Randy Bennett Blues: Wednesday, April 29th!

A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking. -Jerry Seinfeld, comedian (b. 29 Apr 1954)

Longtime Canadian swim coach Randy Bennett, who helped Victoria's Ryan Cochrane reach the podium at the last two Summer Olympics, has died. Swimming Canada says he passed away Monday night at the age of 51. Bennett was recently diagnosed with metastatic malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer.


The Victoria native served as national team coach at the London Olympics and has coached Canada's top senior teams at every major international competition since 2009. He has been with the High Performance Centre-Victoria since 2008 and worked with Cochrane, 2013 world championship medallist Hilary Caldwell and 2012 Olympian Alec Page. Over the years, Bennett had also worked with Marianne Limpert, Rick Say, Julia Wilkinson and Mike Mintenko.

Black Widow Winery Spring Wine Club Shipment: We are happy to offer our Club members first choice of our 9 fantastic new wines being released May 1st! Many of these wines are produced in small lots and are available winery direct only. Our own winemaker's selection for the Spring 2015 shipment is as follows: 2014 Pinot Gris, 2 bottles @ $21 each; 2014 Gewurztraminer, 1 bottle @ $22; 2014 Schonburger, 1 bottle @ $25; 2014 Oasis, 2 bottles @ $22 each; 2014 Muscat, 1 bottle @ $25; 2014 Syrah Rose, 1 bottle @ $23;2013 Phobia, 2 bottles @ $27 each; 2013 Red Back, 1 bottle @ $32;2013 Pinot Noir, 1 bottle @ $30

Dear Black Widow Winery! I must apologize for not contacting you sooner. No excuses but plenty of reasons! The long and short of it is that my wife and I are moving to Penticton on May 29th and we have been swamped getting ready to leave. Since we will be living but 20 minutes away, if Spring shipment has not yet been sent, please hold it and we will collect case ourselves. We will be coming up to Naramata on May 14th/15th so perhaps we could pop by the winery if you will be open. Otherwise our friends there could pick up case when someone is in Tasting Room.

Hi Patrick – no worries, hope the move goes smoothly. We will adjust your order and send a revised confirmation. We won’t likely have the orders ready until around May 15th in any event, and can certainly hold it here for pickup. All the best! Dick

Hi Dick! Thanks very much for quick reply and good wishes for move. Given what you mentioned, we'll probably drop by the winery in early June, once we've had a chance to unpack our wine glasses. Will need a few bottles of your wonderful wine to de-compress, I'm sure. Thanks again. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pic: Some of the possessions ready to go!

Here is another ride Pat!! Fyi!!! Jane Hi Calamity, Pile Drivin' Man and Broom(Mor)hilda! Quite funny to receive your note about ride, (Thanks but I'm already planning a longish outing to Iona to see if I can see Needle-Toothed Morita from the end of the outflow pier, chewing on a Killer Whale!), as I was just thinking about sending along a message. See below but quite a long preamble so pour yourself a large glass of wine or tumbler of malt and proceed to the end, in one sitting! Given that you have followed my earlier instructions to the very letter of the law, you are now entitled to refill your glass and tipple away to your heart's content. 

Mme Coriandre just returned from lunch with Sandra Singh, City Librarian, a small thank-you for all her Friends of VPL work, and a Costco run. Big AL and Colleen are coming for dinner tomorrow eve, along with Flamin' and Sarge, so we needed some baloney and white bread for dinner! She now wants to watch her very favourite fluff, The Young-and-the-Rest-of-Us, so she commands I leave for either a ride or the gym. She doesn't even want me to pack so you can tell how badly addicted she has become! Fondestos from The Soap Fiend to you three. Cheers, Banished but not Broken, Patrizzio!

Pics: While waiting for Aquabus, what should I spy but this svelte rum-runner, trailing oodles of dope smoke, making for the open seas! Snaps taken on stroll to closed gallery and back to pond!

Stats for ellipticizer: 3.5 milos over 70 minuten to burn 1,157 calorifics and climb 15,067 verticales!


Dear Friends, Hot News!!

An update on the Conservatory of Music Mother’s Day Musical Garden Tour May 9^th & 10th Remember tickets for the garden tour can be purchased on line for the ten homes Children Free.  Adults $5.00 for a ‘Single Drop In’ garden if you are only attending one garden Your ticket can purchased at our gate 2551 MacDonald Dr.

As you enter our mystical garden through massive wrought iron gates here your world will begin to change.  Stroll Gardens are pleasure gardens that date back centuries

You will be at first overwhelmed with the profusion of color as Rhododendrons and Azaleas will  be ablaze with bright red, pinks & whites symbolizing their fragile and ephemeral beauty and chosen for their esthetic appeal. When you first step onto large stepping stones you must begin to walk slowly and with purpose in order to observe the beauty around you of carefully composed landscapes mixed with different elements.  Stone, Pebbles, River Rocks representing serpentine Rivers are used everywhere as Stones are a symbol of the forces of nature that anchor the garden to the ground.

As you continue to stroll along the large stepping stones that lead to the side of our home you will descent down a long smooth stone path and to the right you will observe Red Bamboo fencing that is a frame work for bamboo and large irregular stones that flow down the side of the path symbolizing a Mountain with cascading pea gravel creatively placed symbolizing Water. Here you must begin to use your imagination the primary element of Japanese Stroll gardens are designed to symbolize something larger in nature, a compilation of metaphors.

Stepping stones lead you to the entrance of our Enchanted Forest and beauty is all around you with magnificent Red Japanese Maples –‘ Acer Palmatum Inabe Shidare’ in full bloom that frames each picture.  

A canopy of magnificent trees sheltering shade plants are mesmerizing as you begin to walk along a maze of pea gravel paths edged with soft velvet green moss The paths wind their way through beautiful picturesque garden beds of rocks, flowering Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Japanese Boxwood, Hosta, Ferns, Sedge & Heavenly Bamboo are just a few, all creatively placed to create an ideal nature. Carefully shaped Boxwoods are metaphors symbolizing Hills & Azaleas symbolizing Clouds, the garden is designed to stimulate all our sensory qualities like three dimensional paintings and the eye is to wonder and explore.  Each plant, each Japanese Maple each rock is specifically chosen for its aesthetic appeal to create an elegant picture..

There our rock gardens everywhere you look and in order to comprehend the beauty of a Japanese Garden one must understand the beauty of stones shaped by nature until you can feel, or keenly feel that stones have character, have tones and value until then the whole artistic meaning of a Japanese garden cannot be revealed to you.  Every stone is chosen with a view in its expressionless form. As you continue to stroll along the paths you must always be mindful to stay on the path as you begin to sense the crunching of the stones beneath your feet. Ahead is a huge & expansive ridge of rock marked by a large Fuji Lantern to guide you and a Red Bench for you to stop, reflect & admire the beautiful scenes and settings revealed. Paths lead to beds of flowering Hellebores nestled in velvety moss & you will feel the wind rustling through beautiful Bamboo groves

The garden soon reveals that Rocks, Lanterns and Bridges are symbols that tell a story and the path leads you to large stepping stones.   Along its sides of the path our huge hundred pound boulders on a Dry Rock River Bed that is an expression of Nature & a symbol of the Sea.  These huge boulders support a magnificent sixteen foot Red Japanese Bridge that is totally in harmony with nature as Red represents a Life Force and the Bridge is a metaphor, symbolizing crossing from One World onto the next, Paradise. The Fuji Lantern at the foot of the bridge guides your journey and another magnificent Red Japanese Maple, ‘Acer Palmatum Inabe Shidare’ frames the picture. On this beautiful Red bridge you must stand, pause, look out and reflect on a journey you have taken through our stroll garden that can arouse emotional instincts, feelings, for you have embarked on a Walking Meditation your immutable timeless bond with nature.

The journey ends on a lush lawn symbolizing the Sea & the round gardens surrounding the lawn symbolize Islands that represent Immortal and Everlasting Happiness for you cannot have a Sea without Islands. These gardens are a metaphor for Islands & shaped like Tortoises for their longevity, two beautiful life size Bronze Tortoise Sculptures created by Sculptor Paul Harder are displayed on the lawn as if moving towards the islands.  Glorious Music, instrumental & singing performed by talented Young Children & Young Adults  from the Conservatory of Music echoes throughout the garden. My vibrant acrylic paintings of Red Oriental Poppies & Pandas displayed for your viewing. In our picturesque Japanese Stroll Garden my goal was to design a garden that exudes Tranquility and Beauty allowing you to experience a Spiritual & profound sense of Peace, Harmony and Serenity. A place where our Souls could find nourishment.

Thank you to:

Plant Specialist Juliann owner of Kimoff Nursery for her beautiful Japanese plants.

Creative & Skilled Carpenter, Krystoph Dwornik for designing and building our most Exquisite Red Japanese Bridge Engineering student Ben Arscott who gardened part time in the summer to help form my creation in the moving of Rock, Stone, Earth Our skilled Dutch Gardener Anthony Van Winden -who created beautiful stone work & tirelessly worked to help complete all my garden projects.

Talented International acclaimed Wild Life Bronze Sculptor Paul Harder for displaying his beautiful life size Wild Life Sculptures in  our garden

Giant Tortoise  three ft. long x twenty four in. wide  displayed on the lawn with with African Tortoises

Female Cougar  five ft. long lounging on our ridge of rock 

Arapaima Amazon River Giant Fish  five ft. long displayed on a bed of river rock 
All a must see they are so beautiful.