“Happy Saint Valentine’s Day, and Happy Mardi Gras”
Diana arrived home from San Francisco on Valentine’s evening. I had some pretty flowers waiting and we exchanged cards.
No fancy dinner or plans this year – just good to have my wife back home.
The flight path took Diana right over Pacifica and her Mum’s house.
Last Monday, our old friend Randy Clapp came to town for work. He moved from Denver to Toronto several years ago, and we calculated that it had been 9 years since we last saw him and Janice. We enjoyed a fun dinner at Pappadeaux’s, catching up on families and reliving old laughs.
Last Tuesday was Mardi Gras day in New Orleans. The Krewe tortured us with pictures of them out watching the parades. Campbell made it known that he would really like to go back next year – he and Molly had such a good time.
It seems that the Krewe of Campbell might have napped through Mardi Gras this year:
The weather has been unseasonably warm and we’ve been able to get out for several nice morning walks around the neighbourhood.
Our only really outing was to see a Carole King concert movie on Sunday afternoon. There were only two showings planned.
This is a concert from 1973 that Lou Adler, King’s record label owner, had in storage all this time. They added some intro documentary material that was well done.
Carole King walked out on stage to 200,000 people on the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park, and started the show with just her and her piano – very brave. Half way through, she was joined by an amazing band of session musicians. This was a great movie.
My first book was “Siracusa” by Delia Ephron. Here’s the online summary:
“An electrifying novel about marriage and deceit from best-selling author Delia Ephron that follows two couples on vacation in Siracusa, a town on the coast of Sicily, where the secrets they have hidden from each other are exposed and relationships are unraveled.
New Yorkers Michael, a famous writer, and Lizzie, a journalist, travel to Italy with their friends from Maine – Finn; his wife, Taylor; and their daughter, Snow. “From the beginning,” says Taylor, “it was a conspiracy for Lizzie and Finn to be together.” In Rashomon style, with alternating points of view, the characters expose and stumble upon lies and infidelities past and present. Snow, 10 years old and precociously drawn into a far more adult drama, becomes the catalyst for catastrophe as the novel explores collusion and betrayal in marriage.
With her inimitable psychological astuteness and uncanny understanding of the human heart, Ephron delivers a powerful meditation on marriage, friendship, and the meaning of travel. Set on the sun-drenched coast of the Ionian Sea, Siracusa unfolds with the pacing of a psychological thriller and delivers an unexpected final act that none can see coming.”
I really enjoyed each chapter being written from the perspective of one of the four main characters. Finn’s chapters were often hilarious. Highly recommended and I have it on Diana’s list for her next book.
My next book was “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman, a host of British quiz shows. This was equally as entertaining as “Siracusa” and even funnier. The characters who meet to solve murders on Thursday night at the old folks development are hilarious. Here’s the online summary:
“In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together, they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club.
When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case.
As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?”
I just read that this book is soon to be a movie, directed by Steven Spielberg. It will be interesting to see who he gets to play Elizabeth. Big recommendation on this one also – a fun and easy read. I’ll wait a while before sampling the other two books in the series.
There’s a new tribute album out for Leonard Cohen. Here are a few of the great cover versions:
And maybe my favourite, an instrumental from Bill Frisell:
Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all.