really know what the future holds, but if you watch The Simpsons closely, you might start to think that its creators have a Magic 8-Ball or something. Throughout its 32 seasons, this iconic show has (accidentally) predicted how the coming days will look numerous times, and some of these guesses were surprisingly accurate too. Like Donald Trump's presidency. Or Disney buying 20th Century Fox.

After the Biden - Haris inauguration, the show's Nostradamus-like screenwriting has once again captured the Internet's attention. The pair were elected after winning the presidential election in November 2020, but fans of The Simpsons are convinced Harris' fate was decided even before then.

https://www.boredpanda.com/the-simpsons-predictions/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter

I love IGA

 I have been dividing my shopping between the UBC Save-On and the IGA. The IGA is further to go  and more expensive but I really enjoy the shopping experience there and I like supporting them. They are all individually owned and I don't think this one (4th and Dunbar) is doing that well. It isn't very busy and most people seem to be buying one or two items. My last bill was $150 so while the owner likes to see me people behind me aren't too thrilled:)

They have the absolute best tulips I have ever seen. I don't know where they get them but they are quite cheap (4 or 5 dollars for five) and they last and don't droop after the first day...unusual for tulips you buy. I bought these a few days ago.

I think I will go to IGA pretty much exclusively now but probably will go to Save-On too as the pharmacists are great and we'll continue to go there for prescriptions. I may start going to The Stong's on Dunbar occasionally since it isn't much further. They do very well so probably don't need my support.  Well, the big event in my life these days is going food shopping once a week so might as well have the best experience possible.

Just making my shopping list as I need quite a few items for the salmon chowder soup recipe Donna gave me. Since it uses canned salmon, it reminded me of a little cookbook I have called "The Tin Fish Gourmet"

 I haven't used this for a while but I found a recipe using canned crab that I'm looking forward to trying.

Hmm....well, guess you can't read it but it sounds really good.

I decided to look up the distances and time to drive. You can see I have a lot of time on my hands so I really don't need to worry about time at all. And I really do miss my Safeway and it really isn't all that far and Whole Foods is there as well as Las Margaritas. We're only going to The Sylvia every couple of weeks or so but I could do pick-up at Las Margaritas when I'm at Safeway. Jim and I decided we'll pick up Stepho's roast lamb when we're coming back from The Sylvia since we pass it. We really miss that lamb!

I know our friends in Vancouver who are used to driving all the time what we consider long distances think we're a bit crazy being obsessed by how long it takes to drive but you must realize that we lived in Victoria for 45 years!

Save-On: 4 min.  1.4K

IGA: 7 min.  5.1K

Stong's:  9 min.  5.9 K 

Safeway: 12 min.  7K

A bit of humour

 

Palm Springs yesterday morning

 They had a dusting of snow the other day but didn't last. I remember snow falling one morning when I was swimming. Mostly the snow is on the mountains and they do look wonderful. Locals get upset if the San Jacintos don't get those lovely snowcaps in the winter. It does happen from time to time.

Benjamin posts lots of great photos and almost alway of morning views with "Good Morning Cochella!"

Lots of snowcaps this year.

Did I ever tell you about the time...

 Making peanut butter cookies the other day and thought of this.

As most of my friends know I do tend to be rather random and put things away in perhaps not the neatest way. I'm much better now but many years ago Jim decided to organize the kitchen cupboards. A week or so later when I was doing some baking I couldn't find the cooling racks. I asked Jim where he put them. He replied, "Oh...those wire things? They were just in the way so I threw them out!"

I think that is probably grounds for divorce in some countries.

Cooling racks all ready for the cookies.

Itty Bitty Book Review: "Exit West"

 "Exit West" by Mohsin Hamid

This is our current Brock Bookclub choice and we'll be discussing it Friday. I really liked the style of writing...sort of a magical thinking and it does really connect the reader to the myriad physical and emotional challenges faced by refugees.

I particularly liked this sentence at the end of Chapter 5:

"...and so by making he promise he demanded she make she was in a sense killing him, but that is the way of things, for when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we left behind."

Looks like it's going to be made into a movie.

In August 2017 it was announced that the Russo brothers had purchased the rights to Exit West with the intention of producing the novel into a movie with Morten Tyldum to direct.^[16] In March 2020, Michelle and Barack Obama came on board as producers, with Riz Ahmed playing Saeed and Yann Demange set to direct.^[17]

Happy Birthday Robbie Burns!

We had a lot of fun at our place last January 25. It seems like a long time ago to me. We spent many great Robbie Burns celebrations with Don and Elaine Curling and we'll be raising a glass to them and to Bill Thomas who gave Jim the kilt outfit and with whom we passed many happy times.

Well, Robbie Burns celebration on Zoom...who could have guessed?

We'll be raising a glass to friends near and far.

THIS WEEK. Robbie Burns Day Tribute

Monday, January 25th
On Zoom from 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Free for members

Join us on Monday January 25th for our annual Robbie Burns Day Event. Once again you will enjoy the music of Michael and Rosie of Black Thorn Band sponsored by the Halpern Fund. You will virtually view the haggis being piped into the Conservatory by Dr. Edward Mornin and Peter Scott addressing the Haggis. A Special presentation from Brock House member Cecelia Sev featuring stories of Robbie Burns and some of his poems.

Jane Austen House gets big grant for repairs

The former home of Jane Austen has been awarded £85,000 by a local authority for "urgent" repairs.

Hampshire County Council said its grant would "ensure the survival" of Jane Austen's House in Chawton, where the author lived for eight years.

The money will go towards fixing roof tiles, replacing leaking windows and stabilisation works, the authority said.

Museum director Lizzie Dunford said the grant was "fantastic news".

 Jane Austen's writing desk

This roof certainly needs some repairs!

The house

Rest of the article here:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-55739083?fbclid=IwAR3tTlohhxBednkgXvAetZ-pCS8RCePfGqkXpR2FAPA9O_2xyFOyPA9WIOQ

Posting from my new computer

 Well, this seems pretty easy! I waited until I thought Richard would be up in case I needed help. It's so nice to have a new keyboard. The keyboard on my old Mac Air was getting pretty wonky and it wasn't holding its charge. Well, it is 10 years old. It's given me great service but the system is so old that I couldn't take an online SFU course last January (2020) because my old computer wouldn't support the software needed. That's when I knew I really needed to get a new computer but delayed just because it's usually a hassle and then Covid came raging so Richard couldn't come over to set it up.

Donna really encouraged me to bite the bullet and just do it because I'd be really sorry if my old computer just died. Right, as usual, my dear. Thanks!

Cleaning up and getting organized for painting

I found all sorts of things and painting ideas that I had forgotten about. I do want to do something with palm trees and the San Jacinto Mountains.

And then I found almost another 100 postcards mostly of the south of France.

 

Got my new computuer today!

 Things look pretty much the same but I think I might wait until tomorrow until I start using it. Our Internet was out this morning and so had enough frusstration for the day:)

The new and the old. I thought I'd get gold this time. I think the new one is a bit larger.

Pretty cool box it came in.

New computer coming so no real blog but l’m ok

Happier days at a presidential inauguration

 

In 1961, Vice- President Nixon laughs at a stray dog breaching security. I don't think there will be many light moments on today at Biden's inauguration. Just hoping everything goes well and wishing everyone in the US well.

Update:

Just finished watching the inauguration. The first inaugaration I've watched and I imagine the first many people around the world have watched. I was particulary impressed by the inaugural poem...a part of it here.

Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden, 2021: Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb”

We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it,
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed,
It can never be permanently defeated.

I thought this was quite amusing...

 Vancouver strip club The Penthouse uses a play on words to let patrons know that the establishment is closed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Jonathan Hayward, Canadian Press)

A walk at Spanish Banks last weekend and then English Bay yesterday

These folks were playing volleyball. They were very good so I guess they want to keep in form.

 

Lots of big puddles. There were very few cyclists. I wonder if the puddles were why they weren't out in force as usual.

We've been avoiding restaurants but the weather waa so great yesterday we went to The Sylvia for lunch and had a walk along the seawall. They didn't take our names and so we paid cash. We worry mainly about being quarantined for two weeks. They had put up plexiglass barriers so I think we'll go out for lunch to The Sylvia from time to time on nice days....and we'll make sure we have cash.

Loads of red berries on this tree...not sure what kind it is. 

I met this handsome fellow...

Our "bikini beach" is pretty deserted but the beach area next to it had some swimmers. The Covid cold dip is becoming a bit of a thing.

Today is popcorn day....yum.

 

History of Popcorn Day

To discuss the history of Popcorn day, one must understand the history of Popcorn. The original corn was derived from a small grass with kernels not much different than that of wheat. Careful selection and generations of breeding has resulted in what we think of today as the corn plant. When settlers came to the New World from the Old Country, they discovered this amazing crop and that it had been in use for quite some time. 

Sometime along the line (possibly even thousands of years ago!), it was realized that certain corn kernels, when subjected to heat, will pop and reveal their soft fluffy endosperm in a cloud around their shell. Before long it was discovered to be a light and delicious treat, and cultivation led to the popcorn we have today. 

There are actually two types of popcorn, but the familiar yellow popcorn we all see in movie theaters is by far the most popular. Popcorn has been used for everything from arts and crafts to the foundation of some of the most popular treats around. You can find it just about anywhere you go. The National Popcorn Board decided that this fluffy treat needed a day of celebration and recognition of its own, and thus was born Popcorn day!

Donna came for dinner Saturday...great fun!

 She brought this wonderful apple crisp she made....yum.

She gave me this great and simple recipe for Chicken Cacciatore ...Jim's favourite.  I served it with pasta and there is lots left over.

Donna gave us this wonderful blue tablecloth and yellow runner. It ended up being too small for her own table so we really scored. Don't the red plates look great?

Snow in Paris!

 Well, I don't need much of an excuse to post photos of my favourite city in the world ( NYC and San Franciso being next on the list...yes, I still have a lot of affection for the USA and most of its people).

So glad to be a reader in these times...

 

There's a joke among literature lovers that the act of reading a book is just staring at a piece of dead tree and hallucinating. Is that image a little unsettling? Sure. Is it also kind of hilarious? Of course. What's really fascinating about enjoying a good book is that your experience of it — the characters, the places, how every little thing looks, smells, tastes and feels — is completely unique to you. Even a movie adaptation is just one peek into a world that exists in a million different forms in a million different minds. How delightful then, that we can bond with others over stories that spin out so differently for each of us.