Aunt Leah's Trivia Night Blues: Saturday, October 17th!

Words are not created by academics in universities and suchlike, rather it is the man in the street who does so. Dictionary compilers almost always recognise them too late and embalm them in alphabetical order, in many cases when they have lost their original meaning. -Gabriel García Márquez, novelist and journalist, Nobel laureate (1927-2014) 

Hello, Patrick - I'm so glad you and Corinne are back at Writers Fest and hosting at Studio 1398.  Another year when I don't have to rewrite that Job Description for new hosts.  You two certainly don't need any instructions or supervision.  The four shadows Kathryn has scheduled to work with you are all enthusiastic about this new volunteer position. I'm also glad you're set-up/strike CC at PW
  

on Sunday. All will be much the same as last year. I have more info from Heideh about tasks that need doing asap at the beginning of set-up.  I'll give you that list so you can assign volunteers to these tasks. And Heideh will really try not to just grab Vs off the floor but go through you if she needs someone! Looking forward to working with you and Corinne again.  See you Tuesday. Cathy A

After fueling up on two lattes, made by poifection, by Theodorakis, and enjoying a scrumptious omelette, made by Elaine, with tomatoes and hot peppers, courtesy of Jugos Dom Pedro, I suited/lubed up and headed out to ride to UBC. Left at just after 11:00 am and put my iPhone in a Ziploc bag as forecast predicted showers to start around 1:00 pm. Wended my way from Bayswater and 7th to Point Grey and then along 4th to Spanish Banks. Great to be back along one of my favourite routes, enjoying the freighters in English Bay, back-dropped by the North Shore mountains.

Even found the UBC Foreshore Hill to be a piece of cake, in comparison to many of the stepper, longer grades that I cycle back in Penticton. Whizzed along SW Marine until the Botanical Gardens and then ran into a changed traffic pattern. The Apple Festival was on so scads of pedestrians crossing Marine. Had to thread my way past the line-up of cars held up to allow people using cross-walk but once I did that I was fine and proceeded back into campus, eventually exiting onto 16th to head for Imperial to loop back towards campus on Marine. Started to sprinkle around 12:30 pm and I thought I might receive a drenching, given forecast, but no heavier precipitation fell and shortly after 1:00 pm the sun started to shine and it turned into a simply glorious day.

Spent the next hour or so, criss-crossing campus and making a number of runs along Chancellor into Little Australia and then University Blvd/16th so that I would have the distance I wanted before returning to the Bayswater B&B, via 4th and the residential streets thereabouts. Such a great outing that I almost, but not quite, regret moving away from Vancouver! Stats for ride: 

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/930568253#.ViLKtVyhOWo.email 

Home to shower and change and have a bite to eat before walking to Broadway, accompanied by Grandpa Theodore, pushing Violet, in her stroller, to visit bank and pick up some Rose's Lime Cordial, (for my riding water bottle, mixed with the wonderful home-made fuzzy water produced using the Soda Stream the Keatings own), at Safeway. Back home to visit with Famiglia Keating until Mme Coriandre arrived from helping Chloë set up for Trivia Night.

We had been invited to dinner, before fund-raiser, by Sara and Dermot, who live but a few blocks away so we were at their place shortly after 5:00 pm. Lovely time catching up with them and a simply delicious meal, courtesy of Wonder Woman, of roasted chicken, squash and anisette on a bed of quinoa, specially prepared for gluten-freeoids!

Had to leave by close to 6:45 pm as we were collecting Ragin' Bull en route to St Mary's Ukrainian Cultural Centre, just off Cambie, between 12th and 16th on Ash, venue for event. 

Doors had opened at 7:00 pm so many people were already at their assigned tables when we walked in. Eight individuals per table so we did a bit of "trading" with Team Sutherland to allow Ragin', Janet and her brother, Greg, to join us. 

[Hello everyone! Just a few snaps of the wildlife, (human and otherwise), at The Best Little Swiss Chard Hotel in Upper Kits! Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Hazel, James, Riley, Laura, Violet; Raging Grannies in pajamas! Extraterrestrial Swiss Chard from urban garden extraordinaire with its own bee hives! Violet waiting for her Grandfather chauffeur; Will, sun-glassed Hazel, Steph!] 

{Hello Fellow Brainiacs!! Just a quick note to thank you both for the simply delicious, not to say scrumptious meal. I'm coming over for overlefts! Thanks for coming and suporting Aunt Leah's! Much appreciated. Overall, we did fairly well, coming in 4th out of 25 tables so Onward! Fight! Next year WWW: WE WILL WIN!!!

Had thought today was supposed to be sunny but with off and on light rain I decided to take a rest day! Will need it as week ahead is going to be pretty busy.  Cheers,Patrizzio! Pic: brain food book centerpiece.}

  

Great good time visiting with everyone over the course of the evening and loads of laughs trying to answer the questions, some so easy as to be no challenge at all, (Who wrote the Handmaid's Tale? In which city is the Taj Mahal located?), or others so difficult that is was almost impossible to know correct answer, (How many mosquitoes would it take to drain the human body of blood? How many countries are there in Europe? Harder than you think!), so quite a bit of heated discussion! Overall, we did fairly well, coming in 4th out of 25 tables.

Cora Lee was successful with one of her Silent Auction bids, winning two pillows and a night at the Lonsdale Quay Hotel. She "announced" that we would spend our 40th wedding anniversary there next year! Janet managed to come away with two cookbooks so she was tickled. Said goodnight to everyone around 10:00 pm, thanking Chloë and all the other volunteers for the fun-filled evening. Drove our companions home and after they were safely delivered we made for our own home away from home. Both Elaine and Ted were still up so while Cora Lee chatted with Elaine, Theodorakis and I watched, in great dismay, as the Jays threw away their 3/0 lead to the Royals to be two games down going home! After that it was brushing and flossing time before reading a few chapters of my latest, Tears of Autumn, by Charles McCarry, featuring Paul Christopher, his secret agent, enmeshed in the events surrounding the assassination of JFK. Fairly recently discovered, by Mme Coriandre, I'm very taken with McCarry's style and his fascinating characters from the espionage netherworld.