Night Music: Jennifer Warnes

Controversial Poetry

Here is a seven-minute piece: Gyorgy Ligeti’s Poeme Symphonique for 100 Metronomes as featured at OpenCulture today.

Relax into it. Seven minutes goes by pretty quick. I like this.

An Odd Week

Blogging has been very slow around here this last week or so. That’s down to a couple of reasons.

The first is because I have been going through my collected papers on a research project that I am keen on moving forward with.  I have also been collecting and reading new monographs on the same subject, reminding myself how much I enjoy that.  This does take up a great deal of time, and blogging has had to take a second place.

But then our comfortable unscheduled lives was thrown over last week when Vancouver was visited by two non-blood relatives from Kansas and Nebraska, one of whom is an 80-year old lady with a walker. Their visit was no surprise — it had been discussed for months. However, what was unexpected was the expectation by them that we would be with them at all times during their stay. They were completely mobile and able, having driven up from Seattle and found our address without drama. They were just needy, I guess.  We had thought we might take them out  to dinner one night, spend part of a day in town with them, perhaps, and invite them over for tea. But that wasn’t what they had planned.

On the first full day, Wednesday, the ever-loving took them to Granville Island and around the Drive. We took them to dinner at Marcello’s. It was all very pleasant and the cannelloni was wonderful. On Thursday, it was the North Shore with the Sea Bus, the Quai, and great soup.  In the evening we drove down to English Bay. Herself was keen to shown off the laughing Buddhas, and then we got an excellent bay-view table at Milestone’s. We had a very satisfactory dinner (my Mile High Chorizo Fries was fabulous) while watching the sun set slowly over the eager swimmers and board-sailers.

Friday was our anniversary and we had planned to relax and enjoy ourselves. But no!  Our less-than-mobile 80-year old visitor insisted that she visit Bridal Veil Falls and, more, she insisted we join her.  So we spent most of our anniversary in the back of a car driving Highway One to and from Bridal Falls Park. None of us had been there before, and so none of us knew in advance of the 15 minute steep hike there is to get to the Falls themselves.  Oh well, three of us enjoyed our time at the Parks benches while the non-80-year-old forced her way up the hill to take photographs. Then, of course, another 90 minute drive home again.

On the way home, we stopped at an ABC Country restaurant. When you just need consistent roadhouse food, those are the places to go. Breaded veal cutlets, liver and onions, Salsbury Steak, all with mashed potatoes and mixed veg. Basic food, love it.  We celebrated our anniversary with two small fruit crumbles.

On Saturday, as their goodbye to the City, we had already booked to take our friends to brunch at Seasons In the Park and we spent a delightful couple of hours enjoying (me) a smoked salmon benny and the best views of the City. Then we could finally say goodbye to them as they aimed for the 99 and I5 and five more days in Seattle.

I have napped almost constantly since they left. Socializing is over-rated!