Edradour Cask Strength Bridge Hangover Blues: Sunday, December 8th

Every word was once a poem. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

Hello TNT!

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes! Much appreciated! Thanks for kind words about Mags, as well. I did think you were planning on renting Beau Soleil but thought it was to be in April. September will be grand, I'm sure. Nothing but wonderful, wonderful memories for me! Any room? I'd love to return. We will be at Falcon during August so perhaps I'll hop a jet plane from Winnipeg while Cora Lee helps Clarisse and Dusty de-clutter a lifetime's worth of stuff! Had thought about going to England in June/July to watch 2014 Tour which starts in Yorkshire, not far from where we stayed in Wetherby. Bit stretched for time/money, however, with Nicole's wedding in Mexico in May. 

We'll be in Parksville, (We go over to VI on January 10th or 11th), when you fly into town but do hope we can connect in February. (Haven't heard from Ariane is some time. Usually receive a fundraising email about this time of year, for boys' school.) Gather Teens will not be going to LA. Perhaps a good thing as inflatable mattress somehow received a puncture since her most recent visit. Ayn had not used it since Tina was last there and she had to sleep on the couch, giving up her bed to us the one night Cora Lee and I were there together over Thanksgiving.

Glad Bali getaway was enjoyable. You must be dreaming of it with your own unseasonable weather. Cora Lee certainly is, given our cold snap! When I stayed in Portland last Monday, Marilyn was even blaming me for their frosty weather, brought by cold, cold Canadian North wind! Has been very cold, (by Vancouver standards but balmy by Winnipeg's -30ºC), ever since I came back from California on Tuesday. 

Friday dawned even clearer and crisper than previous two days so I waited until close to 1:00 pm to venture out for a ride. I planned to log 66 km, (a birthday present, of sorts, to myself!), once the frost has dissipated! Cora Lee had left an hour or so, beforehand, for a full day of meetings and volunteer shifts. She wasn't be home until 6:15 pm, after she closed Aunt Leah's Place Thrift Store near Broadway and Main. Good Heavens Mrs Evans, I was left to prepare most of my birthday dinner!

Having ridden twice, earlier this week, in these Arctic conditions, I was fully bundled. I even dragooned Coriandre into putting socks on my feet before she left! (Yes, Dear Reader, still one of the most difficult if not impossible things for me to do, in spite of my new hip!) Toasty toes and double-gloved hands, (I put my regular riding gloves inside a pair of ski gloves I found, for the taking, near our recycling bins, years ago and which I normally use when volunteering at Aunt Leah's Christmas Tree lot.), plus a fuzzy, cashmere toque which fitted very nicely under my helmet and kept my ears poifectly warm, I headed to our storage room to collect my Trek. At the doorway, Gerardo, the janitor for our building, gave me a shocked look. He couldn't figure out what had caused my hair to turn white! He thought it must have been Cora Lee's incessant nagging but I disabused him of this notion, (Not the nagging but the white hair!), and we chortled our separate ways.

Must say that I really enjoyed the ride. Gorgeous, gorgeous day indeed. The Lions were stunning with their own snow toques. Sun was literally blinding, lower in sky as it is these days approaching Winter Solstice. Had to use my gloved hand a number of times to be able to see where I was going when riding directly into the full tilt glare. Most of the course belonged almost completely to me, myself and I as there were but a handful of other cyclisti on the Seawall and none at all on the Stanley Park/Prospect Point Loop. Very few strollers or dog walkers or joggers, although more people out on my return leg, my brave example obviously heartening them!

My heart was high, my spirit soaring, above my ice-cubed toes and tingling digits, in spite of sockage and double-glazed mittens, as I described a few dextrous dipsy-doodles to arrive back at the Islay Inn with 66.66 km on the clock! Happy Birthday, Patrizzio!

Stats for ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/412885776#.UqJwpalnUas.email

First thing I did was make myself a warming cup of java, (Clarisse has kindly let me use a nifty insert, from her machina, for my Mr C❁ffee, until I obtain my own capsule, which allows me to use my own ground beans, in touch with my inner West Coast/Vancouver granola, tree-hugging, sustainable, environmentally friendly spirit self!), and once I'd thawed sufficiently I set off for GI to pick up a few items needed for dinner.

Back home to shower and change while Coriandre, now back from Volunteer Madness, busied herself food preparation, aided and abetted with a stiff glug of white wine. Rest of gang drifted in as curling and work schedules allowed and we enjoyed a simply divine meal. Coriandre did steaks and salmon to poifection, along with roasted spudolinos. Clarisse cheese drenched broccoli and Chloë put together a sizzingly tangy, paint melting garlic/tahini/tofu Caesaré! Rosita came through with a chocolado pudding angel food boithday cake and I was suitably Hip Hip Hoorayed before ceremoniously extinguishing 66 candles, a veritable pyrotechnical candelabra, and cutting the first slab!

I am now the proud owner of a Doro PhoneEasy, 604-657-9998,  mobile for Dummies! Cora Lee claims that she was worried that I might have a flat or an accidento on way to Horseshoe Bay or Box Canyon Road or Oliver, per esempio. All well and good but I know, in my heart of hearts, that she would be too, too busy and/or annoyed to receive such a call and interrupt her volunteer schedule or reading or watching The Young & The Restless to come and rescue me. Guess I'll have to enter Admiral Barnacle's number as my Emergency Contact as he stays cocooned, these icy days, aboard his Rum Runner, sipping dark rum, of course, moored at Spruce Harbour Marina, just down the way, so at least he will be home should I need to call! 

Full day of errands on Saturday. We bought our tree at AL's lot on 54th and Granville and tied it, along with the one Chloë had decided upon a few days earlier, (She had worked a shift on wednesday evening there, along with Flamin' and Sarge.), to Titanium Green's roof. Picked up Maggie's ashes at the SPCA, on our way to Chloë's loft. We set her tree up and then made for home to ready ourselves for coming evening's potluck and bridge dinner. Cora Lee turned her back on sustainability, concocting a super delish Moroccan beef tagine, (in the new Martha Stewart 8 quart, turquoise cast iron pot, Macey's Thanksgiving Special, muled home by Patrizzio!), with rice, plus a white bean side dish. Clarisse had contributed her famous baking powder biscuits, Whirlygig threw together a marvellous mixed green salad and Polly Carter brought a deadly pecan pie with dollops of even deadlier whipped cream to harden everyone's arteries.
 

Lady Luck was at my side no matter where I sat or with whom I partnered. Consequently, I turned out to be have highest score but rules of hospitality meant I could not share in the ultra expensive bridge prizes, courtesy of our travel agents, O Susannah and Champagne Charlie. Nonetheless, the gang were tickled to receive their various shiny things and went away, more or less happy, although I did notice a bit of grizzling about different scoring methods employed over course of evening, the reasoning being that "certain persons" may well have been entitled to a better prize, (Whatever the Hell that might be, Dear Reader!), if this quick rubber had been acknowledged, these honour points awarded, etc., etc!

Had started out the evening with goodly snorts of the Granola of the Gods, Forty Creek Heart of Gold Canadian Whisky, 43%, (Picked up two bottles as one of my errands!), so thanks to Jugos Dom Pedro, in Naramata, for inspired suggestion:

I can’t resist sharing with you my latest whisky discovery, from a review in the Globe the weekend before last.  Forty Creek Heart of Gold, review attached, is a wonderful Canadian whisky worth every bit of its 95 points awarded by the Globe.  I managed to find a bottle in the Penticton LCB store.  The summary line, “Think of it as liquid granola – of the gods” is totally apt. Only fitting, then, that we finish off the evening with a wee dram of Edradour Vintage 2003 Bourbon Cask Matured, 57.4%, if only for the sake of comparison. All the male guests needed a few more fingares, anti-freeze for walk home, as Carters were headed for 14th and Vine, Whirlygig, 2nd/Macdonald, and Admiral Barnacle but a stumble down Seawall. Wonderful evening with wonderful food and drink and shared with wonderful, wonderful friends and family.

Talk soon, especially since I am now in the 21st Century, in more ways than 66! Fondestos and Cheers, An Older but probably Not A Wiser Nor Kinder, Gentler Patrizzio!

Hello Breaking Bad/Pisco Sour People!

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes! Glad to learn that you celebrated my ticking chronometer in your own inimitable, The Naramata, fashion You must be dreaming of Florida it with your own unseasonable weather. Cora Lee certainly is, given our cold snap! Wonderful evening, last night, with wonderful food and drink and shared with wonderful, wonderful friends, (As you so rightly and aptly note, Darling Lynne, that we couples are blessed to have.), and family.

Tree trimming time at the Isaly Inn so must away to saw off the stump before we bring the Grand Fir inside to put it in its stand. Cora Lee has just lashed three plastic milk cases together. We put the stand on this base so that there is plenty of space for expensive presents under the spreading bows! Fondestos, Love and Cheers to you hootch-filled parka people from Volunteer Woman, (She can bark out orders faster than a speeding bullet!), and An Older but probably Not A Wiser Nor Kinder, Gentler Patrizzio!

Pics: Ayn's poinsettia; Shopping Babes; M/M; bridge evening, Whirlygig, Admiral Barnacle, Pollyana; hootch anti-freeze! Ms Fixit's do-it-yourself, handy-dandy, found-item, home-improvement Christmas stand thingamajig, yet to be bungee-corded together to withstand 9.3 on the Richter Magnitude Scale of rum infused eggnog punch lurches by tipsy revellers!

Hello Spelling Error Al!
 
Thanks so much for the fond birthday wishes! Much appreciated, in spite of the fact that emotions were running high on Highland Park!  See you on Tuesday. What time? Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hello Shark Attack People!

That is a little too, too close for comfort! Awefully glad that your wine level dissuaded an approach by a hungry hammerhead! Nevertheless, you both must be dreaming of Hawaii with our unseasonable weather. Sorry I've been tardy in replying to your kind invitation. No excuses but plenty of reasons! Friday, December 27th would work well for us so if that date is still on we'd be delighted to see you then. Just let me know and we'll plan accordingly. Talk soon. Let us know about 27th. Thanks again. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Stats for today's ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/413823667#.UqUaTukNAwQ.email