mainly sunny, mild, temps 25
Clearing up and getting warmer. Great sleep last night after the barbeque. As it turned out, in the past they've had a salmon BBQ but have now decided the logistics are just too great - so it was terrific burgers, and salads and fruit, and cake.
Lonnie and Susan - our guardians - came and picked us up, looked after us, and dropped us off. Funny how close you get to people who had been perfect strangers, when thrust together in an event. A shared, unusual, experience. Like a life boat, or fox hole. or literary festival. There're no atheists at lit fests. Actually, I imagine there're quite a few.
Had a lovely day today spent mostly reading.
Oh, about the shouting kids from yesterday afternoon...I spent this morning waiting for them to wake up and shatter the peace. But it didn't come and didn't come. Then when Nancy served our scrumptious breakfast of a sort of bread pudding with cinnamon apples - but first a warm orange and cranberry homemade scone and fresh fruit salad - I asked about the kids. Seems they weren't checking in, but belonged to a couple coming next week...and leaving the kids at home. This is a kids-free Bed and Breakfast. Phew.
I honestly don't mind children...but when I've been longing for peace and quiet, and in this tranquil setting, it just would have been a disappointment to have had someone else's children shrieking around.
But - didn't happen!
Tomorrow's a big day...a six hour private cruise on the b and b's yacht, around the coast, including stopping at a beach accessible only by small boat, and a swim, lunch in the cove, then more yachting. And more suffering!
Then back by 4pm - and checking out of A Place by the Sea B and B (the best B and B we've ever stayed in!!! - as nancy, one of the owners told us when she served breakfast in our 700 square foot suite - if you have a B and B you need to get two things right. The bed, and the breakfast. Seems obvious, ludicrous to even mention, but so few B and B's really get both right. Nancy was made for the hospitality business.)
So - check out of here, and move to the Literary Festival official hotel - the Driftwood Inn, in downtown Sechelt. has the advantage of being walking distance to the fest - which offically beings tomrrow night with a cocktail, followed by Lawrence Hill's event - but the Driftwood hotel, by all accounts, has one major disadvantage.
It's a dump.
So we're lapping up as much luxury as we can get, until we move.
Hope you're enjoying the trip so far! We're having a blast.
Showing posts with label Nancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nancy. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Friday, 11 September 2009
Paging Dr. Nancy! Stat!
sunny, mild, temps 18
lovely day - great for walking.
We're back in the country - arrived back yesterday. Nice to be here...we have a huge maple tree outside our bedroom window that's turning reds and oranges...stunning! Best when there's still lots of green, for contrast.
Had lots of fun at the McGill medical party. It was to celebrate the passing of the Eric M Flanders Chair in Palliative Medicine from our friend Balfour Mount to Dr. Bernard LaPointe...so a sort of duel celebration. Of Bal's amazing career in creating Palliative care (and even coining the term) for end-of-life care - and a celebration of passing the torch to Bernard.
In his speech Bernard quoted someone (I didn't actually catch who) - who said, 'That pain in terminal illness cannot be controled is a tragedy. That it can be controlled and isn't is a scandal.'
And we live in scandalous times. The knowledge is there, in certain disciplines, to control pain, but how many of us know people who have died in agony...because that highly skilled palliative care wasn't there?
It was wonderful to be able to celebrate Bal - and see a whole bunch of people Michael and I hadn't seen in years. And fun for him to be there as a newly-minted Professor Emeritus. And I was the bit of fluff for his arm.
Oh, had a wonderful Kirkus Review for THE BRUTAL TELLING:
Penny is a world-class storyteller. If you don’t want to move to Montreal with Gamache as your neighbor—or better yet, relocate to Three Pines and be welcomed into its community of eccentrics—you have sawdust in your veins, which must be very uncomfortable.
Spent most of the day writing the novella. Am over 8,000 words. A little worried it will end up being 100,000 words - which is a few more than they want! About two hour in, just as I was on a roll, the laptop kakked out!!! Keyboard wouldn't work. Froze. Now, this had happened once before a couple of years ago...I apparently hit a few keys by mistake and it triggered the locking mechanism for the keyboard. But how to unlock?
We called Nancy...our superhero! She came immediately and after a couple of hours managed to un-install, then re-install the keyboard.
Very frustrating!!!
Oh, by the way, the wonderful Larry in Quebec City wrote to suggest holding off buying a netbook because Microsoft is coming out with a new system in late October. so that's what I'll do... Thanks Larry!
also spend a lot of the day juggling appearance requests. Said yes to a couple of book club conference calls...and also agreed to an appearance at a literary festival next August in British Columbia, and to do an author reading at the Stratford Festival, also next summer.
But need to make sure I don't agree to too much traveling. It always seems such a good idea when it's a year away! But have to say, both of these sound wonderful.
Must head off to make dinner...another barbeque. Do it while we can!
Be well.
lovely day - great for walking.
We're back in the country - arrived back yesterday. Nice to be here...we have a huge maple tree outside our bedroom window that's turning reds and oranges...stunning! Best when there's still lots of green, for contrast.
Had lots of fun at the McGill medical party. It was to celebrate the passing of the Eric M Flanders Chair in Palliative Medicine from our friend Balfour Mount to Dr. Bernard LaPointe...so a sort of duel celebration. Of Bal's amazing career in creating Palliative care (and even coining the term) for end-of-life care - and a celebration of passing the torch to Bernard.
In his speech Bernard quoted someone (I didn't actually catch who) - who said, 'That pain in terminal illness cannot be controled is a tragedy. That it can be controlled and isn't is a scandal.'
And we live in scandalous times. The knowledge is there, in certain disciplines, to control pain, but how many of us know people who have died in agony...because that highly skilled palliative care wasn't there?
It was wonderful to be able to celebrate Bal - and see a whole bunch of people Michael and I hadn't seen in years. And fun for him to be there as a newly-minted Professor Emeritus. And I was the bit of fluff for his arm.
Oh, had a wonderful Kirkus Review for THE BRUTAL TELLING:
Penny is a world-class storyteller. If you don’t want to move to Montreal with Gamache as your neighbor—or better yet, relocate to Three Pines and be welcomed into its community of eccentrics—you have sawdust in your veins, which must be very uncomfortable.
Spent most of the day writing the novella. Am over 8,000 words. A little worried it will end up being 100,000 words - which is a few more than they want! About two hour in, just as I was on a roll, the laptop kakked out!!! Keyboard wouldn't work. Froze. Now, this had happened once before a couple of years ago...I apparently hit a few keys by mistake and it triggered the locking mechanism for the keyboard. But how to unlock?
We called Nancy...our superhero! She came immediately and after a couple of hours managed to un-install, then re-install the keyboard.
Very frustrating!!!
Oh, by the way, the wonderful Larry in Quebec City wrote to suggest holding off buying a netbook because Microsoft is coming out with a new system in late October. so that's what I'll do... Thanks Larry!
also spend a lot of the day juggling appearance requests. Said yes to a couple of book club conference calls...and also agreed to an appearance at a literary festival next August in British Columbia, and to do an author reading at the Stratford Festival, also next summer.
But need to make sure I don't agree to too much traveling. It always seems such a good idea when it's a year away! But have to say, both of these sound wonderful.
Must head off to make dinner...another barbeque. Do it while we can!
Be well.
Sunday, 24 May 2009
Focus
Mainly sunny, breezy, pleasant temps 20
Not too hot, not too cold. Very nice. But lit the fire this morning since it was a little cooler and some showers. Spent the day writing...can spot the end and am racing toward it...all I want to do is writem but need to stop since I get too tired and don't want to start making mistakes.
Love this stage - it's a real gift...the best part of the writing life. When it all makes sense...everything falling into place. The characters are doing what they need to do and I'm just their diarist.
Exciting.
Email won't work on my computers...small problem. Nancy came this morning and is flumoxed...but will return tomorrow to wrestle it to the ground. If anyone can, she can. And Gary's coming over to the guest house to fix the verandah - one post seems to have spent the past 30 years resting on the septic tank - which apparently isn't a great idea. And now that the tank has been changed, we need to change that, before the verandah collapses.
Always something. But - it's amazing - when you have your health, when you have love, and the writing is going well - it's hard to have a bad day!
Need to write the June Newsletter - must fly. Speak to you soon...I hope tomorrow but with focussing on the book I find my mind isn't on the blog. First things first.
But will blog when I can!
Not too hot, not too cold. Very nice. But lit the fire this morning since it was a little cooler and some showers. Spent the day writing...can spot the end and am racing toward it...all I want to do is writem but need to stop since I get too tired and don't want to start making mistakes.
Love this stage - it's a real gift...the best part of the writing life. When it all makes sense...everything falling into place. The characters are doing what they need to do and I'm just their diarist.
Exciting.
Email won't work on my computers...small problem. Nancy came this morning and is flumoxed...but will return tomorrow to wrestle it to the ground. If anyone can, she can. And Gary's coming over to the guest house to fix the verandah - one post seems to have spent the past 30 years resting on the septic tank - which apparently isn't a great idea. And now that the tank has been changed, we need to change that, before the verandah collapses.
Always something. But - it's amazing - when you have your health, when you have love, and the writing is going well - it's hard to have a bad day!
Need to write the June Newsletter - must fly. Speak to you soon...I hope tomorrow but with focussing on the book I find my mind isn't on the blog. First things first.
But will blog when I can!
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