Tempus Fugit

Astronomical Clock, Prague

Goodness! Things seem to have been all go, go, go a go-go around here. Several times over the past few days I've tried to tend to the blog, but to no avail. It's been looking up at me with watery, doe eyes and trembling lower lip, whimpering pathetically for attention.

Sigh, I've slipped so... far... behind. But I will now try manfully to catch up...

GBH - Race Against Time (buy here)

Apologies for all the secrecy before the Labour Day weekend, but, as Dearest T mentioned in his comment, I was laying schemes to surprise Dearest Wife for her birthday. You see, it was a big, important one that needed to be marked, and I feared that disclosing too much on the blog might have compromised the plot. Not that Wife was checking my cyber-scribblings much during her five-week soujourn on Mayne, but you never know...

Not to bore you with the details, but I smuggled our Dear Friend Uncle D (Little Man's Godfather) & his Significant Other, S, into Vancouver the week before Labour Day, then onto Mayne for the weekend. It was worth it just to see Dearest Wife's context compass thrown all askew by seeing them march into the kitchen on the Friday afternoon - we'd not seen them since we left England some 15 months ago. Further bewilderement ensued when my two other sets of mystery guests arrived on-island: Ratgirl (old friend of Wife's from deepest, darkest Washington state) & her Sweetie, plus Forest Girl (close schoolfriend of Wife's from Vancouver Island) and her daughter. Actually, I think I may have permanently damaged the compass...

We all had a wonderful weekend - a fabulous celebratory barbecue on Saturday night (well lubricated by local brews), much noodling along shorelines and beaches, copious molesting of starfish, a tasty Lion's Club salmon BBQ on the Sunday, starlight soaks in the decrepit-but-serviceable hot tub. Oh, and the orcas came by again on Sunday evening, much to everyone's delight. I never tire of seeing those magnificent animals - it's always such a privilege.

I must admit that I also selfishly benefited from Uncle D's & S's visit. While I had them to myself for a few days before we headed over to Mayne, and once I beat my flu bug, we had a couple of fabulous nights on the town. One evening we dined at The Sandbar, where I wrestled with a whole, steamed Dungeness crab for my supper. I always find it most humbing and rather disconcerting to actually come face-to-face with and recognise what you're eating, but my crab was a noble and delicious beast - well worth the struggle and mess. Another night I fulfilled my overarching promise to all visitors and took my guests to Vij's. Another night of culinary bliss, and FAR too many Dark Armies (hic!)...

Alas, after the Labour Day weekend it was back to town and the week evolved into a maelstrom of work and back-to-school preparations for Little Man and Darling Daughter - the joys of la rentree, comme on dit en francais.

And so, that is where I've been and what I've been doing. Methinks and mehopes that this coming week will find me once again blogging a go-go. I've also been similarly negligent in doing the rounds of my favourite blogs. But two shout-outs in particular are due. First, to the Mighty Mentok whose blog has just celebrated it's first anniversary. Second, to Coxon le Woof, who recently posted a shimmytastic cover medly of "One Way Or Another/Teenage Kicks" by Brazil's own Cansei de ser Sexy. I urge you to go post haste here to check it out. And in both homage and thanks, hereunder are two separate cover versions of a Blondie track and the mighty Undertones's "Teenage Kicks." Each one rocks, in mah umble opinion...

I look forward to catching up with you all!

L7 - Hanging on the Telephone (buy here)
Thee Headcoatees - Teenage Kicks (buy here or e-here)