Blackwater Blues: Thursday, August 15th

A sneer is the weapon of the weak. -James Russell Lowell, poet, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891)  

I have not got your address book yet but I will search for it this weekend. Wayne  


Hi Sarge!

Thanks for letting me know about address book. It should be near the computer in our bedroom. I gather Gayle and Derek will be away for a week or so, off sailing with some friends. I assume you still have a key, otherwise I guess you'll have to give Chloë a call. I think she might well be working at GIB on the weekend but I really don't know what her schedule is, or has been, of late.

[Chloe Alexis Dunn shared Aunt Leah's Independent Lifeskills Society's status update.

Aunt Leah's Independent Lifeskills Society

 

"The population we serve includes kids who “fall through the cracks”. We work with youth, who through no fault of their own, have faced unspeakable tragedies. We work with new mothers who want to stop the cycle of abuse and poverty they were raised in. We believe that every infant, child, teenager, young adult and new mother deserve the best in life, to be safe, healthy and successful despite their origins. If organizations like Aunt Leah’s don’t help them, who will? They face homelessness, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and are forced into criminal behaviour to survive. Many of them have a list of barriers, conditions, mental health issues and disabilities which make the possibility of success without support very unlikely. Add to this their troubled history and lack of family support and they have very little hope." - Former Aunt Leah's Employee in a letter nominating us for an award.

Patrick James Dunn Wonderful letter! Wonderful work!]

On another matter, Flamin' hasn't said anything to Cora Lee about her friend renting the Annexe. CL assumed this was to be from mid-August to mid-September. Do you know what is happening in this regard? Presumably Chloë might need to go in beforehand to make sure everything is clean and tidy.

Anyway, let us know what you know and we'll plan accordingly. 

Off to Camel Valley Vineyard today. Gudrun and Stefano will collect us around 12;30pm and I'll put my bike on their car rack as Stefano and I are planning to ride the Camel Trail beforehand, The Sisterhood power-shopping until we rendezvous for lattes and to top up their dwindling bank accounts!

Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: The Canadian Patient, recovering in front of the TV; On the way downstairs last night, to have dinner with Maureen and Bill, through their lovely, lovely garden.  The gorgeous Georgian house, (built about 1850, or so, for one of the local tin mining companies), is set into a small hill, an embankment really, so we look out over most of this large garden from our kitchen window, from the upstairs of the "duplex", so to speak.

P,

this sneering and surly domestique was indeed waxing on about Coal Ila and other rare malts as we skimmed up Heather barely noticing the incline. I am sure Ray will be in touch. 

Should I be copying you about a ride with Derek? Did you already give me his contact info? W

Welcome Home, Flatlander Fish and Chip Man!

Grand that you are back, safely, even though unsoundly as you seem to have developed a "sneer", [A sneer is the weapon of the weak. -James Russell Lowell, poet, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891)], in your attitude, if your last message is any indication, unwarrantably berating me about my treatment of domestiques. Domestiques! I dream about decent domestiques not the surly dogs I've always had to contend with on the ascent of Heather Street and the like!

Great suggestion about the toy Riley for Kale Man. I'll certainly keep an eye out for toy/antique shops as I'm keen to browse there anyway. My only worry is that I might receive a message from Robo Man in which he mentions that you have been waxing on about single malt!!!

 I gather Gayle and Derek are away for a week or so, off sailing with some friends but I know Derek would really appreciate going for a ride with the surly canines, at some point, so please send along a message when you have a moment. Fondestos to your Sisterhood from mine. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Goils!

I gather Gayle and Derek are away for a week or so, off sailing with some friends but I've asked Sarge to search for my address book. Do you have it Chloë? If not, will you be working at GIB on the weekend? If so, perhaps you could pop it downstairs. Thanks.

On another matter, I'm happy to sponsor a table for your Trivia Extravaganza, Chloë, so let me know what I need to do regarding credit card, etc.

Are you at LAX yet Ayn? Safe, comfortable journey, cuddling the rare, expensive malt you chose with me in mind! Text brand name from Truro Railwat Station and if acceptable, I'll send the chauffeur to collect you!

Fondestos to The US/Canada Sisterhood from The Cornish Sisterhood. (Nana was made an Honorary Member when she bought her first pair of shoes!) Cheers, Dad!

PS: Chloë, Flamin' hasn't said anything, lately, about her friend renting the Annexe. Your Mom assumed this was to be from mid-August to mid-September. Do you know what is happening in this regard? Presumably you might need to go in beforehand to make sure everything is clean and tidy. Anyway, let us know what you know and we'll plan accordingly.

Hello Viva Las Vegans!

I am exhausted just reading about your grueling travels, sharing roads thick with traffic or else dodging lightening strikes or torrential downpours! Glad you made it home without incident!

Been very busy ourselves.  Do you remember their concert we attended with you at the Orpheum, I believe? Can't even remember the year but I do recall you and Heraldo embarrassing us, standing up in your seats dancing wildly, waving your arms, behaving just like enraptured teenagers at an Elvis the Pelvis concert!!! Fondestos from The Canadian Patient. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Jo-Anne!

Sorry to learn that Vancouver is actually too dry! I can remember a number of summers when there were actually water restrictions in place. Has it come to this yet? Just by chanceI noticed that The Proclaimers will be in Vancouver on Wednesday, August 28th. We'd make every effort to go to the concert if we were in town. Think venue is the PNE Amphitheatre. Made me think of their concert we attended with Dawn and Gerry Martin at the Orpheum, I believe? Can't even remember the year but I do recall both of them embarrassing us, standing up in their seats dancing wildly, waving their arms, almost tearing their clothes off, behaving just like enraptured teenagers at an Elvis the Pelvis concert!!!

Hello to one and all at The Curriculum Lab! Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Dad, For the life of me I cannot find your address book, you say to the left of the computer!! Not that I can see, as for Andrew's number I looked on all the phone's and could not see it, now I'm sure it is there but will have to look again. What is wrong with Mom's back?? did she fall or something?? 

I already went in and cleaned G&G's place, made the bed etc and it's ready to go, just need to get a fob for the key set as per Michele's latest text. Love you both, xx 

Oh in regards to a trivia table, if you want to sponsor a lotto ticket hat we will be selling tickets for at trivia? that would be great! you would get a tax receipt for the donation say $100-150 that would be great!!! it would off set our cost and then the sales for the hat full of lotto tix is a fundraiser in itself!!!

Padstow:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/359457077#.Ug0znHa9DTw.email

Hi Chloë!

Just back from Camel Valley Vineyard where we had a wonderful tour and tasting. Beforehand Stefano and I cycled the Camel Trail to Padstow where we met Gudrun and your Mother, (She thinks she put her back out, sitting with poor posture, on a low couch in the sitting area off the front entrance, while using her iPad, afew days after Gayle and Derek left. She sat there, initially, since it was one of places with an electrical outlet within easy reach. She has since moved to a rather nice, fold-down writing desk in the formal dining room. Gayle suggested I might wish to us it but surface is a bit too small for me, inasmuch as I like to spread out brochures, maps, etc., items I often refer to when writing The Dreaded Diaries!), to have a delicous lunch at the Old Custom House. A pint of Trelawny, a Cornish Bitter, went down quite well with my scrumptious Fish & Chips!

After lunch, The Sisterhood wandered the streets of the tiny harbour town and returned to pick up the Cornish Pasties your Mom had ordered earlier. She was able to find gluten-free ones for herself but they were not yet ready when they first happened across the shop. Plan to have them for dinner tomorrow with Ayn . Stefano and I rode back to near the start of the Camel Trail and met them at the winery. Mainly sparkling wines but the owner, Bob Lindo, conducted the tour and he is very personable. In spite of the fact that we have been on many wine tours, over the years, this one was really extremely interesting. Basically a crash course in wine making, from picking through to bottling, but Bob conducted it with such self-deprecating humour and obvious knowledge that it was fascinating to listen to him. He started with sheep on the lovely property and just decided to plant a few vines, almost for the heck of it. Over the years, with plenty of hard work and very little money, he, and his wife, Annie, have turned the place into an award winning winery.

About fifty people on the tour but in spite of this is it wasn't at all unpleasant as we moved from vineyard to riddling room, [In short, the bottles are placed, at a 45º angle, on special racks, given a slight shake and turn, once a day, to push sediments toward the neck of the bottle, (later removed in a process called "disgorging"), over the course of from 10 to 14 days. Manual riddling is still done but has otherwise been largely abandoned because of the high labour costs. Mechanized riddling equipment is more commonly used today and such is the case at CVV.), to the bottling line, a process I believe with which you are quite familiar, when helping out with Special Releases at GIB!

Very pleasant tasting, three different sparkling wines, one still white, out on the patio overlooking the gorgeous Camel Valley. I sat across from the others, at a table with a young couple from Ipswich, north-east of London, on holiday. She was a high school, (aka Sixth Form), history teacher and he worked for a company specializing in gassing buildings infested with insect pests! Ended up buying a 2012 Bacchus Dry, 13%, and a 2010 Sparkling Red, brambly, hedgerow flavours, quite similar to some Sparkling Shiraz we'd first had in McLaren Vale, so rather a tasty drop!

After we paid for and collected our wine we trundled it back to the car and then loaded our bikes back on the rack for the drive home. Were lucky with the weather earlier as it started to rain quite heavily shortly after we left the winery. Earlier, while we were about halfway to Wadebridge, itself halfway point between Bodmin and Padstow, we encountered a few fairly heavy showers but didn't get too, too wet as much of the way we rode through virtual tree tunnels which protected us from the rain. Back home to unload and then to say thanks and goodbye to Gudrun and Steve. Won't see them for over a week as they are off to Newcastle on Sunday to attend a funeral and afterwards to visit Tanya, Mark's sister, and family, in Poole, Dorset, I believe.

Time for bed as I'm sleepy but before I brush my teeth, how do you want me to pay for Trivia Table? Can I do it on-line or should I send you my Visa card number? Try looking in my clothes closet on one of the shelves fro address book if it isn't near computer somewhere. Andrew's number may be under Anjey or Andrej or something like that, probably on phone in our bedroom.

Nana is having another hot bath. She finds "soakage" helps to relieve her back! Love to you and Maggster, Dad!

Pic: Nana after her bath this morning!

Hi D, will have a look in your closet this weekend, and also for number!!

Kindly send me your cc# via the internet and I will be most happy to put $100? $150? through! as well as do a wee bit of online shopping :) love to Nana and you!!