Looking for a very special book….

I wanted to buy a very special book with the gift card Elaine included in my birthday goodies and I found it today on the best seller list:

The beginning of a review in the Toronto Star:

It’s a mighty trick to imbue Paris and the countryside of Provence in southern France with additional magic but Nina George has pulled it off. The German author’s novel The Little Paris Bookshop was originally published in 2013, but is only recently published in English. It became a bestseller in Germany and elsewhere in Europe and has been translated into more than 25 languages. It’s easy to see why.

If you are inclined to be a Francophile, you’ll likely savour this book. If you also love bookstores, fine food, good wine, dare to think about death and believe in the redemptive power of human love, you are quite likely in for a treat. (Oh . . . the experience of profound grief might also make you a candidate. Bring tissues.)

Can't wait for it to arrive!

And then there was still money left so I bought this book bag…newsprint,  New York….one of my favourite cities and I love print newspapers so perfect.  Thanks again,  dear friend!

Palm Springs got a dust storm and thunderstorm yesterday….an interesting photo.

Photo by Jon Black

Another great sunset tonight….

Jim was golfing so we didn't go for an ocean swim today…a bit breezy anyway around swimming time.

What was different about tonight's sunset is the whole sky was lit up so I'm sure everyone saw the wonderful colours.

Fireworks barge arrives today...

The first fireworks is a week Saturday but the preparations are beginning now along with the blue fences around the gardens which would be nice to do without…however.  We aren't tired of the fireworks yet but many people in the neighbourhood could quite nicely do without it especially those with animals.

Yesterday evening,  Jim got chatting to the old fellow we see all the time walking his Scotty dog.  We figured the dog was pretty old because he's pretty slow.  He's only 9 years old so I guess he has arthritis.  The dog's name is Roadie and the fellow's name is Walter.  The noise really bothers the dog so he takes him out of the area and he was a young child living in Dusseldorf during the massive bombing raid so he's not keen on the noise either.

Itty Bitty Book Review: "The Golden Egg"

"The Golden Egg" by Donna Leon

You can always count on Donna Leon for a nice easy summer read and the bonus of reliving a bit of Venice and Italy.  Leon is an American living in Venice and I find it interesting that she always manages to get in quite a bit about the corruption and tax avoidance that is rampant in that country.  I guess they manage things a bit better than Greece but probably not much.  I believe they are in trouble too.

Good news story just in case you missed it: "Disabled" cop waits for robbers but finds only kindness"

Picking up a digital version to post I see it's in all the major new media…

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/disabled-undercover-cop-waits-for-robbers-in-vancouver-but-only-finds-kindness

Another warm ocean swim….another beautiful sunset...

Just back from a wonderful lunch at Las Margaritas….

It's the most wonderful time of the year….

I went swimming in Second Beach Pool today….wonderful.  Jim went into the ocean yesterday evening after our walk and it was lovely.  I was feeling a bit tired.  At Second Beach Pool they have a B.C. fruit and produce kiosk now all the time so I picked up the following:

This is in addition to picking up strawberries,  red and green grapes,  apricots,  nectarines,  bananas,  green beans and radish at Kin's Farm Market the other day.

End of an era…Raeside's last cartoon Friday in the Times-Colonist

We met Adrian a couple of times…he was quite a character.  He was a friend of friends.  Sign of the times with print newspapers that are struggling to keep alive as such.   As an optimist,  I think we shall still be getting our morning read for quite some time yet in print form.

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/jack-knox-raeside-draws-curtain-on-a-great-run-in-victoria-1.2001031?utm_source=Times+Colonist+Headline+News&utm_campaign=1a16bfed81-Times_Colonist_Headline_News_Friday_7_15_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b45247ac83-1a16bfed81-95851349

Itty Bitty Book Review: "The Goldfinch"

"The Goldfinch"  by Donna Tartt

Well,  it certainly kept your interest and even though I had pretty much had enough at around the 600 page mark I couldn't stop reading until the end.  Pulitzer Prize winner?   I have rather mixed feelings about it.   Is it really much better than the Da Vinci Code which is a rip roaring plot as well?  She throws in some jumble of "deeper meaning" in the end but I'm not sure it all adds up.

Red Sun sunflowers….perfect name for them.

Fern sent me these photos of some new type of sunflower she planted.    They look great and I think I will do some sunflowers for my ATC meeting coming up this weekend.

A great birthday present for Jim….Happy Birthday!

Jim received a summary of his SFU Munro course evaluations today….well done,  professor Sexton!

Please provide us with any comments about this course:

Respondent 01: This is the first time I have taken a course that analyzes fiction; while I am sure this was an excellent example of such a course, I am not sure I would take another.

Respondent 02: Jim is an outstanding prof. I am already eagerly awaiting the news of his next course. I haven't been as interested and involved for a while. Keep him on staff. Canvas is a superb addition and Jim used it very well and it really added to his lectures.

Respondent 03: This was a brilliant course. I do have a few suggestions: 1. Focus on 1 story for 1 or 2 classes so deeper analysis is possible. 2. More group discussion. 3. Dr. Sexton please let students finish their sentences.

Respondent 04: I enjoyed and learned a lot. The prof – James Sexton was knowledgeable, entertaining and likeable. I hope he will return and I would take another courses from him.

Respondent 05: Loved prof's passion. Presentation skills awesome. I think he really had fun presenting this class.

Respondent 06: Very knowledgeable, funny, good actor. Enjoyed his easy 'goingness.' Good teacher.

Respondent 07: I learned a great deal in this course. The professor on is extremely well read and learned on literature and presents his knowledge and ideas in an enthusiastic, eloquent and clear manner. I would definitely take another course offered by him, hopefully this fall.

Respondent 08: I liked every minute of that course. Great teaching, great knowledge. Thanks very much.

Respondent 09: The course was very interesting, I really enjoyed it. The more literature courses the better. How about one on Southern writers? Thanks.

Respondent 10: The instructor was very generous and willing to entertain new ideas/arguments and points of view. He's very good – don't let him go.

Respondent 11: Very informative and interesting.

Respondent 12: Excellent teacher, appreciated comments from students. Has an amazing amount of knowledge of literature.

Respondent 13: Will miss the course – could have been longer – lots of Alice Munro stories to cover. Look forward to future courses by this instructor. Learned a lot about techniques to analyze literature as well as greater appreciation of Alice Munro.

Respondent 14: Good use of canvas.

Respondent 15: Lots of extra posted on the bulletin board – yay. Knowledgeable, personable instructor.

Respondent 16: James is knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Enjoyable class.

Respondent 17: Enjoyed the course very much. Learned so much about reading short stories – the layers of meaning. The complexity of story, the development of the characters within the limitations of length. Will apply this to future readings of short stories. Had not read much of Alice Munro before this course now fascinated by her short stories and will continue to read more.

Respondent 18: More by this instructor.

Respondent 19: The course got more interesting as it progressed. The accents and preferences to other literature fleshed out Munro's stories in a very interesting way.

Respondent 20: I loved it. Learned a lot. Would love to take future courses from this instructor.

Respondent 21: Very well prepared instructor and interesting discussion. Website 'extras' for each week much appreciated.

Respondent 22: I enjoyed this course and the instructor. However, many of us do not wish to have a seminar type session meeting in groups and talking about a point. Being seniors, many have health issues and it is too stressful to have to public speak, for instance. I hope to see him again. I liked the notes he put online and his computer skills.

Respondent 23: Dr. Sexton produced an excellent program and made it very easy for wide ranging participation by all the class. Clearly a lot of thought went into the instruction & he actually "bled" for us. (An unfortunate first class, but he bravely carried on!) 

"Bites" at The Wine Bar on Marinaside

We had dinner tonight with Richard and sat outside….great food and great wine.  They have their "bites" on for 3 for $10 on Mondays and Sundays…a great deal.   We have often gone to the Provence Marinaside for meals which is next door and a sister restaurant.  Always a good time.  Grace had a deadline so couldn't join us…next time, for sure.

Richard promoting Catfé

Cat Café gets city hall green light...

Richard's friend,  Michelle,  has got her approval for opening "Catfé" in the International Villages site.  This is great news for her and for us as we find it really easy to go there and love the free parking. There are other interesting stores and it's where we go to see movies.  It will be opening in October and hope we haven't left for Palm Springs before it opens.

http://www.theprovince.com/life/feel+feline+Manager+excited+café+coming+soon+Vancouver/11207778/story.html

A great day out with old friends….

We had a great day out with Donna and Neil and Linda and Cec going out for lunch at Bacchus Bistro at the Chaberton  Winery in Langley.  After we arrived at Linda and Cec's,  Linda drove us all through scenic country roads and farms…amazing how much farmland there is so close to Vancouver.  One tends to forget that.  And we had the most amazing meal.  Neil and Jim had boeuf bourguignon which was absolutely to die for served with scalloped potatoes which were also fabulous.  Linda had raved about the mushroom omelette  and Linda, Cec, and I had that….excellent.  And Donna had a quiche…also excellent.   I tasted everything and it matched up to some of the best meals we have had in France.  

Washed down with some of their house red.  We went into the tasting room afterwards and bought some wine to bring home…two reds and a white.

And then back to Linda and Cec's for fabulous blueberry pie that she made from blueberries bought at their favourite farm.  Thanks so much,  Linda and Cec!  And it was great to meet their daughter,  Cheryl, whose culinary talents are famous.  Linda always points out she doesn't get them from her.  Cec likes to comment when Linda suggests they go out somewhere different for dinner…"how about the kitchen?"

The six of us always have a wonderful time together and we had lots of laughs especially thanks to Linda,  as usual.

 Donna and me.

 The whole gang.

 The omelette.

 Le b.b.

 The tasting room.

 La tarte aux bleuets...

Back to cloudy, cool typically west coast air….I think.

So glad we took advantage of the warmth and the sun yesterday although no one is going to complain about the cooler temps and possibility of some rain.  Unfortunately,  if it comes at all it won't be enough for our raging forest fires but the cooler weather will help.

John got some interesting  photos during our "apocalypse"….

From John's blog:

uly 5th, 2015 — There was an apocalyptic look to the air the last few days while smoke from forest fires hung over Vancouver. Most of the pictures I’ve seen had the sky orangey red but last night at Spanish Banks to me it was more of a yellow green, sickly, jaundiced, the impression helped on by the sound of fog horns from ships hidden in the smog while they slipped into anchorages just offshore.

-John Denniston photos

First pastis of the season...

We had a wonderfully warm ocean swim and then it seemed perfect to have our first pastis of the season.  It was definitely a south of France on the Mediterranean day...

And then to The Sylvia to split a salmon burger and enjoy some music and Red Truck Pale Ale….ah a wonderful local.

Do you think Jim looks comfy enough?  We got our favourite perch…the sofa and overlooking the band and English Bay.

A bit of blue sky today….

Well,  our forest fire fog didn't come on little cat feet and wasn't the fog I loved as a kid.  It was always so exciting in the autumn to wake up to a foggy day with the leaves turning and the excitement of Halloween looming.

It's nice to see a bit of brightness today and hope it will get even better as the day goes on rather than worse as what happened yesterday.

I always loved this poem.

Fog

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on. 

Carl Sandburg

Birthday lunch on The Drive

We met Marilyn and Chris for lunch today at Cafe Carthage….always a rather European experience for us all.  Lots of fun and talk of old times as always!  Marilyn reminded me she caught the bouquet at our wedding.  She and Chris were getting married a few weeks later and the reception was at the Stanley Park Pavillion.   Funny,  Jim and I are living so close to there….

Much better weather today...

It's very fresh and it looks like the sun might actually make an appearance soon.  Yesterday afternoon the smoke smell dissipated at least and we were looking forward to a warm ocean swim….not so!  The water was inexplicably cool.  I didn't think it could get that cool after it had been so warm.   Ah well,  maybe today it will be back to warmth.

There was a wonderful smell of the ocean yesterday evening….such a treat after the smoke and haze.  And the evening lights looked great.

Spoiled by Elaine on our birthdays...

Our birthday booty from Elaine (I think we had already scarfed down one package of goodies before I took the photo!)  And if that wasn't enough we each got a gift card…me for books and Indigo and Jim for a selection of beer at the liquor store.  And wonderful cards with cats,  of course!

Thank you so much,  dear friend,  we will be thinking about you as we enjoy all our presents.  And as per tradition,  I opened my presents yesterday when they arrived.  I did wait for Jim to arrive home from teaching.  Jim's birthday isn't until July 13 but these gifts were for both of us so….

And now a bit of humour from Jack Knox in the Times-Colonist

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/jack-knox-summer-s-newest-pests-political-attack-ads-1.1989924

Yes…let's get back to enjoying the lazy days of summer.

Quite the haze from the wildfires burning in the province this morning

http://globalnews.ca/news/2092648/thick-haze-blankets-metro-vancouver-sky-sunday-morning/

And my photos…one from last night.  I guess the sunset was partly so colourful because of the smoke and one this morning.

Last night.

This morning.

Last winter,  a neighbour in PS asked how the water situation was where we live.  I laughed and said "With all our rain,  we won't be having a water problem."  Well,  we're in a drought now too and with the heat and wildfires,  we also have quite a problem.

"What happened, Miss Simone?"

We saw the most amazing documentary on Nina Simone last night…a Netflix original…good on Netflix.   It really captured her genius and her struggles.  We saw her in the late 60's at the Marco Polo in Vancouver and we were in the south of France when she died in 2003.  She was living in the south of France at the time around Aix-en-Provence.   I had some optimistic vision that once she escaped from the racism of the US,  she lived some ideal life in France….well,  not so.  She did escape racism but her demons were still with her.

I've posted a photo of her playing the piano since she was the most amazing pianist as well as everything else.

Nina Simone interviewed in France in 1991.    Well,  I hope she did have some happiness while living in the south of France,  even so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANTNiJ2zJlc

Back from another wonderful swim….

And then to wash my hair in this great shampoo I have….green tea and lime…getting the taste buds ready for G & T and lime.  We found out recently that one of our beach friends who moves through the water faster than we do is turning 90….amazing.   She begins with a morning swim and then spends  a couple of hours on the beach and swimming some more.   The salt water must be good for you!

Douglas Todd….always interesting...

Well,  today's column was on advocating the United Church get rid of atheist ministers…who knew such a being existed?   I have to admire the United Church for being so open and welcoming but I agree with Todd even though I am an atheist.

http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/Douglas+Todd+Atheist+clergy+should+remove+masks/11186326/story.html

Getting organized….

I finally got around to organizing and cleaning up my studio area so now I can actually do some painting.  And I found a number of partly finished paintings I almost forgot about.  They are now in a more accessible area so I may finish some of these.

Jim also got his desk area organized and is very pleased with his "grabber" he bought for a dollar in PS…he doesn't even have to get up to get things!

Hal Castle Palm Springs Sunset…wow!

So John sent me this photo with a subject heading "crop this"….

Well,  I found it absolutely beautiful…no cropping required.  Love it….everything works.


June 21st from the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen towards Roberts Bank.

John Denniston photo

From the balcony…tonight's clouds.