167 Chestnut Tinsel Town YWG Blues: Tuesday, June 21st

Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from a defeat. -Jean-Paul Sartre, writer and philosopher (21 Jun 1905-1980)

Up at 7:30 am to find Ms Margaritaville on the floor with her iPad. Not as many wind tunnel experiments from her last night so everyone slept more soundly than the night before when   Boeing was obviously paying her a handsome stipend for the gale force snores and snorts emanating from her various airways!

Hi Non-practitioners of Nephalism! I just had a message from Glasgow and they are off to Scotland next week. Coincidentally, I had an email from Jo-Anne, (You met her and Colin, her husband, at our anniversary bash, I'm sure.), from Glasgow.  They had been in Dublin for a week or so and mentioned that she is already missing the city! Told Mattt: "So much for Glasgow, Glasgow!!!" For my part, I really don't understand the fondness for Dublin either! Not sure if Guinness can compete with Talisker! Anyway, I'm drinking tequila now so I'm not to be reckoned with!

We are driving Ayn into Winnipeg this morning to catch her connecting flight back to Tinsel Town. Will run a few errands in the city before heading back. Probably return on Friday as Patti, from Petawawa, leaves then. Will spend the weekend visiting friends and family and then start trip back home on Monday. Am really enjoying Stuart MacBride's Song for the Dying, set in fictional Oldcastle but probably Aberdeen is used as the backdrop. Makes Glasgow look like the Village in Sturdies Bay! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hello Ms Tinsel Town! I trust all went well at YWG. We stopped at VacuFlo after we dropped you off to have the garage vacuum hose looked at. Al fixed it. Just needed to know how to release a catch and a minute later it was together. Then straight to Gimli Fish only the store isn't there any more! A butcher next door sells fish, however, so Lady Dar was able to buy her frozen pickerel! Apparently, according to the butcher, GF had been selling imported Russian fish cheeks, (reportedly containing high levels of radioactivity!), as local and been shut down! Not sure of all the details but investigation is on-going, I believe.
 

I went next door to Banville & Jones to buy Rosé for Rosita who has now decided it is her drink of choice for the summer! Then right onto the Perimeter and we were blasting for Falcon, Lady Dar snoozing and reading most  of the way. Back by about 4:30 pm to find Rosita in the garden and Dusty on the front patio, sunning and reading the newspaper.

Pam, Cody and Nana went to drive balls at the range, about half an hour ago. Patti was out for a walk when we arrived but she and Rachael just walked over to the golf course to see how they are faring. Overlefts for dinner when the golfers return. Lovely, lovely visit so thanks for everything. Fondestos to Los Horridos and Winston. Love, Dad!

Dear Patrick and family Hope that Clara and Dusty have had a great celebration. Loads of memories to share and a remarkable accomplishment! Glasgow isn't Dublin but it is very interesting and one can begin to understand that it was a force during the industrial revolution. The universities and colleges are very nice and the old buildings most interesting. I would say the city has had rough times in the last 20 years. Not as well off as Dublin. Quite interesting being here as the very important vote to stay or leave the EU takes place tomorrow. Who knows how it is going to go. BBC stations have nightly debates and it is pretty complicated. Will be most interested in the results. Hope the storms subside.
Tomorrow we will bus to Edinburgh airport to pick up our car and then it's off to the highlands. Cheers for now Joanne
 

Hi all, Sunday we left Ireland and flew to Scotland. Landed at Edinburgh and took a bus to Glasgow. Found our way from the bus station to our hotel, and settled in. Got up Monday and went down and met Don for breakfast. Afterwards walked down to Souiciehall Street and got on a hop on hop off tourist bus. Did the whole curcuit plus and then got off and went for lunch. Neat old pub in a former Bank of Scotland building - The Counting House. It had a domed ceiling in the centre. Afterwards, walked across the main square and looked in on the city council chambers. All the main foyer is done in mosaic tiles - floors, ceilings - very ornate. Then got back on the bus and went up to the Cathedral. Looked around for a bit, and then walked down the old High Street to look at the old merchant's houses and shops. Got an a bus and went back to the hotel.

Tuesday - breakfast and then back on the bus. Went to the Riverside Museum along the Clyde. It is a museum of transportation. One wall was all old motorcycles. They of course had a Bluey - the three wheeled car that Mr. Bean hated. Then it was back on the bus and on to the Kelvingrove Museum. This is a magnificent place in search of a theme. There are galleries of French Impressionists, Scottish painters, Egyptian artifacts, Celtic artifacts, stuffed animals (including an elephant and an emu) household items, and a WWII Spitfire. Great place, but weird. Last stop was the Tenement House. Tenements here are not slums. A tenement merely means a four or more story building of residential flats. Anyways, this particular flat is preserved as it was in the nineteen fifties, so it is a window back in time. Reminded me of the house in Camrose as it was before 1960. Tomorrow we leave Glasgow and head to Oban.

Colin

  

Hello Glaswegians! Enjoyed both your accounts of the city. We only spent one night there, back in 2004, so really didn't have time to explore. Hope to return at some point as we need to visit more distilleries and Edinburgh!

We drove into Winnipeg this morning as Ayn's flight left at 3:30 pm. Before heading to the airport we spent a couple of hours driving around the area where we lived before coming to Vancouver, in particular, 167 Chestnut Street. We had the top floor of a house that had been divided, upstairs and down. Seven years ago we drove by with Chloë, Ayn, Pierre and Alexander to show everyone where we had once lived. When we were taking pictures of the place one of the owners came out and invited us inside. This time we knocked on the door and Noreen came to the door and invited us in again. Cora Lee had not been along the last time so she was delighted to see all the changes that had been made. The couple have done a wonderful job of renovating and it was fun to see our former "pad".
 

Coincidentally, listening to CBC on way back, I heard a few clips about coming EU vote: Boris vs Beckham/Cameron/Soros! Pretty significant implications for leaving, of course! Am envious of you heading into the highlands so I'm drowning my sorrows in a glass of Rosita's Cinsault/Syrah Rosé, quite tasty as it's very dry! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: 167 Chestnut Street: former side-entrance leading to our upstairs suite; front upstairs verandah; window just replaced this week showing a trace of red, upper left-hand corner, from Cora Lee's first red phase! Inside of upstairs verandah where we slept in the summer; Noreen, current owner. 

Hi lads, these trips look appealing don't they?! Paired with some Talisker and Scottish oats to get ya through the day nothing could be finer! Thanks for keeping us in the loop Pat. You've had some good rides. Sounds like you and Corinne are having a wonderful time seeing the rellies! Her parents are amazing. Lovely you could all gather.

  
We are getting close to summer holidays. The 30 th is my last day. George and I will spend the Canada day weekend in Victoria. We are hoping to do some riding in Victoria and surrounds this summer. You and Corinne are always welcome to join us there or at Georgio's of course. Happy riding and have fun. Bug hugs for you and Corinne. Love Jane xo

Hello Calamity and Whirlygig! Thanks for the links but since malt was not one of the 5 items suggested to take on a cycling holiday I have little faith in your suggestions, Calamity! We should be back in Penticton by June 29th but have a clutch of Freeloaders for rest of the summer so doubt if we'll make across the Salish Sea until later in the Fall. Nevertheless, thanks for invitation. We are in town for Folk Fest. Are you around? Cheers, Patrizzio!
 
When are you back in Penticton? A couple of guys I want to do a mountain bike ride from Chute Lake to Penticton…..mostly downhill with great scenery and one of the best rides on KVR…….takes maybe 4-5 hours including some driving time. Not sure yet when we are going maybe a week or two from now depending on the participants schedules. I have not sent out to OF group as if we get too many then hauling bikes up makes logistics more complicated. Cheers……………K 

Hi St Kilian! Thanks for thinking of me for Chute Lake ride. I'm very interested. We should be back in Penticton by June 29th so let me know if that is soon enough and I'll plan accordingly. Enjoy the hikes! Cheers, Patrizzio!

I will try to time mountain bike ride in early July as others who want to go are also away. We have a truck to haul bikes up to Chute Lake but may need you to drive us back up from Penticton to Chute Lake to recover truck after the ride…..if that’s OK with you. Probably be only 3-4 of us biking allowing us to go up there in one truck. If more people surface then we will need to organize another truck to haul bikes. Stay in touch……perhaps email when you return to Penticton and I will give you an Update then. Cheers….Kilian

Hi Again. Great pics of some of the gang and it sounds like you're having lots of fun. I just got back from my grandson's kindergarten grad. So cute!! Hugs to both of you😘Olly Hi Kindergarten Grandmother! Congratulations on the graduation! Enjoy the hikes if you are back before me! Cheers, Patrizzio!
 

Hi Patrizzio, I will mark down 2 spots for you attending the Hourglass Vertical, if you can’t make it, please let us know as we will have a waiting list. Looking forward to seeing you & Corinne. Cheers! Shannon Lancaster Black Widow Winery Hi Shannon! Thanks for putting us down for tasting. Much appreciated. We'll be there but if some act of god prevents us we'll be sure to let you know! Since all the wine we brought from Penticton is gone I'm drowning my sorrows in a glass of Rosita's Cinsault/Syrah Rosé, quite tasty as it's very dry! Cheers, Patrizzio!

 

Hello Manitoba! Safely home in bed with Winston after stopping for pastrami sandwiches in Venice as neither San not Alex had eaten dinner as Samantha was buying a Chevy Equinox tonight before picking me up excuse typos...very tired Lol Love to all...as I see now there are quite a few folks in this email xoxo