Mill Hill Broadway Blues: Friday, October 18th

What I like in a good author isn't what he says, but what he whispers. -Logan Pearsall Smith, essayist (1865-1946) 

Heroism by order, senseless violence, and all the pestilent nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how I hate them! Albert Einstein; The World As I See It; 1949. 

I was up at just after 6:00 am to spend my time in kitchen with cats, (Pig Pen Mimi Mimenheimer, (her coat is a mass of twigs, burrs and leaves), Tinker Bell and Cookie, Penny's/Lisa's cats, last two), sipping java and trying to make a few feeble inroads on neglected Diaries. Put on a load of laundry, mainly things I was planning to leave with Jamie as I hoped to be able to dry them outside, forecast calling for sunshine. 

Jamie called at just after 8:00 am as we had arranged to try to get together to say a short goodbye. He had been assigned a number of unexpected work shifts, (He does "Market Research", quite successfully, it turns out.), which he was unable to change so we couldn't get together either of the two evenings we were in London. He was free that morning so I invited him to come for breakfast and Cora Lee did up a wonderful frittata, together with bacon and toast, so we had a grand visit over meal before he had to leave, taking my boxed possessions along with a number of bottles of wine and beer and some of my cast-off shirts, still in almost mint condition but viewed by the Fashion Police to be outdated. Jamie is a wonderful chap but his clothes' sense makes me look like I model for GQ. At any rate, I usually pack, at the beginning of a trip that involves stopping in London, with a mind to leaving a number of shirts with him so that I can add to his wardrobe and prune my own. Funnily enough, though not totally unexpectedly, he was wearing the rugby shirt I had left him in 2005, (I kid you not!), that I had bought in New Zealand in 1992. Glad to say it was still in good nick although long past the FP's use by date!

Just before he left, Penny was back from a number of appointments, acupuncture and badminton, and had returned to collect Cora Lee for a pedicure. Once we dais or goodbyes and Sir James was off to work, I busied myself with last of re-packing, as did Cora Lee. Fortunately, for us, we both had made considerable progress so we were both much relieved. Before The Sisterhood left to pamper themselves, around 2:00 pm, I was instructed to buy pork loin at the same butcher's shop as yesterday, for the night's dinner. Worked away on more email for an hour or so and then back to the High Street for meat and a few more vegetables, carrots, in particular, for my "picnic lunch" at Gatwick.

[Patrick James Dunn I'll take both! We arrive at 11:10 am so we'll make our own way from the airport! See you later today! Love, Nana and Dad!

Chloe Alexis Dunn Have a safe flight !! Remember please buy lots and lots of Angel perfume!!!! Love you.]

Penny dropped Cora Lee off around 4:00 pm and then she was off to see her accountant about a hefty tax bill, a direct result of the sale of her rental property. Once again, we set about preparing dinner and close to 6:00 pm Lisa, Penny's youngest arrived to dress for a birthday party for her close friend, Lauren, who was back in town. (I played a small part in reconnecting her with her long lost brother, Tyler, a few years ago. Last family had heard he was somewhere on Vancouver Island. 
Turned out he had moved near Comox and I did a simple 411 search and left a message, on his answering machine, along with a number of others on other people's voice mail! He ended up calling his parents and they were reunited. Finally a happy ending! She had wanted a change in her life and so had moved to LA, (Event Planner at Credit Suisse), a year or so ago and was back for a brief visit. Funnily enough she is living and working in Simi Valley where we house/cat sat last Christmas for a cousin. Since it is, more or less, a bedroom community she is feeling a bit lonely, isolated, etc., and so we've asked Ayn, our eldest, who lives near Studio City, if she could take her under her wing for a bit as I know she would appreciate it. Lauren is a lovely young woman and I'm quite sure Ayn would really quite enjoy her company.
 

Chloe Alexis Dunn:Ernest Ice Cream I ️you.

Poured the Birthday Girl and her other friends glasses of the CV Bacchus, more wine cellar reduction, before they left for their restaurant/night club. Penny arrived shortly before they climbed into Lisa's car, (We had just learned that she is about 4 months pregnant so she was obvious designated driver!), so she was pleased to have a quick visit with Lauren before they sped away into the London night. 

Penny's boyfriend, Madcap Mike, was unable to join us for dinner as he had family commitments of his own. He is a wonderful chap and we certainly enjoyed his company over the course of our earlier visits but understood why he couldn't make it. Once again we had a grand time chatting over scrumptious meal and Penny even brought out some old photo albums showing us pictures of ourselves from 1997 when we'd visited, en route to an IFLA Conference in Aarhus! Into bed just before 10:00 pm as we needed to be up by 4:00 am in order to be ready to take a taxi to Gatwick at 5:00 am!

Hi Giggster!

Guess you might already be in Portland when you read this message. Please send along best wishes to everyone there and hope it is another grand tournament. Sure it will be.
Sunday was a very lazy day. I spent most of the morning and early afternoon doing laundry and repacking while Rosemary and Cora Lee walked into Chabeuil.

I planned to leave all of my biking gear with R/A so wanted to wash all my cycling togs after they'd done yeoman's service along the Canal de Garonne and environs. Just for the record, I scored a hat trick over last three days aboard Damazan, riding over 100 km on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday:Wednesday, October 9th's ride stats:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/388094564#.UlWfxgaOZ6s.email

Thursday, October 10th's ride stats:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/388568968#.UlcXpdQk4UI.email 

Friday, October 11th's ride stats:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/388835466#.UlgpRUQnGYg.email

 

Once I had sorted most of the gear I was leaving behind, I helped Andre move some of the small rocks he is using to construct the wall of his impressive boules pitch. With a wheelbarrow we sorted various sizes for different parts of the pitch and had just about finished with the last remaining bits and pieces when The Sisterhood returned from their extended walk. We then repaired inside and had a more than delicious lunch of various cold cuts, cheeses and delicious tomatoes and chutneys/pickles, all grown/preserved by Andre.

After this wonderful meal I went back downstairs to finish my repacking. Had given my bike a good cleaning on Friday after I was back from my ride so didn't really need to do anything with it. Pleased with progress I'd made I had a glorious nap for about an hour and a half. 

Around 4:00pm Rosemary told me it was time to get up and the two of us walked into the village to take a look at the event, held in the town's cultural centre, "Ten years ago, ten years after", celebrating the 10th anniversary of the International Conference Tintin. (Rosemary and Cora Lee had seen it advertised on their walk.) Never was able to discover why this event started in Chabeuil but since I'm a Tintin fan, I was delighted by this chance. Of course, I was hoping that there would be fridge magnets available for sale!

Conference was starting to wind down when we arrived so we didn't even have to pay the €3 entry fee. We sat in on a presentation, all in French, but reasonably easy to follow the slides, having to do with the ways in which Hergé's iconic red rocket, Destination Moon/Objectif Lune), has been used in popular culture. Then wandered around the kiosks selling Tintin memorabilia, everything from costumes to figurines of all the characters, ships, vehicles, etc. Magnets that were being sold were as complete sets, one around €90. Funnily enough, I had two of the ones included, bought when in Cannes with Mom in 1993. Still, it was great to have been part of this able to witness this gathering of enthusiasts and followers of Snowy and Captain Haddock.

Back home by 5:00pm I decided I'd go for a short ride and so suited up and headed out. Knew a bit about the area as we'd ridden a number of times when we'd visited in 2012 with Flamin's and Sarge. Had used their small, foldable bikes then and I must say i was quite impressed with where we had ridden after this outing. Hadn't really appreciated how far we had had to climb on the hills behind Chabeuil. On my Navigator, with all its gears, it was not a big deal but still a good grind, at times. On the five or so gears of the other bikes it was certainly more of a struggle. Nevertheless, I was pleased to have been able to revisit the route, and a bit more, and would certainly love to explore this region in the way I did the villages and countryside around Neffiès. Stat's for Sunday's ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/389974085#.UmFHssVR4KI.email  

 Back home to find Cora Lee still asleep, (She'd instructed me not to disturb her when I was back from my walk!), so I roused her and we joined Rosemary and Andre upstairs for pre-dinner drinks, malt for the Lads and white wine for The Babes. Another incredible meal from Andre, a stuffed roast of pork, with a vegetable cassoulet and a green salad I'd thrown together. Couple more bottles of red from our travelling wine cellar and we were all happy as clams. We sat around the table, after the leisurely meal, continuing to chat and before we knew it, it was close to 11:30pm. Andre had to be up reasonably early for a doctor's appointment next day and Cora lee and I were planning a quick run to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, about an hour and a half away, to the south, for a spot of wine-tasting, so we bade each other goodnight and made for our bedrooms. Once I'd brushed and flossed I even managed a chapter or two of M is for Malice, helping Kinsey to track down the person who murdered Guy Malek, before I switched off my bedside lamp, Cora Lee already in Dreamville.  
Andre had already left by the time we went upstairs for breakfast so after we'd had a light breakfast and hung up some of the last laundry we were doing, we set out for the closest Intermarché, the local butcher being closed on Monday. We were in search of Guinée volailles/Guinea fowls as turkey isn't available, typically, here in France. Once we'd found store, in next village north, and did what little other shopping we needed for our Thanksgiving dinner away from home, we headed back to Chabeuil to drop off our purchases and then made straight for Châteauneuf-du-Pape, on the toll road. Since one can zip along at 130 km/h were there about 12:30 pm. Tiny, charming village, wall-to-wall Caves, of course, so once we'd found some on street parking, we decided to have lunch before the grueling work of wine-tasting.

Happened upon La Mule du Pape, right off the tiny town square, and had a simple but stunningly tasty Boeuf Bourgignon for but €9, along with a truly remarkable local red, 2009 Domaine de la Cote de L'Ange, 15%. Wonderful service, wonderful food and wonderful wonderful wine! After our magical meal we strolled the streets, just following our noses uphill towards the local church. I suggested we start tasting at the top of the village and then work our way back, reasoning it would be easier to roll downhill when tipsy! As it happened we came upon a Cave that we thought was closed, sign announcing By Appointment Only. I had knocked on the door before I translated the sign and so thought we'd have to find another cellar. Had only just turned my back on the door when I heard someone calling from inside so I asked if place was closed. Woman answered in English saying that she would come around to back entrance as her boss had not left her the key to front door. A minute or so later she emerged from a door opposite a short wall over which we were afforded a gorgeous view of the surrounding countryside.

As we chatted in the sunshine, taking in the vineyards, we introduced ourselves. Her English was very good and I detected a South African accent. Turned out Iben is Danish but was married to a South African for about 10 years, I believe. At any rate we discovered she was from a Silkeborg, about an hour from Aarhus, both places familiar to us as we'd first visited there in 1997. Into the Cave, (a true cave with rough stone walls, ceilings and floors., stairways and floors, quite dark until our eyes adjusted), itself to taste, over the course of almost two hours, about 9 wines, all but two, local reds. (Whites account for only 3% of production here so are not very well known, although in our estimation they certainly deserve to be.) Person Iben works for, Guy, isn't a winemaker but rather represents about 34 wineries from the appellation. Pretty high end bottles, cheapest about €29 all the way to €59, so we enjoyed every sip between getting to know Iben and much about her life.

She was quite a character and she really enjoyed our company, I believe. I thought she seemed a bit "tipsy" when we first met and it turned out that she and a number of friends had "tied one on" the evening before. She readily admitted that she was suffering from a pretty serious overhang when she showed up for work that morning and so had hefty snorts of the wine she poured for us, telling us, quite frankly, that it was "the hair of the dog" that she needed. Over the course of the tasting we told her about the the wine we had enjoyed at lunch and she knew both the winemaker and his wife, Corinne! Iben has a ten year old daughter, as does Corinne, and this was first how they met, through school, etc. Although Domaine de la Cote de L'Ange isn't part of their portfolio, she spoke very highly of the wine and told us where to find the winery.

Really a terrific introduction to this incredible appellation so after buying a "cheap" bottle, (I was used to paying €12-€14 for an expensive bottle in Languedoc!), aforementioned €29, we thanked Iben and made our way back down hill. She had told us where her apartment was and said we should take a look at it from the street. Once where we thought it was, across the street from an Épicerie, I asked a chap standing on the corner if he knew where Iben lived. He replied that of course he did as he was her Brazilian boyfriend! She had told us about him. He is a journalist who works for the Brazilian government reporting on health issues. He has a son and a French ex-wife in Toulouse but not quite sure how he and Iben met in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Extremely friendly, he immediately invited us upstairs to see the apartment. Quite a large place, on three levels, culminating in a decently sized, covered rooftop deck/patio. Place looked like a hurricane or twister had been through so it must have been quite a party. Nonetheless, fun to see how and where locals, or at least some of them, live.

   
Waving goodbye, we made for our car and following Iben's directios we were soon parked outside Domaine de la Cote de L'Ange. As soon as three other tasters had made their purchases Corinne conducted our tasting. Really liked their white blend but was even more infatuated with the red from lunch. Funnily enough, there is a different label for the wine which is exported to the US, showing 14.5% as the alcohol level. I knew our bottle had been 15% but couldn't quite figure out why one we tasted, same year, showed lower level. To fool the taxman! Anyway, it was simply a delight to find such a tiny operation especially when we had no idea of where to even start out tasting experience. Bought two whites, for Rosemary, to thank her for stay, and four of the lunch reds and, as a treat, a Mourvèdre, their most expensive wine, weighing in at €66!

Back to the toll highway and left Châteauneuf-du-Pape behind at just before 5:00 pm. Must say that I have found the speed limits to be intoxicating, (and I'm not a high speed thrill seeker by any means), so I zoomed along, often topping 140 km/h as we made our way back towards Valance. This being the case we were back in Chabeuil not much after 6:00 pm. Unloaded our wine and then headed straight for the kitchen to start dinner preparations. Cora Lee, with Andre's help, readied the Guinée volailles, while I chopped oniones and garlic. That task accomplished I prepared the potatoes and when they were ready to be put on to boil, I went back downstairs to finish my last minute packing. 

When I was almost fully packed, andre came downstairs and I helped him with my bike.  I had given the chain one last cleaning/oiling after my ride on Sunday. Earlier that day Andre had put two hooks into the ceiling of the large storage/workshop area and we suspended my Navigator above a workbench. This will keep bike out of the way as well as not having it rest on the tires. Hope to return to Europe next year but one never knows about the best laid plans Of Mice and Men! This accomplished, I had a quick shower and then rejoined gang upstairs. We enjoyed a truly scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner, above mentioned Guinée volailles, done poifectly, tender and succulent and

ever so tasty, Butternut squash from Andre's garden, tomatoe/basil, (again, all from Andre's garden), and fresh Mozzarella salad.Two bottles of the Domaine de la Cote de L'Ange for the red drinkers, more of their white for Rosemarie!

Dessert was an agonizingly delicious array of delectable cheeses and grapes, both red and white, from the vines twining up the front balcony of the three story house and the summer kitchen walls. Life at Le Colombier, the name of the former, grand farmhouse, is pretty damn good, let me tell you, Dear Reader! More malt to make everything blend in and then it was time for bed. During our visit in 2010, apparently I'd used too, too much dish detergent so I'd been banned from washing up. Consequently, I only had to worry about brushing and flossing so once I'd set alarm for 6:00 am I put my head on the pillow and was nodding off when Cora Lee finally turned off her bedside lamp.

Up a few minutes before alarm actually went off so crept out of bed and closed bedroom door. Tip-toed upstairs to blast my java in microwave and put last load of laundry, done evening before, in the dryer. Back downstairs to have a quick shower and then answer a few email messages. Cora Lee popped her head out of bedroom around 7:00 am and I told her that out TGV didn't actually leave valance until 11:38 am! Fro some reason I thought it was an hour earlier. Needless to say she wasn't very happy with me as she's have loved to stay in bed for another hour or so. 

Anyway she went to shower and I finished packing our lunch for coming train trip. Upstairs to gather up laundry and Rosemary was up. Told her about train departure

Reminder of your upcoming shifts for Sunday, October 20, 2013 to Sunday, November 3, 2013

Monday, October 21, 2013 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Gala: Literati - Reception Bar Servers
Vancouver Writers Fest

Tuesday, October 22, 2013 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Food & Beverage - Food & Beverage Crew-Studio 1398
Vancouver Writers Fest
 

Wednesday, October 23, 2013 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Food & Beverage - Food & Beverage Crew-Studio 1398
Vancouver Writers Fest

Thursday, October 24, 2013 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Food & Beverage - Food & Beverage Crew-Studio 1398
Vancouver Writers Fest

Friday, October 25, 2013 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Food & Beverage - Food & Beverage Crew-Studio 1398
Vancouver Writers Fest

Saturday, October 26, 2013 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM Food & Beverage - Food & Beverage Crew-Studio 1398 Vancouver Writers Fest

Sunday, October 27, 2013 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM Food & Beverage - Crew Captain-PW Events Vancouver Writers Fest

 Sunday, October 27, 2013 12:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Food & Beverage - Crew Captain-PW Events
Vancouver Writers Fest

Sunday, October 27, 2013 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Food & Beverage - Crew Captain-PW Events
Vancouver Writers Fest

This notification was sent by a computer program and not a real, live human being. The program is smart enough to send emails but it can’t read replies. (Please do not reply to this message.)

Michele Darrow-Sutherland

Michele Darrow-Sutherland: "Trip to Amailfi coast on hold for one day while Italian airport goes on strike. Thanks to our travel agent, Jennifer Nash we are not very comfortably set up in 5star hotel in Athens! thanks Jen!!" June Burton Hi Patrick, Myrtle has only just got back to me. She has already made an arrangement which she's not able to change. I'm sorry that we cannot meet up with you. I hope you have a good trip back. Many thanks again for letting us stay at your place in Vancouver. I hope that we can meet again soon. Kind regards, June x