Elaine comes for a visit

Our dear friend,  Elaine, is visiting for a few days and arrived yesterday.  It was a fabulous day for weather and we went over to Granville Island on the little ferry to see the painted cement silos,  wander around,  and pick up some lunch.  We had the most amazing halibut and chips sitting outside listening to the music and people watching.

 These silos are just amazing and you really have to see them to appreciate them…photos don't quite do it.

 Elaine and I.

For dinner Jim did pick up from Stephos…a lamb dinner and a kalamari dinner.  The lamb was wonderful as always and Elaine was very impressed.  I hadn't done the kalamari for pick up and it wasn't perfect…kalamari is always a little tricky but it's almost a tradition for Elaine and I to try kalamari so had to give it a try.  Elaine brought over a wonderful wine that went perfect with it.

And she also treated us to a this great whiskey from the Isle of Skye.

Funnily enough it was just about this time in September one year we were in the Isle of Skye!  Exciting times in Scotland for sure with the vote for independence tomorrow.  I do hope they stay in the UK.

Richard and Grace come for dinner...

It was great to see Richard and Grace last night and Grace,  bless her heart,  brought over a homemade peach and raspberry pie…absolutely delicious!  And also some homemade sauerkraut…wow.

We managed to all squeeze out on the balcony and enjoy the sunshine and some pastis.

Old timey canoe

We see sailboats,  motor boats,  kayaks,  rowing skiffs, dragon boats,  stand up paddle boards,  sailboards,  etc but I don't think I've ever seen a canoe except this morning so had to take a photo and took a few more.  Another absolutely beautiful morning!

Great sunset last night...

Itty Bitty Book Review: "All My Puny Sorrows"

 "All My Puny Sorrows" by Miriam Toews

I started "A Complicated Kindness" by Toews when it came out but it didn't really appeal to me.  I did love this new one of hers.  She is extremely funny and yet she is working through the suicides of her sister and father in this novel.  Also,  a bit of questioning of the whole assisted suicide issue.

Paint Nite in Vancouver

Erna and I saw this going on in a restaurant in Palm Springs while we were leaving the Palm Springs Library Wine Bookclub meeting.  I see there are lots of these things going on in Vancouver as well and I was amazed to see so many sold out already.  This must be a new trend…very cool!

https://www.paintnite.com/pages/events/index/vancouver/#date:1

I see the library is no longer sponsoring the book club but the group is still meeting and the library has posted the reading list on its website.

This from the library:

Although the Wine Book Club will no longer be sponsored and offered as a program by the Palm Springs Public Library, we understand many of the members have decided to continue the group on their own. They have shared with us their book list for the 2014-15 season and we are in turn sharing it with you:
September 24: The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier
October 29: The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe
November 19: George Washington’s Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade
December 17: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
January 28: Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Elia MacNeal
February 25: King’s Mountain by Sharyn McCrumb
March 25: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
April 29: The Man Who Knew Too Much by David Leavitt
May 27: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
June 24: And the Band Played On by Christopher Ward
July 29: The Glenn Miller Conspiracy by Hunton Downs
August 26: Richard Wagner: A Life in Music by Martin Geck Please Note: Many of these titles are also available as downloadable audiobooks and eBooks
on the Library’s web site by using your Library card.
We understand that the group has made arrangements with Azul Tapas Lounge to continue to meet at their location on the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m.
Although the library is happy to share this information and make sure that we have these books available in our collection, that is the extent to which the library can be involved at this time. Good luck and happy reading! 

Ian comes for a visit

Ian came over yesterday and stayed the night.  He's looking great!  We went for a drive around Spanish Banks and the university and stopped off at Russell Books.  Ian found a vintage Sci-fi.  So glad the weather was great for his visit.

 Russell Books

Ian enjoying the sunshine and doing a crossword.

Ciao Bella Ristorante Italiano & Piano Bar

We went to Ciao Bella last night for their half price pasta and $20 bottle of wine…these specials are on Mon & Tues.  We really enjoyed it…I had the clam linguine and Jim the spaghetti bolognese.  There are lots of other interesting pastas to try and at $8.50 for a dinner entree  it's a pretty good deal.   We had been here before with Roger and Kerry and not quite sure why we hadn't been back.  They have a nice patio and indoors is very cosy too.   We may give the Piano Bar a try one night.

 This looks like the calmer pasta dish….probably my next choice.

Definitely my last swim

Barbara Lowy came over for tea in the afternoon yesterday and great to see her and have a chat.  She always has lots of interesting anecdotes.

It's was so warm yesterday that we thought we'd try swimming but too cold for me although I did stay in for about 8 minutes hoping the numbness would ease…it didn't!  But great sitting on the beach and talking to our "beach friends".  Met a woman who goes to Palm Springs regularly as well.   After our swim and before dinner we had our probably last strawberry margarita…will be more single malt weather now I think.

Then  ended the day by sitting outside to watch the fabulous sunset.

Balmy evening…beautiful sunset

Sat outside for the sunset last night…lovely and warm.

Flash flood warning for Palm Springs

Glad to see they're getting some rain.  This is a photo of rain at the Tram Station.

"The Long Way Home" by Louise Penny

I see this book is now #1 on the Globe and Mail Best Seller List….so pleased for her!

Pizza Night

Derek came over last night and great to see him and hear all about the renovation in their new home in Victoria.  Guess we'll see the end product when we come back from Palm Springs in April.

Then today we went to The Lift Restaurant in Coal Harbour for lunch today.  We always like going to this restaurant a few times a year just to get a completely different view perspective.  This is the first time this year and will probably be the last since there is a hint of Fall in the air and the only way to do this is sit outside in the Upper Deck.

And at the best pictures of the day are from Ian…Binky on her indoor throne.

Louise Penny

Donna and I went to see Louise Penny at St. Andrew Wesley United Church last night.  She did not disappoint!  A very entertaining and inspiring talk and a great question session.  This event is part of the Vancouver Writers Fest and was the last stop on her book tour and had the biggest attendance….700+
And she just recently learned that her new novel "The Long Way Home" hit #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

She took a photo of the audience last night to post on her Facebook page…now that's a first for me at an author talk!

Lunch at Honey's Doughnuts in Deep Cove

We met my cousins,  Bonnie and Georgia,  and Jack in Deep Cove today for the famous doughnuts at Honey's.  Super food and always fun seeing each other and talking about old times.  Went back to Bonnie and Jack's afterward and the elusive cat,  "Precious"  made an appearance.

And great news as well that Bonnie and Jack's daughter,  Lindsay,  is expecting so they will become grandparents in April….very exciting for everyone!  Of course,  Georgia has 8 grandchildren but this will be the first for Bonnie and Jack.

 Georgia,  Bonnie, and me.

 Jack joins the crowd.

 Jim joins the crowd.

 The famous doughnuts!

Precious.

Rain all day then a great sunset

We heard Victoria got a lot of thunder and lightening.  We didn't get any here but lots of rain.  I remember getting quite a bit of thunder and lightening in Vancouver when we were growing up here.   Seems to be a lot less now or maybe I just really remembered that as a kid.

Yep…I think he's got it right.

I've always had a lot of respect for what Geoff Johnson has to say.  Article from the Times Colonist:

"Now is the Day of our National Disgrace"

http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/geoff-johnson-now-is-the-day-of-our-national-disgrace-1.1337335

Not a back to school day for B.C. students

I feel for everyone in this dispute and hope it ends soon.  To brighten the situation I'm posting a photo of this very cool school in Paris.

This Giraffe Childcare Centre in a Paris suburb offers the equivalent of what we know as full-day kindergarten in Canada. (Courtesy Hondelatte Laporte Architects)

And a very good article in The Tyee today:
http://m.thetyee.ca/Opinion/2014/09/02/BC-Schools-Shut/#.VAXkw1nCjLY.facebook

Picnic in Stanley Park with our "beach friends"

At least it didn't rain but not much of a day….funny to see our beach friends in clothes!  My salmon was a big hit.  I'll have to get more of this Fraser River Sockeye.  Lots of great goodies at the picnic.

Not a beach  day today that's for sure!

Two Susans and Istanbul...

A bit of a funny coincidence that my friend,  Susan,  in Vancouver,  posted this sketch on her blog today…

The Galata Bridge in Istanbul is crowded with fishermen - yes, all men.  My husband and I enjoyed a fish sandwich for lunch shortly after I snapped the photo which inspired yesterday's sketch .

And my friend, Susan,  in Victoria,  recently returned from a trip that included a number of days in Istanbul and recently sent me an email with these comments:

We loved every minute in Istanbul and because we were there so long, we saw
all the famous tourist sights and then were able to do things which were off
the beaten track.  We did a culinary walking tour of the Old City, which was
wonderful and very interesting.  We had no idea that Turkish cuisine was so
varied and delicious.  We went on a ferry to the end of the Bosphorus (the
busiest waterway we've ever seen) and got off on the European side in a
small village.  We found a great seafood restaurant on the water and had one
of our most memorable lunches, washed down with Turkish chardonnay.  We did
an all day tour called The Other Tour and went to the guide's mother's house
for lunch (delicious) and had our first Turkish bath.  Istanbul is
fascinating and complex (with some difficult political and social issues)
but one visit was enough for us.  It is a very different society from ours
or any truly European society we've been in and, while women have made huge
strides there in recent years, it is still chauvinistic.  Twenty five
percent of the Muslims there are religious, so religious women all cover
their heads.  It's a matter of degree:  a pretty head scarf to match a
conservative but pretty outfit to full burka.  Meanwhile, hubby or
significant other is in shorts, t-shirt and sandals!  One of our waiters was
clearly religious, as he couldn't hide his disapproval of Chris and me
ordering a bottle of wine to go with our dinner.  He made a "tsk tsk" sound
at me when he saw that I had actually finished one of my glasses!! However,
we are thrilled that we spent lots of time there and would recommend it as a
destination for others.

Rain…well, not so much.

I was thinking the gardeners would be happy about the rain but it seems to have stopped already.  I'm not sure 5 minutes of rain is going to do much good.   The campers this weekend will be happy not getting a drenching so far.

Not good timing for these tourists in an open bus...