So, it's Turtledove Day—a.k.a., The Second Day of Christmas, or First, depending on how you count it in your part of the world—and for no other reason than that it gets me active on Vox before Jax, I tell the story of a discovery and I pose a question:
Yes, I admit, we live in a smug place. It’s subtle, but it’s inevitable that the constant gorgeous weather lulls Victorians into complacency. Then the ‘arctic outflow’ hits and a mere 5 cm of snow paralyzes the populace. A mere coverlet to cool a hobbit’s toes, as Tolkien would have put it.
Jax and I have turned a corner of sorts - perhaps it's that after two years of both of us working like mad and having to resort to pre-fab food, we've reached our limit. As our friends across two continents will know, we love good food. We love cooking it, and we love feeding it to guests. And now, with three new cookbooks from two of our fav UK cooks in the house, it's time to make a change.
Okay, so after you get over the shock of seeing a new post here after more than a year's absence, get a load of this amazing piece of documentary journalism. Paul Merton, beloved by J and me as ascerbic co-panelist on Britain's Whose line is it anyway?, seeks out and interviews one Mr. Woo during his series Paul Merton in China. Mr. Woo belongs to "The Schmo-heads" - as President and Chief Architect.
This weekend was a good example of why I’m happy to be where I am. First off, one of the premier sailing events in North America, Swiftsure, took place over Saturday and Sunday (not counting all the festivities beforehand, which I didn’t take in). One of the best things about moving back to Island is that I now know several sailors, so in my 40s I’m finally going to get a chance to do some serious sailing.
Sunday evening I followed through on the bacon and blue cheese theme (!!??) when I went out with some of the university students we know through the church. A bunch of us went to the Irish Times Pub, on the assumption (correct, as it turns out) that there would be some hot music in the offing. I got all teary over my Guinness and—get this—Irish Poutine (so called). Those of you who are familiar with our various cultures north of the 49th parallel will know about the ‘real’ poutine. This was better: thick chunks of salty Irish bacon and crumbled Roquefort cheese over perfectly-cooked fries (chips), all covered in lovely chicken gravy (probably out of a can). The music was very good—just the right mix of recognisable tunes bent ever so lightly to the West Coast. Don’t ask me what I mean by that.
Come visit soon!
Those who have seen Jax's posting on the Sony Bravia 'Colour Like No Other' advert may also wish to be stunned by the behind-the-scenes story. We love it, not least because the whole thing was set in Glasgow, not that far from our old stomping grounds.
So I had the senior high youth and their leaders over for eine kleine kaffeehaus on Friday while Jax was basking in the snow-rays on Lake Cowichan. The casual topic of conversation as we drank our mocha lattés (or double brevés for me) and snacked on those amazing mini-rice cracker + nut snacks, was ‘Pop culture’. Yep, intentionally vague. I was interested in what’s cool with the under-20 set here in balmy (ha!) Victoria, and what makes things cool, or not.
In the course of events, someone started google-ing all the leaders (good thing we’d all passed our criminal record checks!), and that led to funny videos people had seen, which led inexorably to YouTube, and this (thanks to Kim):
Show us something in need of attention.
Submitted by little♫miao.
What’s up for the new year, I wonder? And why is it that we can fixate on a date, and assume (hope? determine?) that ‘things will be different this year’?
I’m not trying to be cynical. No, really. Because what’s really fascinating is how we do manage (sometimes) to make things different. Sometimes more successfully than those moments during the year when we say to ourselves, ‘Now I’m turning over a new leaf!’
I wonder if it has something to do with the dramatically reduced levels of bremsstrahlung radiation caused when the muon spin reverses direction in the brains of billions of determined leaf-turners-over all over the world, all at one time. Changing one’s fate is more likely to be successful in the absence of bremsstrahlung radiation. Makes sense when you think about it.
Show us an unforgettable memory from 2006.
Won’t forget this one in a long while. It was pretty trippy singing in a place as old (and big) as this.
Recent Comments
-
Andrew said:
There's this great little Algerian bakery close to my place that makes fantastic croissants and chocolatines. There's also some fantastic... read more
on Homegrown Gems -
Jamie said:
Well, I guess I'd have to say bird houses and feeders. We buy them from a local shop called The... read more
on Homegrown Gems -
jax said:
What a depressing site at 7:30am on a Sunday morning. The garden even looks cold. Is winter over yet? read more
on Go ahead, laugh -
Andrew said:
This is fantastic, C. I've already 'passed it on' to others. Viral recipes at their best! read more
on Foodies unite!
Jamie: Jax says 'hi' back - she's feeling guilty about not blogging recently, but life's been in the crapper lately.... read more
on Homegrown Gems