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.

Seems you can make a call on your cellphone just about anywhere

There is cellphone service at the summit of Mount Everest. On May 21, 2007, Rod Baber placed a 1-minute, 48-second phone call. He called a voicemail account to leave a message, a move that cost him $4.72. By all accounts, Baber’s call was much like millions made from cellphones every day — except that the renowned British climber was standing on the summit of Mount Everest. Using a Motorola Rizr Z8, Baber made the call at 29,035 feet, earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for “highest mobile phone call.” The feat was made possible by China Telecom, which had set up a cell tower at the base camp on the mountain’s north side. Baber also called his family and sent a text to a Motorola employee: “One small text for man, one giant leap for mobilekind.” Since Baber’s historic phone call, Everest’s cell service has kept up with the times. In 2013, Everest received 4G service so climbers could livestream the view from the summit. In 2020, the mountain got the 5G upgrade, which offers 20 times more capacity at one-third the size. That means that if you want to find some excuse to unplug from work, “climbing Everest” might not be a good one.

Lunch at The Sylvia yesterday

Well, I wonder how many times I've posted that on my blog. We enjoyed our lunch as usual and the sun came out so a nice view of the water.

Pink Waves off the coast of San Diego

 This would have been quite something to see. We have gone swimming in the ocean in this area and certainly would have been surprised if this had happened.

https://nicenews.com/environment/pink-waves-san-diego/

What fun it would be to have trains like this!

"Japan’s railway companies are confronting the country’s shrinking labour market by moving ahead with automation. Central Japan Railway has been testing an automated system on its Tokaido Shinkanse, the bullet train that runs from Tokyo to Kyoto and beyond, since 2021. The company announced last week that it will be introducing the system to the high-speed service on its newest N700S (pictured) trains in 2028. A driver will still be present to start the train but speed adjustments and station stops will be made automatically. Back in the capital, the Tokyo Metro has announced that it will be testing automated trains on the Marunouchi Line from next month with a view to introducing the system in 2025. A conductor will still sit at the front of the train, ready to deal with emergencies, but mechanical operation of the vehicle will be done by an automated system. An unsettling thought to some, perhaps, but one that the Japanese authorities seem intent on speeding ahead with."

Loved this sketch that Susan K. did for me

Merci beaucoup!

From "Nice News"

I really liked the posters I saw by Dorothy Waugh. There are lots more if you do a search. "Dorothy Waugh’s storied creative career encompassed tenures as an artist, children’s book author, design school instructor, radio host, and more. Though her name may be unknown to many, Waugh’s work is embedded in the early history of the National Park Service, which has managed and maintained America’s public lands and monuments since 1916. In the 1930s, Waugh worked as a landscape architect and artist for the park service, at first designing technical manuals but eventually turning to the creation of posters promoting state and national parks. “United States citizens for many years have seen the Swiss Alps, the Italian Lake country, and other beauty spots of foreign lands depicted in beautiful posters on display throughout the land and it is time that Americans should be acquainted with their own beauty spots through the same medium,” a 1934 Park Service Bulletin explained of the poster campaign. Waugh’s bright and bold designs proved the perfect visual match for capturing interest in the great outdoors. In total, she designed 17 posters for the federal government agency. She died on March 20, 1996 at age 99, but the unique handprint Waugh left on the park service will forever be remembered."

From "The Good Life France"

I love the Deux Chevaux so just couldn't resist stealing this.

Now cats can be bunnies...

 HERSHEY, Pa., March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After receiving an impressive number of votes from animal lovers across the country, Crash the Cat from Boise, Idaho, has been crowned the winner of the fifth-annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts, 'Rescue Pets Edition.' Crash will bring his pawsome personality to the Cadbury Hall of Fame and star in the 2023 Cadbury Clucking Bunny commercial this spring, which fans can get a first look at, here. Plus, Crash will receive a cash prize of $5,000 for himself, $5,000 to the shelter of his choice, and of course, plenty of bragging rights.

Crash the Cat is the winner of the 5th Annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts, 'Rescue Pets Edition’

Now eight-years-old, Crash was rescued after a devastating car accident where he was severely injured and left with one eye. As he began to heal at a local shelter, his quirky, outgoing personality made everyone quickly fall head over heels for him, leading Crash to become their resident shelter cat. Crash charms and impresses people as they visit the shelter, performing tricks like high five – the purfect preparation for his starring role in the upcoming Cadbury Clucking Bunny commercial.

From Linda's blog....so amazing!

 #1 The Reading Room – Royal Portuguese Cabinet Of Reading – Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Monet and Lego...what a combination!

How I would love to see this in person!

Ai Weiwei's Water Lilies #1 (2022) Photo: © Ela Bialkowska/OKNO studio. © Image courtesy of the artist and Galleria Continua

Anyone who has sat and tried to painstakingly complete a 1,000 piece jigsaw will likely look upon Ai Weiwei's latest Lego work with awe. Made of 650,000 Lego bricks in 22 colours, the staggering 15m-long work is a recreation of Claude Monet's triptych Water Lilies (1914-26) from the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The largest Lego work that the dissident Chinese artist has ever made, Water Lilies #1 (2022) will go on show at London's Design Museum when it opens Ai Weiwei: Making Sense next month (7 April-30 July).

Ai Weiwei

Stick 'em up! Ai Weiwei invites you to give the middle finger in new online art project

Gareth Harris

The original Impressionist masterpiece—depicting one of the lily ponds at Monet’s home in Giverny, near Paris—has become an internationally famous image of nature and light. For his version, Ai has used Lego bricks to "strip away Monet’s brushstrokes in favour of a depersonalised language of industrial parts and colours," according to a press statement. "These pixel-like blocks suggest contemporary digital technologies which are central to modern life, and in reference to how art is often disseminated in the contemporary world."

Brunch with Donna yesterday

Jim and I enjoyed our eggs benny and it was great to catch up with news. We do enjoy the University Golf Club restaurant and it is so close to us.

St. Patrick's Day celebration

Well, we went to Las Margaritas. What could be more fitting than Mexican food :)  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Thinking about our lovely times in Ireland.

Can you guess

 

In which U.S. city was the first motion picture camera invented?

Books nominated for the Booker Prize

 

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/international/2023?fbclid=IwAR1a9Rsg0wuZwkuaGdH1GJTimCHkp-aacxJfr27VSdUE9k9GdN51X5Lssko

I guess I'll put some of these on hold at the library. I imagine many people have had that idea already.

A lovely lunch with Liz yesterday

 We went to the University Golf Club....what would we do without it? We must get a little more adventurous in our dining experiences but the food and the views are good.

It was great to catch up on the news of the London crowd. She's off to London in April and they will all be heading to Italy and Slovenia.  Looking forward to hearing about those trips!

Famous toys invented by accident

 This was fun to read....hope you enjoy it too.

https://www.interestingfacts.com/toy-origins/YoL131uKogAHE3js?liu=26da72d4899d29579ae9719e3d9b2e04&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1742072562

Linda posted this to her blog....just about sums it up:)

 

Best Italian Restaurants in Vancouver

 I guess we are rather out of the restaurant scene these days as I know very of them. We'll have to change that.

https://www.timeout.com/vancouver/restaurants/best-italian-restaurants-in-vancouver

A lovely lunch with Donna yesterday

We all enjoyed the food...great place to go!

https://shaughnessyrestaurant.com

I love this painting by Kandinsky....wow, what a price!

 

Kandinsky makes £37m auction record at a procedural but solid Sotheby's London evening sale 

Strong Asian bidding helped secure the success of the 58-lot two-part auction, which brought the house £147m

I might even be tempted to fly long distance if someone offered me this

" German airline Lufthansa has unveiled plans for luxurious new first-class cabins with double beds and closable doors.

‘Suite Plus’ cabins come with a large table, a wardrobe, an entertainment system, and two wide seats that can be combined into a bed. The cabin can be made completely private with a floor-to-ceiling door.

Passengers flying in this class will also be served a gourmet menu at a time of their choosing.

“The First Class Suite Plus conveys the feeling of privacy and individuality similar to a hotel room - only at an altitude of eleven kilometres," explained Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter at the product’s launch in Berlin on 28 February.

The cabins will be introduced in 2024 on the airline’s new Airbus A350s. They are part of its €2.5 billion long-haul revamp dubbed ‘Lufthansa Allegris’."

Vancouver sea lions enjoying the snow

 

Snow, snow go away....

....and don't come back another day.

I will be glad to see the end of this snow. 

Ramen soup

It was great to see Richard yesterday and he brought over some great soup that we really enjoyed.

Thank you so much! 

The Cheese Inn on Dunbar

 We had a nice lunch there yesterday. I got the lamb burger and Jim got bangers and mash. The soup was beef barley. I remember my mother made a similar soup in the old days.

Species that mate for life

 This came up on Valentine's Day and I found it pretty interesting.

Even seahorses do it...

https://nicenews.com/animals/animals-mate-for-life/

Over 300 languages

 

You can get Translink support in over 300 languages. I just love hearing stuff like this. For those people reading my blog who don't know what "Translink" is...it is our public transportation system in Vancouver...buses and subway.

Getting a Masters degree in "Educational Transformation"

This sounds like a pretty interesting field to study. I'm sure I would have chosen this specialty if it had been offered when I was doing my Masters in Education.

 https://edtransform.georgetown.edu

The Borsalino hat

 Not quite sure why this was in my reserve posts I keep for when I can't think of anything. I guess Jim was looking for a hat.

"Ah, Borsalino! The hat of hats, the headwear of stars! It's a name long familiar to gourmets of fine hats around the world, but today, is almost invisible in the USA. And these days, not everyone will jump at the chance to spend several hundred dollars on a fedora. Nonetheless, Borsalino has been an icon of the Italian fashion market for 160 years and has deep roots in the art, design, movie and theater worlds. Wide-brim Borsalinos are also standard apparel for many Orthodox Jews who consider head coverings a sign of peity. In short, the name is a magic one and well worth exploring. So here we go.

Not surprisingly, it was Guiseppe Borsalino who founded his eponymous firm on the streets of Alessandria, some 50 miles east of Turin. He was already a skilled hatmaker, and within a few decades, built a formidable business. By the 1880s, the firm was making 2,500 hats a day. In 1900, having won the Grand Prix at the Paris Exposition Universelle, the company was launched into the stratosphere and by 1914 had grown more than three-fold. This was a time when headwear in England and America was a regular feature of the well-dressed man. For the next 35 years, a Borsalino hat was something to own."

A lovely night out

We went to Donna's for dinner last night and enjoyed food from Minerva's...always a treat. And Sheryl dropped by...so nice to see her. We all had many laughs. 

Modernism Week in Palm Springs

Looks like it's that time again. Loved the car and the house.  They both look like they could fly away.

 

The Sunday roast

This was a tradition in our families when growing up. Jim and I grew tired of it and went in for more gourmet items. But Richard didn't really appreciate that kind of food and loved having roast at his Grandparents.

 https://www.standard.co.uk/reveller/restaurants/best-sunday-roast-london-lunch-blacklock-bull-and-last-soho-pubs-b1007121.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20email%2017/02/2023&utm_term=ES_News_Daily_CDP