Now members of the Fairmont Waterfront Centre Health Club

Jim tracked this down for me since he knows how much I miss the Hotel Grand Pacific for swimming.  It seems the Waterfront Centre offers Health Club memberships so he bought one for me and for him for three months...a pretty good deal at $200 each.  The Waterfront Centre was always our favourite Vancouver hotel pool...just love the outdoor pool with the view of the mountains and downtown buildings.  We went there today...fabulous!

After that time,  our outdoor Second Beach pool will be open and then soon after the ocean and our paradise beach across the street.

Old memories

The other day we went down to the old Woodward's and Save-On Meats area.  I really admire the fellow that brought the Save-On Meat store back to life and created a diner as well.  He was going to offer food preparation training for local residents who are pretty much down on their luck.   It never was a great area to visit but Woodward's made it somewhat respectable and I made many a shopping trip down there with my friends.  And we always headed into the Army and Navy (will be on another post) especially when they had their shoe sale on.

We were going to eat in the diner but people were lining up so we didn't bother.  It has a rather sterile feel but I'm thrilled it is doing so well.  The meat shop had some interesting things as well as a sign that said "Goat available soon".  I didn't notice it but Jim mentioned it afterwards.

 At least the big W is still around.

 Many a good deal on $1.49 day!

 Always have loved the sign...so glad it was preserved.

 Diner.

 Meat store.

 Meat store.


I had wanted to go down and see what it was all about but parking is expensive and hard to find and the area is rather seedy so I doubt if we'll be back.

Dinner with Derek

We had a great dinner with Derek at Maria's Taverna last night and he brought over this super Sicilian wine...yum!

This morning there is a charity run around the park.  They got a pretty good day for it.  Not raining and mild.  Unreal the deep freeze the UK and Europe are getting.

The Sun newspaper is 100 years old today...Happy Birthday Vancouver Sun!

If you love newspapers like I do and love Vancouver you might want to pick up today's edition which has lots of cool stuff about the city and the newspaper. Perhaps wishful thinking but I think the print edition of my favourite newspapers like the Sun, the Times-Colonist, and the Desert Sun (Palm Springs) will still be around for some time to come.

One of best summers I had was when I was a Sun Swim Instructor the summer I was 15 years old and was too young to get a regular job. It was a blast and I was chosen to be one of the representatives on the Sun Fishing Derby. I remember we got invited to a party on this fancy yacht afterwards and we were pretty innocent at the time. We were in our Sun bathing suits since that was what we were wearing and we made quite a sensation when we arrived at this big booze up of pretty much all men. One of the guys from the newspaper (I'd love to know who it was)  immediately took us under his wing and made it clear we were off limits and were not to be offered alcohol. It all felt very glamorous to be on a real yacht...first time for me that's for sure.

And my photo was on the front page the next day...how cool was that!

Video collage: 100 Years of The Vancouver Sun’s history

New musical based on Craigslist ads captures human longing - The Globe and Mail

New musical based on Craigslist ads captures human longing - The Globe and Mail:

"We’ve all read them: those Craigslist ads so good (or bad) you just have to pass the URL on to a couple of friends, before resuming your search for a couch/babysitter/love.

Or turning them into a musical.

Next week, as part of Vancouver’s PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, veteran CBC broadcaster Bill Richardson and local singer/songwriter Veda Hille premiere Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata, made up largely of verbatim ads Richardson has found while trolling Craigslist."

We went to see this with Richard and Emily last night...hilarious! A definite recommend if you're in Vancouver. I can see this becoming a great hit all over the world and deserves to. The cast was wonderful. Now, the last time I made a prediction like that was when Jim and I heard Placido Domingo in The Flying Dutchman for a last minute student rate of a dollar in the 60's before he became famous. Heh....I was right about that!

Soon to be a new arrival in the neighbourhood...

Susan and Chris are soon to be getting a Sheltie puppy...sounds very exciting!

From Susan:

"His litter name is Bruno, but we think we'll likely call him Beau.  His mother is related to Charlie and she's a beauty with a face so like Charlie's.  The mother's name is Siri and her grandfather was Charlie's father.  The litter which includes Bruno is the last of Charlie's blood line, so we are very thrilled about our timing"

Busy profitable day yesterday....

We wanted to get our Van apartment looking good for renting to potential academics while Jim is teaching in the Fall so we went looking for a proper desk.  Jim found one on Craigslist that included a chair, a number of great looking black mesh accessories, and a floor lamp....all for $70!  We managed to arrange to have it moved in yesterday as well...$40.  The fellow is a pilot and moving to Hong Kong to take up a job with Cathay Pacific so getting rid of everything.  Also, makes us realize we would have got almost nothing for the things we wanted to sell if we had moved out of here.

Also,  looks like we have a family wanting to rent the Victoria house for 3-4 months while they look to buy a house.   The husband is taking up a new job in Victoria.

Another magical day...

Roger and Kerry took us to the Boathouse for lunch and it was great to see them and also Katie and darling Harmony.  It was Katie's birthday today  and Harmony will be 3 years old later in the month...wow,  time does fly!

Since we'd had a pretty big lunch and it was another gorgeous day we went up to the bar in the Cloud 9 revolving restaurant and had a couple of tapas with a beer and enjoyed the view.  This is one of the best deals in town for the entertainment.  Tapas are $7 and very copious...9 wings in the wing serving and wonderful dry ribs...also very large portion and each comes with a bit of salad.  All we needed for dinner tonight.

Yesterday it was the Stanley Park Fish House special they offer between 2-4pm...a Red Truck Ale and a salmon burger or fish and chips for $12.  Always great deals in this area because of all the competition.

Not leaving after all....

Watching the sunset yesterday afternoon after a walk along the seawall we decided to cancel our notice and keep the apartment.   This city has cast its spell again...

Little ferry to Granville Island

We took advantage of the great day yesterday to go to Granville Island and shared a seafood sampler (fish, chips, calamari, shrimp, oysters, onion rings) and the seagulls didn't get any food but not from lack of trying!  I did talk Jim out of buying the hammock and on the way back we went for a walk along Sunset beach.

It was absolutely packed so decided to go over another day to shop.  I think it would have been impossible to find a parking place so glad we took the ferry.


With the sun yesterday there was also a lot of neat fog around which gave a real maritimey feel.

Our amazing local weather!

The last two nights we've watched the sunset as evening entertainment.  We had a long leisurely lunch here with John and Carol yesterday and I cooked Susan's chicken stew recipe except I forgot to put in the tarragon and parsley...still tasted good!

This is the headline from the Telegraph:

"Hundreds of flights cancelled at Heathrow as snow and  freezing fog horecast to hit Britains."


And Jim was looking at the Var Matin today online and saw there was snow in the south of France!

This is a photo from Hyeres, a few miles from our little village of Carqueiranne

Well,  in 2005 when we were there we did get a little bit of snow as well.  Jim's students convinced him to let them out to play in the snow since most had never seen snow before.

Here are a few photos from the backyard of our villa in 2005 with the snow...it was gone by the afternoon and the next day we were dining outside in the sun.

 Here's is what we're experiencing in Vancouver...just fantastic!

 Sunrise

Sunset

A sunny day on the "Drive"

We took the car in for servicing yesterday and had them take us to Commercial Drive.  We had Thai food for lunch...excellent...so fresh and healthful.  Then visited our old friend, Morgan, the cat, who greeted us as usual....no response when being petted...just continued to sleep.  He is famous for that..

Then home where we met our new neighbours across the hall.  We really enjoyed meeting them and they are retired and have family and grandchildren on the Island, love Victoria, and may be interested in doing an exchange.  That would be perfect for us! 

Always lots for the eye on the Drive!

Dining at West

 We took advantage of Dine Out Vancouver  to take Emily and Richard to West last night.  This restaurant seems to have garnered quite a reputation so we were interested to try it.  The company was superb and we had a great time chatting....the food, ambience...not so good.  
A little too chichi (Def: showily or affectedly elegant or trendy; pretentious) for us.

The first three reviews in Yelp weren't great either so perhaps things have gone downhill.
I think this comment hit the nail on the head:

"The consistent inferiority of the food piqued my curiosity about the kitchen. So between barely touched entrée and dessert (marginally better than the savory dishes) I went to observe the cooks at work through the giant looking-glass window. Then it all made sense. It was difficult to identify the chef. No one was tasting anything. Plates were being fired and assembled perfunctorily, according to instruction. No pride, no concentration, no love.  "


Today we went to Las Margaritas and as always enjoyed our lunch.  I always get the special (today it was chicken flautas) because it includes tortilla soup which I adore and is served with a salad rather than beans and rice.  Jim adores refried beans and rice so got his usual beef enchilada.  We find this restaurant cosy in the rain and of course wonderful in the sun on their outdoor terassse.


Then to a bookstore to get rid of some books and of course acquire some others...


There was a very friendly cat in this bookstore.  I think all bookstores should have cats!

 My meal.

Jim's meal

 Love the old Mexico photos

Bookstore cat.

More Vancouver rain photos

Even the rain seems quite delightful at the moment.
P.S. These were taken yesterday...quite sunny at the moment although supposed to be raining.

Cafe de Flore

We really enjoyed this movie...loads going on visually and muscially and an interesting story.  And of course any movie that has scenes of Paris is very appealing to us.  And one of the last images was a black and white photograph of Notre Dame....my favourite building in the world.

It was great to see it at the Denman Place for a senior's rate (over 60 qualify) $5.95.  I really have to hand it to the fellow who has revitalized this local theatre.  He got a very good write up in the Sun recently and people in the neighbourhood are so positive that he has people volunteering to do things.  Not surprising...there's such a great vibe in this neighbourhood. 

Then we had a late lunch at a newish Japanese restaurant...a great Bento Box special for $5.95...included a big bowl of miso soup as well as well as tea of course.  A walk back home in misty rain.

Cuiisine of the sun...in the rain.

We began yesterday evening with a warming scotch and appies at Donna and Neil's then went to a favourite neignbourhood restaurant of theirs.  We shared some calamari at my suggestion...I always like to try it...excellent!  And we all had pasta and I even had some to take home for dinner tonight.  Super food and company!

Donna very kindly offered to help me pack but they are leaving for a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands so they will soon be basking in the sun.

Bon voyage!