Beginning of Pre-Christmas Holiday Bash Blues: Wednesday, December 10th!

 "Faith" is a fine invention / For gentlemen who see -- / But microscopes are prudent / In an emergency. -Emily Dickinson, poet (1830-1886) 

(From left) Michel Sutherland, Manager of Hospice Services The Bloom Group, Ian Young, Project Co-Ordinator, Cutler and Natalie Cutler, Principal and Creative Director, Cutler, in the nursing station of May’s Place hospice.

Michele Darrow-Sutherland Working with a fresh design company, Cutler. to revamp May's Place - one of the hospices I manage in the DTES of Vancouver

Patrick James Dunn Cora Lee just opened the paper to find you smiling back at us! Bravo! Cheers!

Patrick James Dunn Forgot to say great picture, Michelle!

Reading about the heavy rains, high tides etc and Courtney declaring a state of emergency. Hope you guys are OK. We are still in Regina where it is surprisingly mild - hovering around zero. Fly home on Thurs. Let know how you are doing. Cheers....P&J

This just in from stormy Comox. Cheers...Paul in Regina

Hi Paul! Drama at the beach! I've been awake half the night and got up about 4:30 as it was hopeless. The rain and wind are out there and the tide comes closer and closer out there in the dark. It is very noisy and very disconcerting.

Yesterday we had a high tide combined with high winds. It took out part of the beach on our access road but fortunately we eventually got the cars out and they are up at the top of the hill now. In the meantime there were logs and debris all over the road. Right now I'm sitting here waiting for the next high tide as the wind is still ferocious. It is quite something to sit here in the dark waiting and waiting as the tide creeps ever closer.

It will be over by this afternoon, at least the combination of high tide and high winds, and I'll be mightily relieved. Then will come the assessment of the damage and decisions on how to deal with it. It is actually the kind of problem that you can throw money at and fix, but the steps involved will be the tricky bit.
 

I'm still happy to be here though. Kjell is getting through it as well but would never have chosen this location in the first place. It is all a big adventure for both of us. I'll have to take more photos today. Thanks for thinking of us! We'll keep you posted! Jane

Hi Paul! Thanks for the update on Jane and Kjell! Trust they aren't washed away! Guess we'll have a detailed update in early January at a dinner organized by Bob Altwein. How goes the visit in Regina? Start of holiday festivities here. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Enjoy the singing and festive gatherings. We'll have to see if we can connect over the holidays as well as when Kjell is back in town in Jan before he returns home. We are back in town late Thurs, Air Canada willing. Talk soon....Paul

Hi again, Paolo! Be great if we can do so as haven't seen much of either of them this visit, what with move, etc. Travel safely. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Thanks for this Pat. What a night for Jane and Kjell. bob Hi Bob!You said it! Guess we'll have a detailed update in 2015! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi, Yes, i forgot to get back yesterday – a skype call to Phnom Penh yesterday evening, of 1 hour and 18 minutes duration, made me forget about everything else. Another marathon call to Germany this morning, thrust me further into a geographical disconnect. OK, i am in British Columbia at this moment and in the here and now. Reality. Storms on the coast. Lists of chores and things to get before i leave on Saturday.

Bringing Greek salad will be very welcome. Ellie and i will make the leg of lamb roast, i will make lemony Greek roasted potatoes. I can't think that far ahead on dessert – it will be something yummy, honouring that demi-god named Kaloris, up somewhere on the flank of Mt Olympus.

Time: 5:30. Does that sound good? We tend to like to eat around 6 as we are not like those stay-up-late type of folk, but i am sure we can exercise a little flexability, but only a little. :) Looking forward to this. bob 

Hello Follower of Kaloris, Hero of Bougatsa and Baklava! Will bring the Greek saladin and plan to arrive at 5:29 pm! Happy chores and packing before Departure Saturday! Cheers, Adherent Fanatical of Navarino, famous desert from Vassilis, Greek restaurant on Mackenzie and Broadway, that we often frequented when we lived at Hotel Kits! 

Hi Pat, I remember the Navarino very well. It just so happens that i am a Greek restaurant at the moment, with the iPad substituting for a plate of Kalamari. Lunch is not here yet........ oh........yes it is. bob 

Happy Christmas/Hanukkah Ellie and Bob! Best Wishes for a Healthy New Year!
Cheers, Cora Lee and Patrizzio!

Hi Kalamari Man! Forgot to thank you for the lovely card! Another marvellous, imaginative work! As you will discover, we must rely on buying ours. Nonetheless, I do like, (and hope you do as well), the Jacquie Lawson creations. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Hi Jane and Kjell! Paul forwarded your message so I wanted to let you both know that we are thinking about you as well. I also forwarded message to Bob and have had a short message back, acknowledging your nightmarish ordeal. Do hope that things will settle down. Cannot even begin to imagine how frightening the last little while must have been. Can only compare it to what happened to our friends, Nancy and David, in Berkeley, who lost their home in the terrible hill fires there in 1991. Again, our thoughts are with you both. Cora Lee sends her best wishes. Take care of each other, Patrizzio!

Thank you so much, Patrick! In fact, we're doing OK. The access road has been undermined and has to get fixed, but that's it. jane is dealing with it in an admirable way. Bestestos and fondestos to you and Corinne, Marcello

Hi Kjell and Jane! Great news that damage wasn't any worse and that road can be repaired without undue delay and expense, I trust. Fondestos from Mme Coriandre to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!                                      Hi Jean: Thanks for the lovely card and season's wishes. Trust all is well. Fondestos, Patrizzio!
 

Happy Christmas to our Favourite Cadboro Bay Folk! Best Wishes for a Healthy New Year! Cheers, Cora Lee and Patrizzio! 

Hello dear Friends, What a lovely card. Do have yourselves a wonderful Merry Christmas and perhaps we will see you in the New Year. Much Love, Jean & John 

Hi Jean! Be great if you two could cross the Salish Sea and visit Vancouver! We'd love to see you on the Mainland! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Enjoy the show! No, we don't have any of these very cute little santa elves on our piano as yet, maybe they're still on there way. Jackpot! I found my bracelet. It slid under the false bottom of my bag. Sorry! Hi Ruthless! I knew those elves were to blame! Cheers!

Patrick, I was just having cake and coffee with my Mom and she gave me the most wonderful birthday gift, a Dusty Dursten original. Can you please tell Dusty that painting #175 has found a good home though we are still looking for the right place for it to be mounted. Please also thank him for us, it is beautiful. Hope all is well with everyone out on the coast. Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas please wish the same to Clara and Dusty for us. Cheers! Tom



Hi Tom and Betty! What a lovely message! Delighted that you like the picture so much, as I know both Dusty and Clara will be. I'll be sure to pass along all your thanks and season's wishes. "Picasso" is still hard at work, every day, at his desk, with his brushes, trying to complete all the "commissions" he's received as a result of the show at Falcon this past summer.

On behalf of Clan Durston let me wish you, Betty, and you and your family, Tom, a Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year! Cheers from Patrizzio, Hewer of Yule Logs and Mulled Wine Expert!  

Here is a short clip of the big concert today��

Hi Ariane! Thanks for great clip of concert! Brings back all sorts of memories from when our girls were in same sort of school pageants! Christmas is not quite the same without such delightful events! Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Hello Patricio and Cora Lee--It's "late" Lynnie here … Late in replying and reacting to your news of a visit to Palm Desert and not late in the Ladies' No. I Detective Agency sense, at least not quite yet. I'm totally in favour of your visit and add my welcome to Peter's. I'm also envisioning that trunkfull of California wine!! 

My question now is: Could we all get together to enjoy it a bit later than the late first and early second week of February? You did mention that you had other options regarding dates and just whom you were going to visit when. I wasn't quite as on top of things as I should have been. We have an almost-agreed-upon plan with Ann (Curry) and Gary to be with us in Palm Desert from February 4-11. I've been waiting to hear from them to get the final details, which explains my tardiness getting back to you. 

Sorry … Ann has been distracted from her and Gary's plans to come to PD by her mother's not totally unexpected but rather sudden death a few days ago. So, to repeat, Peter and I are still very much looking forward to you two spending some time with us in PD. We just hope that you can put off your arrival for a few days and join us sometime in the second week of February rather than the first. I'm looking forward to having some time together with you two to go over some more details of the Ind-ja trip … as well as drink some of your fine wine … as well as enjoy what PD and area has to offer in terms of shopping, dining, outings, and such! Cheers for now, Lurkin' Lynnie XOXO

Dearest Late Lurkin' Lynnie! The right hand giveth and the left taketh! That being said, of course we can tailor our arrival to coincide with clean sheets, fresh towels and delicious chocs on our pillows! Just let us know as soon as you have a firm idea of when you'd like us to come knocking on your Palm Desert door. Once we know proposed arrival date we can work backwards to determine when best to leave Vancouver, based on route we might take. To a certain extent, this might depend on weather as we are "toying" with driving south through Colorado. We have a number of friends in Denver/Aspen and have never been to this state before. Of course, this also depends on friends there and their schedules. At any rate, we have plenty of flexibility around travel plans/dates so I'm sure everything will work out nicely for all concerned.

Enjoyed a lovely Christmas party, this evening, for the board of Friends of VPL. The current president, Judith Neamtan, hosted it at their place in Kits, but a few blocks from where we used to live. In the past the annual "thank-you" dinner has often been at a different local restaurant and pleasant enough. However, I've always been of the opinion that it is far easier to mingle when gathering is in a home, otherwise you are basically limited to chatting with people immediately beside you. Food was catered, (and it was wonderful), so that made it easier/manageable for couple hosting. Loads of fun with a more than fascinating group. Quite remarkable to hear the stories that everyone, (from students still at university to a retired orthopedic surgeon; from European countries, such aas Croatia, to the Indian sub-continent; from a number of working librarians to a school teacher/free-lance photographer), had to tell, especially after a few glasses of wine! What a grand start to the Christmas party merry-go-round! Fondestos from Mme Coriandre to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Current VAG exhibitions. Took in FC with Clara and Dusty on Tuesday; Friends of VPL Christmas party.