Rainy Day Blues: Wednesady, September 24th!

Men are often capable of greater things than they perform. They are sent into the world with bills of credit, and seldom draw to their full extent. -Horace Walpole, novelist and essayist (1717-1797)

Hi Pat, Thought you might recognize this shot! Just got back from 3 days in Spain - absolute waste of time and money in my opinion. Why would you want to spend 3 days in an apartment that could be anywhere in the world, spend the whole time sitting in a restaurant or bar when we could have been at Beau Soleil? Still - that's what our travelling companions call a good time and break from the monotony of Neffies! 

If I sound miffed then you are right - just about ready to explode! Tina and I are going to take the car over our remaining few days and explore some of the more outlying villages and châteaus. Ooroo for now. Trevor (the really pissed off one!)

Hi Ticking Time Bomb Trevor! Sorry to hear that outing to Spain was not a success, at least as far as you were concerned! Sympathize completely!! Where were you? Just across the border? Thanks for lovely snap! Really needed to see it as it's pretty wet here. Enjoy your last bit of touring. Fondestos to Teens. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Dear Corinne and Patrick, How about dinner on either Wednesday 15th or Tuesday 14th September, in order of our preference? The plans for the Thanksgiving weekend are still in the air but going to either Salt Spring Island and/or the Okanagan - wish the boys would get organised! Look forward to seeing you both next month. Please pass on my best wishes to Wayne and Michelle - would be nice to see them too. Much love, Rosemary XXXWhoops - I meant October - sorry for the typo! Rosemary XXX

hi Rosemary, Wednesday the 15th would work best for us. I will invite Wayne and Michele to join us. Bring Frank if he would like to come. very rainy here today hope weather is better over Thanksgiving. hugs corinne

Hi Corinne, Great - we have a date in the diary. Have asked Frank and will let you know if he is available/interested. We can decide timings once we are in town. Don't forget to put on your thinking cap regarding recommended books - your choices are always such wonderful reads. Take care until then. Really looking forward to seeing you both again - believe it or not it will be exactly a year to the day since you left us in Chabeuil so not surprising. Look forward to what I know will be a really fun evening together. Cheers, Rosemary XXX

Hi Rosemary! Glad you and Cora lee have been able to nail down a dinner date!
Hello to Andre. Fondestos to you, Rosemary. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

I'm glad that I parsed the details as I see buried in the text is a planned visit to our southern shores. In fact, the exact midpoint of Oct. 31/Nov. 1 is my mother's 90th birthday, she was indeed born at midnight then. My brother, to get to the point, is flying out from Massachusetts for the event, so that the guest quarters at Villa Vicente will be occupied. 

Crocked Lasagna!

Since the festivities will likely involve only brief visits to the nursing home during the daytime, we hope we will get a chance to see you but we may have to farm you out in terms of quarters. Let me know if you would like me to explore with our neighbor Barbara, "BigRat8" in email terms, and see if there isn't a spare burrow down at the foot of our hill. Or the Fair Elise who just munched some lasagna over here the other night.... 

Those breads look good an indeed, the "mache biologique" reference seems entirely justified by the photos...On to the sandwiches! Cactus 

Hi Data Miner! Certainly understand that Casa Vicente is a destination holiday site! (Happy 90th, Mom!) However, would appreciate you exploring spare burrows as mentioned in last messagio. Whirlygig will be staying in SF over Friday/Saturday so there will only be Glasgow and I, (perhaps Sarge if he can swing outing), for those nights. Depending on squash results, we would probably de-camp Sunday afternoon, making for Calaveras. We will have an inflatable, single mattress along, should that need to figure in equation. Let me know your thoughts when you've a moment between sandwich making and bi-athaloning! Cheers, Rizzzzzzzzo!

Pic: Just in from Tina/Trevor, friends from Adelaide, who rented same house as I did, last September, in Neffiés. Beau Soleil is in on the right, two or three poles past the sign.

Thanks for bridge invite but I am grandparenting. Polly Hi Polly! We'll miss your precision bidding but pleased to hear that you are feeling better! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hello Sir James! Trust all goes well! Came across this notice in the UBC Emeriti September Newsletter: "John Conway is still riding his bicycle to campus every day, and is about to deliver 8 lectures on “Hitler’s Legacy” in the Continuing Studies program in October and November." Haven't seen him on the UBC Forshore Hill lately but just back home from VI since this past Thursday. Fondestos and Cheers to Lady Patrizzia, and to you Sir James, Patrizzio!

Hello Lads! Trust everyone is well. I expect Ragin' at 3:00pm tomorrow afternoon to play bridge with Sarge. Cora Lee will be the 4th, until 5:00 pm. Sarge will be going to curling to watch his team, afterwards. This being the case, dinner will be delayed until 8:30 pm! I trust you can wait until then, Captain Barnacle. I'm hoping to take in Of Horses and Men, screening at SFU'S Goldcorp Centre For The Arts, 149 W Hastings St, at 6:30 pm. Both of you are welcome to join me. Not sure if I will get in and not sure how many tickets have already been sold. If interested, perhaps you might wish to buy online at VIFF website. Otherwise, we'll convene back at The Islay Inn for a late dinner. If I don't gain entrance, I'll be home by close to 7:00 pm. Give me a call, before 8:30 am, tomorrow morning, as I'm leaving for my VIFF shift shortly thereafter, if this message is confusing or you have other "issues" to discuss. Cheers, Executive Decision Maker Patrizzio! Reviews:

An impromptu tryst between two horses—with a humiliated owner caught in the middle—serves as the catalyst for further dark comedy in this celebration of equine grandeur and human eccentricity. Each centred around a different horse, six peculiar vignettes (or are they rural legends?) contained here are crafted with uncommon skill, each leading us down a different twisted path to the devastating punchline that awaits us at the end. As you watch an alcoholic ride his steed into the sea in hopes of scoring more drink from a passing freighter or a man tearing a page from the The Empire Strikes Back’s screenplay in order to survive, you can’t help but wonder how one sleepy village can possibly contain so many uproarious shocks. Every bit as rugged, otherworldly and striking as its Icelandic backdrop, Benedikt Erlingsson’s dryly humorous, highly decorated debut asserts that our vain attempts to tame nature are folly of the highest order.

"Erlingsson’s film has great reverence for its equine heroes, but boasts something that’s lesser seen: the comic contrast between man and beast—their dignity, our chaos; their robustness, our fragility; their simplicity, our maddening complexity. It juxtaposes the community’s ramshackle, booze-fuelled romps with the magnificence and dependability of these long-suffering animals.”—Emma Simmonds, Little White Lies

“A hugely enjoyable film from the wild side of the wild side… [It] deserves its cult status.”—Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

Errando stats: 32.30 km over 1:55'10 for an AVG 16.8 km/hr

Left for the VAC at close to 1:00 pm and did a bit of dipsy-doodling to have about 11 km on the clock by the time I pulled up in front of the pool. My goal, as far as distance for first outing was concerned, was a mile so that is what I did. Felt a bit rusty for the first half but seemed to get my wind over the closing second half. Did some backstroke once I'd completed the mile and then luxuriated in the hot tub. Great jets so I massaged some of the sore muscles, courtesy of the elliptical. Then into sauna to bake for 15 minutes and then showered and changed.

Day was so glorious by the time I left pool that I didn't put my jacket back on when heading for home. Stopped at Reckless to say hello to Lars but he wasn't in. Continued to The Islay Inn and after a quick java and a peanut butter/Durston Buckwheat honey sammy, I took off for Young Brothers. Needed some slaf fixings for the Greek salad I'm charge with making this coming Friday. Stopped at Minerva's for haloumi and olivettis adn then made for Cheap Thrills. Needed milk and some fuzzy water. Back home by 6:15 pm to put away groceries and start dinner. Cora Lee was at a strata meeting so we planned to eat around 8:30 pm.

Just as I'd put the spudolinos on to boil, Nocolina