Quite a game yesterday

The Blue Jays walk it off in the 10th inning thanks to Dalton Varsho

Quite an auction...

By Theo Farrant & AFP • Updated: 27/04/2023 - 07:20 "Think you've seen it all at auctions? Well, a French courtroom has auctioned off drug dealers' designer goods. Among the items up for grabs were Gucci sneakers, Dior silk pyjamas, Rolex watches, and a flashy white Lamborghini. On a sunny afternoon, in France's majestic Court of Appeal, a rather unusual auction was underway this week. The room, usually reserved for serious legal proceedings, was filled with eager bidders and online participants, totalling over 11,000 people, all vying for a chance to own a piece of luxury seized from narcotics cases. From sneakers and bags by Gucci, Yves Saint-Laurent, and Vuitton to Dior silk pyjamas and Rolex watches, the items on display were nothing short of bling. In an adjacent courtroom, rows of Louboutin shoes glittered, and display cases showcased gleaming jewellery and gold coins. But the real showstopper was the white Lamborghini parked right in front of the courthouse, with a starting price of 160,000 euros."

Liz is now in Rome...lucky girl!

My favourite city in the world is now the world's most powerful city

It couldn't happen to a better place! "Paris is always a good idea, as the saying goes, and now it's also officially the world’s most powerful city. The French capital was ranked as the most powerful city destination by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The rankings took into account everything from the contribution travel and tourism make to the GDP, to employment, and traveler spending habits. Overall, travel and tourism contributed nearly $36 billion to France’s GDP in 2022, about 3.5 percent of the city’s economy that year."

Brunch

We had a lovely time with Donna yesterday. Brunch at the University Golf Club. We do enjoy our Eggs Benny.

Cool sketch

Not sure who to give credit to but really liked it. Someone else found it. "I've found the Landscapeartclub on Instagram and am enjoying having the resource to add a virtual sketch by another when moved to do so. This bridge was from images in Ireland in week 72! No pencil/ink, just direct watercolor and I like it!"

Day for vaccines

So far, no ill effects. Good to get that out of the way.

How soon we forget

Funny to be reminded that this was a mail out DVD service.

New York CNN — Netflix is officially winding down the business that helped make it a household name. This fall, the streaming giant will officially say goodbye to its DVD rental service and all of the red envelopes that made it possible. “On September 29th, 2023, we will send out the last red envelope,” the company tweeted Tuesday. “It has been a true pleasure and honor to deliver movie nights to our wonderful members for 25 years.” “Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members, but as the DVD business continues to shrink, that’s going to become increasingly difficult,” co-CEO Ted Sarandos wrote in a blog post Tuesday. “Making 2023 our Final Season allows us to maintain our quality of service through the last day and go out on a high note.” The company reported a miss for its second-quarter earnings after market close on Tuesday. Shares fell by around 6%.

Some pretty interesting works of collage

"I am a self-taught visual artist that seamlessly fuses classic style with modernity by combining traditional film photography, graphic design and vintage collage art. My artworks inception is hand sourced and selected materials from magazines, textbooks, and literature dating back to the early 1960s. The opus of my work asks the question, ‘What If?’, by combining pieces that fuse seamlessly or abruptly. A constant exploration of combining worlds drives my art to new heights and keeps me curious." Austin Sterpka

A good day for baseball

The Blue Jays won yesterday. A fun game to watch. Richard was over and did lots of stuff for us.Thanks so much!

Enjoying the sunshine yesterday

Donna and I had a lovely lunch and chat at the University Golf Club. Thank you so much.

I hope we can get to see this

Celebrating Mexican culture and food in Vancouver Vancouver has a thriving Mexican community so Mexican culture and authentic Mexican cuisine are easy to find and enjoy. Opening on May 3rd at the PNE Agrodome Frida Kahlo, The Immersive Biography is the latest exhibition to arrive in Vancouver that helps to celebrate one of Mexico’s most influential artists of all time. The exhibit is a journey through the life of artist Frida Kahlo via virtual reality, 360-degree projections and 7 transformations spaces. In an interactive way, Kahlo’s colourful world and life story can be discovered.

Badminton...who knew?

I have many fond memories of playing badminton.

Badminton is a court or lawn game played with lightweight rackets and a shuttlecock. Historically, the shuttlecock (also known as a “bird” or “birdie”) was a small cork hemisphere with 16 goose feathers attached and weighing about 0.17 ounce (5 grams). The game is named for Badminton, the country estate of the dukes of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England, where it was first played about 1873. The roots of the sport can be traced to ancient Greece, China, and India, and it is closely related to the old children’s game battledore and shuttlecock. Badminton is derived directly from poona, which was played by British army officers stationed in India in the 1860s.

A wonderful Easter dinner

We had a lovely evening with Ray and Naomi and Richard and Grace.So nice to have Easter together.The lamb was wonderful and yummy chocolate Easter eggs for dessert. Thank you so much!

Happy Easter everyone!

A lovely lunch with Donna today

We had smoked salmon on bagels and cream cheese. Very yummy.

Great game yesterday!

The Blue Jays won in extra innings. A walk off home run by Varsho.

Andy Warhol

I always find his work interesting. I don't think I've seen these "flowers" before.

Linda's new fridge...love it!

Tartan Day

"Tartan Day is a North American celebration of Scottish heritage on 6 April, the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. It originated in Canada in the mid-1980s. It spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora in the 1990s. In Australia, a similar International Tartan Day is held on 1 July, the anniversary of the repeal of the 1747 Act of Proscription that banned the wearing of tartan. Tartan Days typically have parades of pipe bands, Highland dancing and other Scottish-themed events."

Seattle Art Museum receives 48 Alexander Calder works

Wow...a great reason to get to Seattle. I just love his work.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/04/05/seattle-art-museum-alexander-calder-gift-10m?utm_source=The+Art+Newspaper+Newsletters&utm_campaign=29e605de14-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_04_05_11_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-29e605de14-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

I can see how this would be a first for this animal shelter

From The Washington Post:

The staff at the Wake County Animal Center in Raleigh, N.C., had a dilemma when a goat named Cinnamon and a dog named Felix showed up together on their doorstep. The shelter takes in thousands of dogs and cats each year, and generally doesn’t accept farm animals. But Cinnamon and Felix seemed affectionate toward one another, said Jennifer Federico, director of animal services. “That was a first,” said Federico, who has worked at the shelter for 12 years. “Most of our dogs aren’t hanging out with goats.”

April is poetry month

Now I have some ideas for blog posts this month. Expect some poetry. From the Rancho Mirage Library: "𝑨𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝒐𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉! Launched in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, it's a reminder that poets play an integral role in our culture and that poetry matters. It's become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, educators, librarians and poets marking poetry's important place in our lives. On April 29th share a #PocketPoem on your favorite social media platform or with your favorite people! Come to the library and check out our display of favorite poetry books or visit us at https://www.ranchomiragelibrary.org/ to browse a list curated by Library staff."

Red Robinson passed away

For my generation he meant a lot. I think he may have been the first DJ to play rock and roll on a local radio station. Linda did a great post about him. https://lindaandcec.blogspot.com/2023/04/red-robinson.html

Thank you, thank you, thank you

...to our wonderful son who did all sorts of computer stuff for us over several hours yesterday and gave Jim an iphone. We are so blessed.