Remembering another amazing election result: 1972

We spent the summer of 1972 travelling in Europe and when we came back to London for a couple of days before heading home Aug 30,  we went to B.C. House to catch up on some local news and were amazed that an election had been called  July 24 and election day was Aug 30.

In those days about the only North American news we could get while travelling was picking up the International Herald Tribune from time to time.  And the only news out of Canada that summer was a leap frog contest on Vancouver Island somewhere.  I remember being struck by how unimportant Canada seemed to be in the world.

 We had been very disappointed in 1969 with the NDP not being able to wrest power from the iron grip of the Socreds and I remember commenting to Jim that I would bet my year's salary that we'd be having more years with the likes of Wacky Bennett and Flying Phil.  Jim's parents (fervent NDP'ers) picked us up from the airport in Vancouver  and were very excited and hopeful about the NDP winning and whisked us off to vote.  We had moved to Victoria in 1971 but were still on the voter's list in Vancouver.

As tired and jet lagged as we were it was an amazing night to watch the election results with Jim's parents and see the NDP become our government.

The wild and crazy world of B.C. politics

All the pollsters were wrong and the Liberals win a majority.  I love the fact that the pollsters were wrong....maybe this will set a trend!

Great dinner at the University Club tonight with our dear old friends

Had a super time tonight with Don and Elaine and a wonderful meal.  Photos not so great other than the lovely deer who came up to our window to say hello (couldn't get the iPhone out fast enough but she nibbled for quite a while).  Should have taken photos of the food!  Delicious smoked tuna and salad to start,  then 5 mushroom sirloin steak,  then chocolate croissant with ice-cream.  Fabulous.

A taste of Cuba

Terry's photos from Cuba.  Also,  Jim noticed that YouTube has the entire film "Our Man in Havana" based on the novel by Graham Greene.   We've seen it quite a while ago but will be fun to see it again.

From Wikipedia:

The film was shot on location in Havana, just two months after the overthrow of the Batista regime, and on 13 May 1959 Fidel Castrovisited the film crew when they shot scenes at Havana's Cathedral Square.^[5]

Our Man in Havana is a 1959 British film shot in CinemaScope, directed and produced by Carol Reed and starring Alec Guinness, Burl Ives, Maureen O'Hara, Ralph Richardson, Noël Coward and Ernie Kovacs.^[2][3][4] The film is adapted from the 1958 novel Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene. The film takes the action of the novel and gives it a more comedic touch.

Havana...Cathedral Square

 Havana

 Havana

 Trinidad Plaza

 Trinidad Plaza

 Cayo Coco Beach

Cayo Coco Beach

A working Mother's Day...

I wanted to work today on the packing, cleaning, etc. because we were so close to pretty much doing everything we can until closer to moving day.  Jim worked like a trojan and did all the dirty work.   I got all paintings and posters in one small and one large picture box and some other smaller stuff that needed doing.  So,  we've pretty much done it!

And to make the day especially perfect,  my wonderful son called me and he and Emily will make a special brunch for us when the dust settles and we are in Vancouver.   I was really pleased to hear they were taking a break this weekend and having a get-a-way at Harrison Hot Springs.  They have both really been working hard so it was a great present to me to think they had some well deserved relaxation.

Jim and I also worked very hard in our working lives but also took mini-breaks.  It's so important for mental health and the relationship.  Seems to have worked well for us....this Saturday we will be celebrating our 45th Wedding Anniversary!  We plan to celebrate with dinner at the Marina Restaurant as we have so very often done during our 42 years in Victoria.

And they've got their famous chef back so all looks good...

Wonderful evening with Patty and Terry

We had a super time last night and Terry cooked some fabulous steaks and we were treated to an absolutely delicious banana liqueur they brought back from their recent Cuba trip in a dessert and as a digestif...to die for!

It was fascinating to see the photos and hear about Cuba.  Havana is in the process of major restoration of buildings and you could almost think you were in Europe.  And I love all the blue and yellow colours they use a lot...surprise, surprise!  I've asked Terry to send me some photos which I will post but in the meantime here's one I picked off the Internet...could almost be Paris!

They stayed in that blue and white hotel.

And a fabulous dinner last night

Monique took us to the Thai Lemongrass for dinner last night.  The food was excellent as usual.  It really is great there is now such a good restaurant there for the neighbourhood.  We started with a drink at her place where Ti-Loup amused us with his new "chicken" toy that he loves.

The most amazing lunch today at the Hotel Grand Pacific

Elaine and I had a wonderful swim (almost no one in the pool) and a fabulous lunch from their all new lunch menu.  Everything was to die for!

 Bar-b-q duck spring roll

 Donna,  our wonderful server.

 Crab cakes in a butter chicken sauce with mango coleslaw...wow!

Finally,  they get the calamari perfect.

Great lunch with good friends at the Yacht Club.

Yesterday we went to the Yacht Club for lunch with Fern and John and Carole and Don.  We ladies all had the Fisherman's Stew....wonderful!  The men went more meaty with Jim a steak sandwich,  Don, scallops and braised ribs, and John had a Ploughman's lunch...he's had several of those lately on their trip to the UK and Deven and Cornwall.

It was great to catch up.  Talking so much I forgot to take photos but John took a great one of Fern.

Nautical Nellies for dinner tonight

It was great to sit outside and enjoy this amazing weather and possibly one of the best paella I've ever had.  Drove along the waterfront tonight and noticed this garage door painted in a sunflower theme...love it!

Elaine came over today and we got the dining room and a lot of the kitchen packed up....thanks so much, dear friend!  And she insisted I take a photo of the SOLD sign...yes, quite a memento.

A great evening with neighbours after a day of packing and sorting

Chris and Susan had us (mainly me) talked into taking this fabulous sounding cruise starting in Venice and ending in Istanbul.  Love the ports of call...almost none we've been to.  They are going next May.   Maybe one day.

http://www.seabourn.com/find-luxury-cruise-vacation/FindCruises.action?cfVer=1&destCode=EM&dateCode=5_2014&shipCodeSearch=SO&durationCode=&portCode=VCE

Next year will be pretty taken up with decorating the condo and after we take down a load of stuff in November to PS,  we'd like to trade in the car for a Eos convertible.  Seems like the perfect  car for Vancouver and PS.  We'll be keeping golf clubs in both places so won't need too much storage room.  We have friends who have one and love it.  It has a hardtop with a sunroof...great design.

The Snug...ugh!

We had a  lot of laughs and a great time with Derek and Mary last night at the Snug but I think it might well be the last time any of us go there.   Still bad service and mediocre food.  We waited an hour to get our dinner and they brought Derek and Mary's dinner 5 minutes before we got ours.  This was happening at other tables as well.

It was a glorious evening and a great break from packing!

Treasures

Well,  the lovely person who bought our house is a treasure!  We met her the other day and she just absolutely loves and appreciates our house...that means so much to us because we have loved our house as well.  And a real bonus is that she wants all of our heavy furniture that we can't use since her plan is to take in students.  This makes it sooo much easier for us and we will be able to enjoy our house as it is and not worry about having to get rid of stuff.  Two days dealing with the Craigslist crowd makes us realize how valuable this is.

And while cleaning through stuff I found a card with a letter that my mother wrote!  When my parents retired to Gabriola Island my mother wrote me every week...it was really kind of like a blog.  I wrote her and my Dad most weeks myself.  But these letters seemed so ordinary they got chucked out with the newspapers.  In recent years I've often said I just wished I had one of these little notes.  And now I do.  It will give me strength while sorting through all this stuff.

And another thing that is so cool is new owner of our house was happy to take Jim's beloved leather bound Encyclopedia Britannicas.   I'm not even sure you could get rid of these free on Craigslist.  She has a four year old granddaughter that she feels will love them.

Windy Day!

Quite the wind here in Vancouver last night and this morning…gusts up to 90K. First time I've seen the water coming over the seawall. Into Victoria today but no ferry canellations so far.  Victoria doesn't seems to be getting only up to 30k gusts.

West Coast clouds....another reason to get that new camera

Pretty amazing clouds yesterday and you really see them from our apartment.  Woke up to bright sunshine today.  I will just have to get a good camera.  Took these from our balcony.

The sounds of seagulls and a steel gray day with light rain...

A typical Vancouver day at this time of year but great to see the rowers, kayakers, sailors, joggers, walkers cyclists all out doing their thing regardless of the drizzle.  Haven't seen an umbrella for a while!

Although it's a dreary day in Vancouver today but I got a tremendous lift from making the bed with the wonderful quilt Kerry made for me with all the bright colours I love and all the  Eiffel towers….it is really wonderful and means so much to me.  If I had seen this quilt in a store I would have had to buy it and it means so much more to me that it was a handmade gift from a wonderful friend.

Great to be back to our local...The Sylvia

Split a fish and chips and had a Red Truck Ale..and a great sunset to boot.  Just have to get a better camera to capture these things.  The iPhone doesn't quite cut it.  Love that The Sylvia has kept the illumination on the tree.  Usually it's just at Christmas.

Sunset from The Sylvia while dining tonight.


And now we're back in the apartment enjoying the city lights over the water.  As much as I love London and Paris and New York and San Francisco and the south of France...Vancouver and Palms Springs are absolutely the very best combination of places in the world.

Back to our West Coast paradise...

Great to be home in Vancouver and see my wonderful ocean and mountains and my beloved freighters...even a glimpse of sunshine.

Photos taken from our balcony.

Headline in the Desert Sun today

"Home prices rise 17.9% in March"

That's a good note to leave Palm Springs on!

Just picked up an email from a friend who had this suggestion for a book club down here:

"I was thinking about the comparison of Palm Springs to Paris of the 20's. I think it would be a fun idea for a theme for a book club. A couple of books come to mind:Being Geniuses Together 1920-1930 by Robert McAlmon and Memoirs of Montparnasse by John Glassco. You may have already read them; however, the McAlmon book particularly has some really interesting insights on all the writers, painters, musicians, actors, etc., who came together in Paris at that time."

Jim just commented that he'll miss the songbirds down here.  Yes,  they sing these wonderful songs most of the day and evening and when they take a rest you hear the doves cooing.

It's rather sad to think of not being in our new home again until November but I'm really looking forward to enjoying our new digs in Vancouver.  We've only spent about a week there and it will be a month before we can enjoy it again.  

Leaving paradise tomorrow...

It's been a quick trip but we got everything done (whew!) we needed to.  A few unexpected glitches but all well in the end.  It will be fun coming back to a cosy place and everything provisioned and working,  a great bed and even some French brandy will be waiting for us after our car trip.  Did I think of everything or what?

Erna and Marvin will be looking after our place until they leave next month then their fellow, Benjamin, will look after both places.  He's a great guy visited Vancouver for Expo 86 and in the year 2000 and loves it....well,  who couldn't not love Vancouver.

Didn't manage to get a painting done but my first painting when the dust settles at home will be some combination of our new desert home,  the pool,  the palms, the olive trees,  the cactus...

I'll use some of these photos and my memories.

 Our pool

 Our front door.

Wonderful restaurant and wonderful meal with good friends...

The paella was as fabulous as it looks....wonderbar!

Seems like a desert car...

A wonderful balmy night....

 After a nice meal in a Thai restaurant in downtown PS...being misted the whole time....necessary!  We came back to our patio and had a glass of wine,  listened to the crickets and our fountain,  then off for a swim looking at the full moon and  the big dipper amongst the palm trees.  We love the lighting around the pool at night.  They have these soft amber lights that remind us of the lights in the port of Carqueiranne.    I absolutely love the desert but also love being always reminded of the south of France with the citrus trees,  olive trees, adobe roofs....on and on.

And along with the Mediterranean theme we go to a newish restaurant called Catalan in Rancho Mirage tomorrow with Erna and Marvin.  Jim and I will definitely be getting the paella...check out this review in Yelp:

Will someone please explain what happened here...we went to a restaurant in Rancho Mirage and were transported to Barcelona?  I guess it's a mirage thing!  All kidding aside.  This was a dinning knock-out!

The place is beautiful and the Spanish guitarist rounded out the Mediterranean  ambiance.  We had no reservation, but the cheerful staff found us a cozy table for three, in no time.

We decided to start with a pitcher of Sangria and a Spanish Cured Meat Plate.  The Sangria was perfect, not too sweet and with the right amount of fruit bobbing around in the juice.  The meat plate was a winner! The Serrano Ham, Queso Cabrelas, Orange-Cilantro Honey and Mostarda, just sang together.  The olives that they brought to the table made those first bites, even that much better...so we order several more rounds of them as well.

We decided to share our main course between the three of us, which made for a nice light meal.  We loved the crispy Romaine Salad with it's garlicy croutons, Grana Padano shavings and tasty dressing.  We also ordered the roasted brussel sprouts, with cippolini onions & pancetta.  I hate to say it but we sort of fought over every crispy morsel on this plate.

But the real star of the show was Catalan Paella for two (in our case three).  I have been to Spain and have had wonderful Paella, and this was the real deal.  The Valencian rice was creamy and perfectly done.  Each piece of chicken, chorizo,fish & shellfish was expertly cooked, nothing was overdone.  The seasoning was spot-on!

My table mates finished the meal with a passion fruit sorbet and I opted for a glass of Sherry.  Ahhh, perfecto!

I can't wait to go back to Catalan again and try some of their other, no doubt delicious offerings!

I'm really beginning to love this wall colour...

 It goes nicely with this chair.

And the cushion.

Donna suggested a Berber carpet and I think that's good idea.  I liked this one.  I think white leather furniture,  the cushions,  the walls will all work together well.  And the carpet will be against white tile which is in the hall dining room and kitchen.

And of course the white fireplace....the pale blue walls and blue carpet will really set it off.

So,  in the wonderful desert and mountains and cacti that we never tire of seeing and my feet in the ocean on my carpet....my beloved Mediterranean and my beloved Pacific.