partly cloudy, muggy, temps 26
Had a fabulous time at Stratford. A little nerve-wracking before - but often is. Nerves. Wracking. The theatre was sold out - which always feels great. it was decided I'd go first - and Giles Blunt would go second. I'm happy with that - get it out of the way, then I can just sit and enjoy. I relaxed about halfway through the first reading. Basically, Giles and I were each given 20 minutes to read - then there' be 20 minutes for questions from the audience. And then a signing.
I decided to do a theme - of setting. The fact I deliberately chose to set my books in Canada, and mostly in Quebec. And that I wanted a very keen sense of place, so there could be no doubt. I chose three short readings. The very beginning of STILL LIFE, Gamache's arrival on the Queen Charlotte Islands from THE BRUTAL TELLING and finally a reading from BURY YOUR DEAD, describing the bitter cold, and standing in front of the Chateau Frontenac, with the massive statue of Champlain surveying old Quebec City.
It was fun.
Giles was wonderful, as always, and the audience very receptive and relaxed. Good questions too.
And then the signing, and getting to meet a lot of strangers, but - what joy - getting to meet a few of you. How terrific that was! I know many of you drove a long way to be there, and I'm very, very grateful for your effort! It was a joy to shake your hand, give and receive a hug.
Then Michael, his cousin Marjorie and his sons Vic and Mike and I all went out to the Belfry Restaurant in Stratford for lunch. It's in an old church - marvelous. Had the best dessert ever...Ontario Cherry Soup. Yum.
And now, next morning, Michael and I are at the Toronto airport, ready to head to Vancouver, where Lonnie and Susan, volunteers at the Sunshine Coast literary festival, will pick us up, drive us to the ferry and take us across to the coast. And drive us to our B and B in Sechelt. A long day - but it would have been far longer without Lonnie and Susan! We're taking them out for dinner as a small 'thank you'.
Then - to bed.
So looking forward to seeing this part of the country. If any of you saw the old Canadian TV series, The Beachcombers, it was filmed on the Sunshine Coast. Stunning - gorgeous coast and mountains.
Mostly I'm looking forward to relaxing, walking, enjoying the sea air, and finishing Michael's brilliant manuscript. Might actually finish on the plane.
Will try to blog from there...be well - and hope you enjoy your visit to British Columbia's Sunshine Coast!
Showing posts with label Sunshine Coast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunshine Coast. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
A Hard Frost
sunny, mild, temps 12
It's turned into a lovely, though chilly, day. Had the predicted hard frost last night. Frost on the car. Quite a shock heading into mid-May! But by 8am it had melted and by noon it was a nice April day. Too bad it's May. But I have to admit such is spring in Canada. You just never know. Which is why we're told time and again not to put our annuals or vegetables into the garden until after the Victoria Day long weekend. That's May 24th. Most years it seems a ridiculous injunction, and then suddenly there's a frost. This year it seems less silly.
Hard to access the damage done by the snow and then the hard frost. I'm thinking it's not nearly as bad as I feared. yay! As someone commented, quite rightly, Nature is resilient. Has to be. Otherwise Canada and certainly Quebec would have been a wasteland years ago.
Harvested our first asperagus, through the snow. Very funny to see the stalks poking up through the snow.
Went to Cowansville for breakfast - did some banking and mailing. Then dropped Michael at home so he could work on his book, and I went across to Richford. More mailing!
It takes me a while - like most people - to really appreciate I'm on vacation. We were sitting over breakfast and I began to get antsy to be going. Had to do chores then get home to -
ahhhh. To - nothing!! Like those school days waking early, getting ready to drag ourselves out of bed, only to realize it's Saturday.
ahhh.
Getting caught up on a while lot of things, but none stressful now that I have the time. Thanks SO much for your help finding a place on the Sunshine Coast...we'll be going a few days early, before the Literary Festival in Sechelt and need a place to stay. We'd found the Rockwater Inn (and Spa!!) - but it was booked. But we've now booked into a B and B called A Place by the Sea. Rooms seem huge - decks looking out over the water. Massages....and we've booked a private sea safari - all day, just us and the captain...taking us into the remote waterways of British Columbia. Stopping at a remote beach to walk, or swim and to have a hot lunch cooked on the shore. Sounds divine!!! Have also booked two spa treatments - not on the beach. Though that would be great too.
The only thing that seems complex is getting to Sechelt! But apparently people do. We won't be the first. The masseuse, for instance, had to find their way. But that's part of the fun of traveling. We fly in to Vancouver - then somehow get the 20 kilometers from the airport to the ferry. Take the 40 minute ferry (which is apparently spectacular) to the Sunshine Coast. We've booked a rental car there. The rest sound be easy.
I find for my peace of mind, I just need to give us plenty of time between the time the flight arrives and our ferry booking. And to remember if we miss the ferry no one is likely to die. or even be maimed. It actually doesn't matter. Michael is much more zen about these things than I am. But then, he can afford to be, he has me to do all the worrying.
Next life I'm coming back as a piece of luggage.
Lovely to see the sun. On the way back from Richford, VT I stopped at the grocery store and got us a couple steaks for the BBQ tonight. A few nights ago I stopped and noticed it's Lobster Festival! Sutton is landlocked, so not a lot of local lobster, but Canada has a huge east coast lobster industry...so I guess the lobsters have arrived. Michael loves them. I'm not a huge fan. So I went in and got Michael a nice, just cooked, one. I hate the idea of pointing to one in the tank and having them cook it. Feels way too much like passing final judgment. But am hypocritical enough to be happy to buy one already cooked.
You should have seen Michael's face when the lobster came through the door. he spent all day waiting for dinner time. And he found every morsel. Just adored it. What fun.
Busy day tomorrow. 8 am breakfast back in Cowansville with some friends...10:30 appointment to take the car in in Montreal - noon speaking engagement with the Rotary Club in Montreal. But I should be back at the apartment by 2pm.
pat and Tony coming first thing in the morning, with their dogs, to house sit. Such fun to see their two dogs playing with Trudy out by the pond. You can't imagine the wet dog smell from that!
Will try to blog tomorrow. Be well!
It's turned into a lovely, though chilly, day. Had the predicted hard frost last night. Frost on the car. Quite a shock heading into mid-May! But by 8am it had melted and by noon it was a nice April day. Too bad it's May. But I have to admit such is spring in Canada. You just never know. Which is why we're told time and again not to put our annuals or vegetables into the garden until after the Victoria Day long weekend. That's May 24th. Most years it seems a ridiculous injunction, and then suddenly there's a frost. This year it seems less silly.
Hard to access the damage done by the snow and then the hard frost. I'm thinking it's not nearly as bad as I feared. yay! As someone commented, quite rightly, Nature is resilient. Has to be. Otherwise Canada and certainly Quebec would have been a wasteland years ago.
Harvested our first asperagus, through the snow. Very funny to see the stalks poking up through the snow.
Went to Cowansville for breakfast - did some banking and mailing. Then dropped Michael at home so he could work on his book, and I went across to Richford. More mailing!
It takes me a while - like most people - to really appreciate I'm on vacation. We were sitting over breakfast and I began to get antsy to be going. Had to do chores then get home to -
ahhhh. To - nothing!! Like those school days waking early, getting ready to drag ourselves out of bed, only to realize it's Saturday.
ahhh.
Getting caught up on a while lot of things, but none stressful now that I have the time. Thanks SO much for your help finding a place on the Sunshine Coast...we'll be going a few days early, before the Literary Festival in Sechelt and need a place to stay. We'd found the Rockwater Inn (and Spa!!) - but it was booked. But we've now booked into a B and B called A Place by the Sea. Rooms seem huge - decks looking out over the water. Massages....and we've booked a private sea safari - all day, just us and the captain...taking us into the remote waterways of British Columbia. Stopping at a remote beach to walk, or swim and to have a hot lunch cooked on the shore. Sounds divine!!! Have also booked two spa treatments - not on the beach. Though that would be great too.
The only thing that seems complex is getting to Sechelt! But apparently people do. We won't be the first. The masseuse, for instance, had to find their way. But that's part of the fun of traveling. We fly in to Vancouver - then somehow get the 20 kilometers from the airport to the ferry. Take the 40 minute ferry (which is apparently spectacular) to the Sunshine Coast. We've booked a rental car there. The rest sound be easy.
I find for my peace of mind, I just need to give us plenty of time between the time the flight arrives and our ferry booking. And to remember if we miss the ferry no one is likely to die. or even be maimed. It actually doesn't matter. Michael is much more zen about these things than I am. But then, he can afford to be, he has me to do all the worrying.
Next life I'm coming back as a piece of luggage.
Lovely to see the sun. On the way back from Richford, VT I stopped at the grocery store and got us a couple steaks for the BBQ tonight. A few nights ago I stopped and noticed it's Lobster Festival! Sutton is landlocked, so not a lot of local lobster, but Canada has a huge east coast lobster industry...so I guess the lobsters have arrived. Michael loves them. I'm not a huge fan. So I went in and got Michael a nice, just cooked, one. I hate the idea of pointing to one in the tank and having them cook it. Feels way too much like passing final judgment. But am hypocritical enough to be happy to buy one already cooked.
You should have seen Michael's face when the lobster came through the door. he spent all day waiting for dinner time. And he found every morsel. Just adored it. What fun.
Busy day tomorrow. 8 am breakfast back in Cowansville with some friends...10:30 appointment to take the car in in Montreal - noon speaking engagement with the Rotary Club in Montreal. But I should be back at the apartment by 2pm.
pat and Tony coming first thing in the morning, with their dogs, to house sit. Such fun to see their two dogs playing with Trudy out by the pond. You can't imagine the wet dog smell from that!
Will try to blog tomorrow. Be well!
Monday, 10 May 2010
The Brutal Telling - audio
partly cloudy, cold, temps 4
I think maybe the lilac have survived! Not sure about the peony, and we just heard there's a hard frost expected for tonight. Oh well. It's not the worst thing if we go a year without the flowers, just as long as the bushes etc survive. And I think they will.
Had FAB news about the audio book for The Brutal Telling. Audiofile Magazine has given it a great review, and the prestigious Earphones Award. Here's the review...
THE BRUTAL TELLING
Louise Penny, Read by Ralph Cosham • Unabridged • MAY 2010
Blackstone Audiobooks • Trade Ed.
Blackstone Audiobooks • Library Ed.
This delightful listening experience involves Chief Inspector Armand Gamache as he investigates the murder of an unidentified elderly man in the Quebec town of Three Pines. The story involves the shocking discovery of priceless European treasures that disappeared during WWII. This French-Canadian cozy is infused with humor. Ralph Cosham delivers a delightful accent for Gamache and invests all the characters with small-town likability. His droll presentation displays special empathy for the town eccentric, anglophile Ruth Zardo, and her duck, Rosa. Dry wit and a love of language are evident in this well-crafted mystery. S.C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
And - Booklist has named the audio version of The Brutal Telling one of the top ten audio mystery books of the year! Ralph Cosham, who reads the books. Congratulations, Ralph!!!
There was a flurry of concerns a week or so ago when it became apparent that there was a problem with the next book. The audio version of BURY YOUR DEAD is being done by another publisher and they'd chosen a different narrator. Everyone objected and they realized that they could not do better than Ralph! I think each audio publisher has their own informal 'stable' of actors, and they thought to go with one of their own...until their heard Ralph. And realized he'd been lauded for his readings of this series, and others.
So - double yippee.
So far I've spent all of today in my sweats in front of the fireplace (dear lord, we still need it...snow has stopped falling but it is still on the ground!!)
The goal today is to find a place to stay on the Sunshine Coast of BC when we're there for the Sechelt literary festival. While at the fest they look after our accommodation, but Michael and I decided we'd like to go a few days early and explore this gorgeous part of British Columbia. But we can't find a place to stay! I think the fact I like luxury and peace and privacy (and a spa) might be limiting the choices. But might as well try. Worst case, we just stay for a few days in Vancouver - which is also gorgeous.
So - a no-lose.
Be well - speak to you tomorrow.
I think maybe the lilac have survived! Not sure about the peony, and we just heard there's a hard frost expected for tonight. Oh well. It's not the worst thing if we go a year without the flowers, just as long as the bushes etc survive. And I think they will.
Had FAB news about the audio book for The Brutal Telling. Audiofile Magazine has given it a great review, and the prestigious Earphones Award. Here's the review...
THE BRUTAL TELLING
Louise Penny, Read by Ralph Cosham • Unabridged • MAY 2010
Blackstone Audiobooks • Trade Ed.
Blackstone Audiobooks • Library Ed.
This delightful listening experience involves Chief Inspector Armand Gamache as he investigates the murder of an unidentified elderly man in the Quebec town of Three Pines. The story involves the shocking discovery of priceless European treasures that disappeared during WWII. This French-Canadian cozy is infused with humor. Ralph Cosham delivers a delightful accent for Gamache and invests all the characters with small-town likability. His droll presentation displays special empathy for the town eccentric, anglophile Ruth Zardo, and her duck, Rosa. Dry wit and a love of language are evident in this well-crafted mystery. S.C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
And - Booklist has named the audio version of The Brutal Telling one of the top ten audio mystery books of the year! Ralph Cosham, who reads the books. Congratulations, Ralph!!!
There was a flurry of concerns a week or so ago when it became apparent that there was a problem with the next book. The audio version of BURY YOUR DEAD is being done by another publisher and they'd chosen a different narrator. Everyone objected and they realized that they could not do better than Ralph! I think each audio publisher has their own informal 'stable' of actors, and they thought to go with one of their own...until their heard Ralph. And realized he'd been lauded for his readings of this series, and others.
So - double yippee.
So far I've spent all of today in my sweats in front of the fireplace (dear lord, we still need it...snow has stopped falling but it is still on the ground!!)
The goal today is to find a place to stay on the Sunshine Coast of BC when we're there for the Sechelt literary festival. While at the fest they look after our accommodation, but Michael and I decided we'd like to go a few days early and explore this gorgeous part of British Columbia. But we can't find a place to stay! I think the fact I like luxury and peace and privacy (and a spa) might be limiting the choices. But might as well try. Worst case, we just stay for a few days in Vancouver - which is also gorgeous.
So - a no-lose.
Be well - speak to you tomorrow.
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