Vox’s posts tagged festivals

I know I'm not being shelled...

nobody@vox.com(cha0tic) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:15:13 +0000

...or being ordered 'over the top' to face a scything hail of machine gun fire. I'm not being gnawed by rats as I sleep in a half flooded shell hole, but I feel I've gained some experience of what it must've been like on the Somme because of work over the last few days. The mud is everywhere, I'm having to trek and work in it. The ~~officers~~ management keep throwing us into situations where we're unsupported by heavy equipment and the food is not that great.

Want the same experience? Come and load out our part of the site on the 'V' Festival.

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festival of philippine arts & culture

nobody@vox.com(uccloud9) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:32:20 +0000

Fpacposter 2008

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Been back for a while...

nobody@vox.com(Heather) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:52:00 +0000

I went to Osaka last weekend for a 5 day trip and it was amazing. We got back on Thursday morning but I haven't had a chance to sit down and write up a sufficient post about it. I spent all of Thursday uploading pictures and anotating things but I need to sit down and write a proper entry... tomorrow I'm busy, so maybe on Tuesday.

Until then, you can see my pictures and Justin's pictures.

Tonight a couple girlfriends came over and we dressed up in yukata to go to my neighbourhood bon odori taikai! Obon is one of the main holidays in Japan; its in the middle of August and people pilgrimage back to their ancestral home and pray to the ancestors and Obon dances remember and appreciate their sacrifices. Yuka's mom taught me how to tie an obi properly so it was my first attempt to wear a yukata out in public. I think it went alright, actually. Nothing came undone, so that's a good thing. They came over around 3pm and we got dressed and left around 4. It was being held at Asahi Higashi Elementary school but the school yard was empty when we got there. It's an evening event so we went and sand karaoke for a few hours. There was this bunch of grannys going to karaoke and one of them felt us all up! She tapped all our boobs... which isn't really weird for me because Asian people don't have boobs and are therefore fascinated with them... but then she was like "Sorry, I'm really drunk" and then kind of tipped over. XD I love old people sometimes. It was hilarious.

After singing we went back to the school and enjoyed the taikai! It was so fun~ They set up a tiered stage in the middle of the field, on the top level were drummers and musicians, and in the middle were dancers. There were a few more drummers on the ground and tents around the field selling food and drink and some festival games as well. There was even a fireworks display. We saw one of the grannies from karaoke there and some other lady came up to us and complimented our yukata and told us to dance. We ate and drank a bit before joining in. It was so fun! It's a bit tricky at first but you just dance in a circle around the stage and follow the ladies on stage or the person next to/in front of you. And its all repetative anyway.

It was such a great experience. I remember going to a bon odori taikai in Singapore with Yoko and some friends but this was so much better. Kids, parents and grandparents just dancing together, it was a really communal feeling. I saw a girl from my school too but she was too shy to say hi to me. And I didn't say hi to her... maybe I should have. I took some video on my phone, I wonder if it will work.

Fireworks

Bon Odori

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So...

nobody@vox.com(cha0tic) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:20:17 +0000

...I finished in the caves and went on to putting all the shite that ~~Evil nation~~ a big promotion company uses on their festivals, back into their warehouse as their festivals have generally finished for the season.

Today was a day off to to wash enough socks and pants for the next two weeks, when I'll be working on the 'V' festival.

Bloggery will be as shoddy as it has been in the last few weeks, but My Twitter page will probably be busy if you're bothered.

If I can get My 12second TV page working, you might even see some video from the festival site. My TwitPic should be working.

I might even blog properly when I get back home on the night, we'll see.

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still off...

nobody@vox.com(faerwear) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:38:54 +0000

i've been working out in Corbett, Oregon, about 35 minutes outside of Portland. It's been lovely - i've been staying on the land while i help paint the most incredible, sustainably-built dream home...

needless to say it makes crafting a bit difficult - i could knit but i'm generally tired and the construction crew is made up of friends, so we cook dinner and hang out in the woods instead.

i finally paid my Etsy bill, however, and my shop is back in action - and i'm actually working on some sketches, if nothing else. not sure why it is but i'm never really inspired in Portland, sadly. I have to leave to create and I'm unsure why.

In the meantime I broke up with the guy I was dating most seriously and i've all but stopped calling anyone else for the time being, though yesterday i went out to the faerieworlds festival and got to see a crush - just long enough to remind him that i'm alive, and remind myself that i'm still attractive.

more soon - i've been living out of bags and my room is a disaster since i've only been here long enough to pack, unpack, do laundry and repack. ahhh, summer.

on other notes, i've been living in denial of my upcoming lease end and potential winter in spain - i need to direct this, but haven't yet. there's still that pit in my stomach though, the excited one of facing yet another unknown. i've never been to western europe...

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Big Chill

nobody@vox.com(Chandramoon) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:58:34 +0000

No I'm not freezing - it's the name of a festival near Hereford that I'm off to tomorrow.

You may remember I went to a festival at the end of May called Sunrise which was cancelled due to foul wet weather. Instead of giving us our money back, they've given ticket holders the option to attend Sunrise at The Big Chill instead. Sunrise has a field next to The Big Chill and I'll be able to attend both adjacent festivals.

Sunrise at The Big Chill

I'm very excited as Leonard Cohen is headlining the Big Chill (yes I know it's throat and wrist slashing music but hey I'm a masochist).

Apart from that there'll be the usual assortment of amazing live bands and also electronic dance music round the clock if we can keep awake.

I'm going with an old friend of mine, she's taken a couple of days off and so another adventure in the Moon Palace begins.................

............I'll take the camera this time!!!!

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Kendal Calling Festival 01-03 Aug

nobody@vox.com(Kowalski) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:17:54 +0000

http://www.kendalcalling.co.uk/

When a chance to dust the old festival hat off comes to my doorstep there is no way that I am going to pass. Especially when the line-up includes Kowalski favourites British Sea Power and Super Furry Animals.

Kendal Calling has been going since 2006 and it just grows in stature each year, but the price doesn't...

Weekend tickets are £55 inclusive of camping. The preverbial stops have been well and trully pulled out this year. Organisers I commend you!

See you on the battlefields!

5872156

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Thursday January 21st, 2008

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:00:52 +0000

I wrote this last Tuesday...I’ve had trouble posting it..sorry

Last weekend was the London Food and Wine show. Despite the frigid weather we decided to head there. And boy was it cold. It was really cold.

It was held at the fairgrounds, but the signage was really poor. We ended up at the wrong building but realized it was across the street… maybe all the cars should have been a hint, but the banner shouldn’t have been at another building and a proper sign would have been nice. Oh what a pain am I, but I am sick today so I can be bitchy if I like.

Cost to get in was really fair ($10) and they worked with tickets rather than cash so that was nice. Made life simple.

The local wineries were well represented and seemed to have been really busy, especially on Friday and Saturday. We were there Sunday and everyone looked a little tired. It was good to see the Pelee Motor Inn there as people will realize that we have hotels here.

Highlights:

Lailey Vineyards -- wonderful Pinot Noir...it was of the “delicate” variety … I agree as it sounds better than saying light . We’ll be going there next time we are in Niagara

Nickel Brook Brewery-- the showed a Green Apple Pilsner which was really cool. They say its an old German recipe which involves mixing lightly brewed cider with beer. It was really good and we are looking forward to somehow getting some. It’s not available west of London, but if you see some try some...you’ll like it….I hope

Rush Creek Wines -- they showed some very interesting fruit wines. We really liked the strawberry chocolate wine which was just soooo cool so neat.

Anthony Sedlak demonstration. He is the fellow from “The Main” on the Food Network. I was never really a fan, but I have a new found respect for him. He really seems to know what he is doing and is rather funny.

Food: It all looked good and I couldn’t decide so I had some of Terry’s cassoulet. Now I always wanted to try it after seeing the French Leave Episode. Now to another topic...John Burton Race was the Michelin Starred chef who took his family (six kids and wife) and moved to the south-west of France for a year to find himself...well I thought he was a good guy, but he turned out to be not so nice...left wife #2 and 6 kids for new squeeze who had his love child...wife #2 promptly closed his new restaurant while he was in Australia with her...good for her...bad for him….English divorce laws are tough and 6 kids...oi

Lowlights:

I was very poorly treated by one wine merchant. I know that I am not a David Beckham look alike but that does not mean that I could be a customer and maybe that French pinot I tried was expensive but I have bought Grand Cru before and this wasn’t ...oi. Maybe he just didn’t like my Liverpool scarf...I only have 2 scarves and I won’t wear my England nat’l scarf till Beckham plays again.

What was nice was that there weren’t the usual vendors you see at home type shows. You know the miracle mop et all. It was a very adult show.

Well we had a good time and only hoped we had a show like this one. Oh I just hear you screaming Epicure, but the vendor costs are too high(I keep hearing that from all sorts of people and from someone at the show), the location sucks,,,I just love asphalt when it’s 110 degrees out and its just too crowded. It used to be fun.

So we’ll be going next year and maybe I’ll get to go to Joe Kools after.

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Nuttin to Do With Wine - Thursday October 18th, 2007

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:14:22 +0000

What a beautiful evening. I just cannot believe that this is mid October. We went to Oktoberfest again and though the group had decreased in size it was a wonderful time. Kitchener, or really Berlin, does and excellent job with this festival and as usual we stayed at the Walper Terrace Hotel, which is over a hundred years old and went to the Transylvania Club for pigs tails, schnitzel, sauerkraut, music and of course beer. I just wish that a German brewery would sponsor it, but that's ok. We lost 2 friends due to illness, 2 to a wedding, 1 to moving, but had the last appearance of Mike. He's moving to Brazil to marry his carioca honey and this is his last one. I wonder if they have Oktoberfest in Brazil....I just wonder. A friend worked with a Japanese fellow from Brazil...his parents came after the war...coincidence????? But anyway it was a great weekend to bond and allowed us to go to Joe Kools on the way back and eat pizza and....more beer...oh joy.

But the funny thing is that I came back really depressed and I apologize that I have been lately, which is causing me to be late for my posts too. Well last night, I had a few beers with friends at Kurley's. It was a usual night until I felt like I had a proverbial kick to my butt. It's funny because it was as if my mentor, who passed away last year and who is responsible for this blog was there(see my first post if you wonder). Joe was a wonderful friend who had no problem straightening me out when I needed it and often it was at Kurley's. It was if he was there and all of a sudden, I just saw the light and decided that though my world sucks in many ways, I am really blessed. I have a wonderful woman who has a great kid, great friends and have had the honor to have had 2 mentors, One has passed but the other certainly is alive and summers near ViewPoint and is good friends with John and is how I met John. He probably doesn't remember me, but I was sitting with Bob at the Boardroom before a Wings game...actually many games and John would come in and talk of his vines and wine etc. At the time I thought he was dreaming...but now I realize how good his dream was. That was about 5 years ago and Bob gave me a graduate degree in construction theory and if one has that guy as a prof...well its like having Art Laffer for Economics (a Nobel, but a real bad Shatner 5000 rug) but with real hair.

So anyways I am back and will be moving to the country soon...in stages, but getting there so I will certainly start going native and may start talking more of food and agriculture and country stuff too. And if Scotland beats Italy in Glasgow (beat France in Paris by the way), I may do my seminar next year at the wine fest in the family kilt!!!!!!

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Thanks To People Who Helped Me - Wednesday September 12th, 2007

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:06:30 +0000

This weekend was a big thing for me so I’d like to thank the people who had a lot to do with me being able to do the seminar.

First: Shelley Thrasher and everyone at the Shores of Erie. Shelley runs the demonstration tent. She gave me the opportunity to speak and was wonderful to deal with.

Second is Terry she has been a real inspiration to me. She and her boy..”the yute” have made my life much better and she inspires me.

Third: The League of Gentlemen and the Ladies too. They have been very supportive and special thanks to Pete…my agent…who really got this going.

And finally, some special winemakers who have really enriched my life through their passion for what they do and making it infectious. Special thanks to Rob and Fab at Muscedere, Harvey and Alma at Erie Shores, George and Mary Jane Wilson of Smith and Wilson and finally Edie and the gang at Mastronardi. If you guys didn’t work so hard and make such good product it wouldn’t be worth it.

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Back To Harrow - Wednesday September 5th, 2007

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:05:14 +0000

Well it was a lovely end to the summer. Terry and I decided to go to the Harrow fair but I had the great idea to visit a few wineries on the way.....well we did get there...eventually.

First stop was Sprucewood. There are new wines and some have already sold out. We tried the new Rose which is Pinot Noir based. Forget getting some as they had 4 bottles left when I bought mine. The Meritage is sold out too. Well this is a good problem for them but bad for us.

I tried the new Oaked Chardonnay...very nice and the Pinot Gris as well. It looks like year 2 will be as good as year1 or even better. I like this place and it seems to just get better.

Second stop was Erie Shores and well, I’d like to tell you all about it, but it looked like a remake of the War of 1812. A group of Americans were there and their limo driver decided to basically block the parking lot. Well to avoid the 2^nd battle of Sandwich we decided to grab some Summer Sun, Reserve Cabernet Franc and some Stellar Secret. Well new was the winter harves vidal...which is very nice and basically a 2^nd press ice wine. I have had these in Niagara and they are very good...looking forward to it.

Third stop was Muscedere. Man have they sold a lot of wine. Pinot Gris...au revoir. So sad but the Cab Franc is still excellent and I got some more Oaked Chardonnay and may retry the review and hopefully no lightning this time.

We were taken into the vineyard and the grapes look wonderful and I am really hoping that this year could be superb. Grapes are already coming off so this may be the year.

The Harrow Fair was well...the Harrow Fair. But at $7 its getting a wee bit dear. I was reviewing the prices for lamb and was flabbergasted at the prices. There is money in sheep. It is kinda sad though as if you win as a lamb, you lose; as Gord’s Abattoir seems to want you...oh well.

Hope to see you all at the wine fest and I’m getting ready for my seminar. If all goes well it will be a great evening and if I fall flat on my face I guess I will just hoist a few in despair..Each way I win ....not like the lambs.

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A Wee Tuscan Lovely - Tuesday August 7th, 2007

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:53:03 +0000

I hope everyone had a wonderful Civic Holiday. Terry, myself and the yute took in the Highland Games (we almost became caber kill, but Angus saw better than to toss the caber into the stands we were sitting in....I rather liked that...last year someone tossed a caber right where we sat this year....seven years of university..I know) ate too much, had friends over for dinner Sunday...ate and drank too much....but had a good time.

Now that I have recovered, I had leftovers from the meal and a really nice Tuscan with them.

Music is vinyl (of course) and is a rare find: Kimiko Itoh. She's a Japanese jazz singer whom I discovered while living in Toronto. It's from 1989 and is quite good. She does standards so is similar to many other torch singers, but every once in a while you can hear her accent. It's just really smooth and nice.

Dinner again was warmed up from Sunday. Well Sunday we had bruschetta,cheese, dip for our appetizer. For the pasta course I took grape tomatoes and cayenne peppers from my garden added shrimp garlic, basil(garden again) and olive oil with good pasta. Main course was veal picatta (local veal), local corn and some green beans. Its funny but many people make a big deal about 100 mile meals but this one was either from my deck and local if possible...within 20 miles...Wines served were: Sauvignon Blancs from Pelee Island (The Ladies of course...Walter..please keep making it..please) and from Smith and Wilson.With the pasta we had Pinot Gris from Muscedere and a Viognier from Peninsula Ridge..both very nice. With the veal we had a Vapolicello Ripasso which was very nice along with a Mastronardi and Erie Shores Cabernet Franc. Oi..no wonder I was a mess Monday. Lindsay..can I take that rehab spot off your hands...its obviously not working for you. Well we never did make dessert (wonder why) and it was made by our pastry chef friend...I had some and it was verrrrry nice...a take on Tiramesu.

Well what was nice is that the local wines again were more than good enough. The I Galli Ripasso is a very good bottle of wine and really should have been way better than anything else. It was quite good but the local Cab Francs were more than up top the challenge. I realize the styles and grapes are 180 degrees apart but class is class and all the wines had class...I liked that.

Tonight its another of my Italian treasures. Its from a Tuscan subregion (I believe...I found some cleaning up..and a glass that Terry had dropped behind something during our last dinner party...she broke one of my Rosenthals but we found another German glass so I guess I netted out to no losses). Its an 2004 Rosso Piceno.

As with Tuscans, the color is a nice deep red. I get a nice earthy nose with hints of leather, and dark fruit. Nice blackish fruit like a prune plum. Very earthy aroma.

This wine has tannins. Not like a big Australian, but my tongue is still recovering.The flavour seems to grow. It starts muted then explodes..which is not unlike a good pepper...the taste lingers and again, I find rather dark, earthy. A friend of mine once said that with Tuscan's “you taste the dirt”. This one I certainly do. It just tastes how I imagine Tuscany to be: old castles, old vineyards and grapes. Through the darkness, I taste really good grapes who are just hanging back....leather, some tobacco and dark berries. This is a well made wine.

As with most Italian wine it is made to go with food and does food great and stand alone ok. Give this veal, a Boulognase sauce(with freshly made pasta ..of course) and this would be heavenly.

One more thing...Italian grapes, just don't travel well. I have had new world Sangeovese and it just isn't the same. It must be just the convergence of climate, terroir, grape and that specialness of the Italians that make this grape work.

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A Wonderful Saturday - Tuesday July 31st, 2007

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:50:44 +0000

Saturday was a wonderful day. Not too hot nor was the sun oppressive. Got up early so that Terry and I could take the yute to his parade, as he is in a marching band. And I just hate parades but hey…ya gotta show up, so we were in Kingsville, so I thought…there is a pier here with a fish outlet……John and Linda told us to go there and since their fish is so good we thought we would give it a try. So its pickerel and perch for dinner tonight with some local corn… yum yum. Since we were in Kingsville, I thought we needed some Sauvignon Blanc to go with the fish and since Pelee Island was right there, we went to the winery and got some more of the “Ladies”. The wine consultant saw us and had us try the Shiraz and boy that was good. Didn’t get any, but the new stuff has a future.

Well, while we were waiting for the parade (Terry failed to tell me that we had to drop the yute off an hour early) we had talked to an orchard guy who said he had #2 peaches. Big deal right!! NOPE, we could make peach cider..hey why not..So we went there and well Terry got us lost, and nobody was there, so we found someone down the street and got some from her. This would be very interesting. I also found “corn water wine”. The corn water wine is very strange but we may try that too. Hey why not and if you can use the corn water to make wine after you cook the corn….. that my friends is free. It may taste awful and I might have to lose some teeth but it would be good to laugh about.

Now. After all this, we were knackered, so we sat down on the deck and had a bottle of wine. Terry had been looking forward to trying this particular wine since we had bought it last week.

The wine is Viognier from Smith and Wilson. Well, it was very nice. Like all S & W wines it is very smooth with no nasty bits. The worst I can say is that is has sins of omissions rather than commission which is really much better than sins of commission.

The nose is not pronounced, but Terry and I noted tones of citrus fruit. I smelled hints of lime for some reason. It was very nice and again absolutely nothing nasty.

The initial taste was on of a nice smooth happy wine. This is no Pouilly Fuisse, but it really shouldn’t/couldn’t be. Terry went gaga over this wine. She feels that after Summer Sun, this is her favorite “on the deck summer wine”. For her to say that is big time.

I found the taste to have hints of citrus and a nice fruity flavor. The mouth feel was excellent, as it had that nice round feel I really like and has it done with technique rather than sweetness. In all a very nice bottle of wine.

In all honesty, I tend to have avoided this grape in the past since most that I have had were very underwhelming…kinda like Chanbourcin, but S & W have really done a wonderful job with this wine. Though not sophisticated, it is a great wine to have around the pool or on the deck. I would happily serve it with seafood and mild chicken dishes. Treat it like you would Vinho Verde and life will certainly be good. And I guess that that sums up what I feel about this wine. It’s like a local Vinho Verde and coming from me that is an extremely high complement.

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A Great Open House - Tuesday July 26th, 2007

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:39:33 +0000

Sunday was a beautiful day. The sun was out and it wasn't too hot and it was the Open House at Erie Shores. I don't know how they do it but the weather was beautiful again, just like last year.

This year Terry and I took my brother and his wife. She has shown interest in the areas wines so we hoped she would like it. Al is into cars...teaches racing actually and since the MG club was there it gave him something too as he ain't a wine guy. Both appeared to have a real good time.

Alma and Harvey are excellent hosts and seem to really enjoy putting on these events. They do it very well and should be a model for the other vineyards. It is unpretentious, adult and casual but it is good where it counts,

They have the MG club for an activity, good food and excellent help.. The music was good and fun..That is, it made me feel like I was at a friend's home and not in church. Everyone seemed to have a casual good time about them. Also they have the parking thing down to a tee. It usually is a disaster but it is very organized. Actually the whole thing is very organized, but in a nice way.

Above all. Terry has taken a liking to MGA's so maybe I can get one. If anyone snickers about buying an old English sports car...I had a FIAT Spider so an old MG is definitely a step up in reliability. It looks so cool too.

The vineyard looks wonderful. The grape bunches look great...green, full, beautiful. Since I am such an expert at growing stuff (I've got my 20 square foot herb farm on my patio) you have it from me that this could/should be a great year. Actually I have that from a couple of vintners that this could be a GREAT year if the weather holds up.

New wines: I tasted 2 and had a couple of glasses, though not enough for a review, but enough to get an idea.

The are about to release a Reserve Cabernet. The 2005 vintage was very good so they held back some and released them now. All I can say is that I liked it a lot. Now I agree with Michael Pincus regarding the fake/stupid reserve wines being released, but this one is a real reserve. Erie Shores tends to sell their wines young so holding this one back a year to me makes it legitimate. It also allows them enter a new market segment while not alienating their present clientèle and to see the turnout they have a lot of clients. A good move to me and it tastes good too!!!!!. I will get me some soon but I am really overstocked.

The second wine was the new Rose... very different from summer sun and in a cool cobalt blue bottle. Looks good and tastes really good. Its light and happy, just like the Summer Sun and compliments it very well. I really liked it and would tell you the name but I can't spell it and Open Office's Spell check isn't that good and jeez I just don't want 50 emails from my 'editors'. But anyhow it was liked by everyone.

Al and Pam left with a bottle of Summer Sun and I am about to open a bottle of their Riesling. Congratulation to Erie Shores for their great hospitality and presenting us with another wonderful afternoon.

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A late post - Tuesday July 17th, 2007

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:33:39 +0000

OOPSY...I wrote thus last week and forgot to post it..so here it is..

I hope everyone's ac is working well. This is just not right. Terry and I wanted to go to Epicure but the heat was just too much so we ate in.

This is where the fun began. We turned a leg of lamb on the bar-b-que. With that we had a bottle of Macon. Now for those who are unaware, Macon is a sub district of Burgundy, that wonderful region of France that gives us Beaujolais and Pinot Noir. This was a wonderful bottle of wine, light happy and tasty. Yes, a light wine with lamb, but to me it worked as the Macon was very good.

This wine is an old favorite of mine. That said, I was not afraid to follow it up with a good local. It was French, it was a Burgundy and not cheap so lets see what happens.

I opened a bottle of View Pointe Pinot Noir and the result was amazing. It simply outclassed the French wine in so many ways. It could be described as a bigger Pinot. It is deeper in color than most and appears to have had significant time in oak. It has a great nose, luxurious and deep, deep color and wonderful taste, but it certainly not over-oaked.

It just has so much more body than the French wine. The oak comes through but is not 'upfront'. What I did note was a peppery taste. This is odd as I have only tasted this in ViewPointe and Erie Shores wine. This may have something to do with their proximity to each other and maybe how close they are to the lake. If this was Islay I would say that I taste the sea, but we aren't in Scotland and this is wine and not whiskey. It is a good thing though. All I can say is that again it shows how good the wine can be from here. It may have not been a fair trial as the ViewPointe is $20 and the Macon was $15 but it is a Burgundy and from a very good house to boot.

I am very happy drinking this wine and glad I have a few bottles left.

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Festivus - Wednesday July 4th, 2007

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:31:45 +0000

Well summer is officially here. Carousel has passed. This year I was a wee bit disappointed by some of the villages but I still had fun.

I wish that some of the 'more exotic' villages could be found but the tried and true were all there. At least are having more dancers so that is good too. My hat goes off to the Scots as they had non stop entertainment and aside from the calling of the food it went off without a hitch ( I refused all the club draws but bought a bunch for the fiddich to send the dancer to the nationals). I still find the wee dancers doing the sword dance so cute. I'm just glad they aren't using real swords. Mumsy really liked going there on the last Sunday and the Yute now wants to be a piper. It looks like he will defect to the Scottish Society Band which is cool. I'm just really afraid of living with someone learning the pipes. I guess that is what alcohol is for.

Another new fest was the Ice Cream Festival held in Belle River. I just never knew Belle River could have a park like that. It really reminded me of Traverse City. No I wasn't on acid it was really nice. The festival was in its first year and was pretty good. I am really looking forward to next year.

At the fest Tso (aka Terry) and I found the trolley people whom I spoke of in my last post. They are doing exactly what I think should be done. I really hope it works as we really need something just like what they do. Just get more meta tags as I couldn't google them and or the Ice Cream Festival site. I can blame Tso for that as she helped get the trolley people their web site as they used her guy. Now I know why Rob always talked to me at length...he just stole my ideas and had terry get him his website designer. A conspiracy if I ever saw one. I just feel so used.

My/our cider is coming along very well. The second group is very dry, clear and red. The first is pineapple and very cloudy with a lot of pulp. I am low on alcohol but that is ok. BTW I fixed my MP 44 (juicer whiched I demoed making cider) tonight. Seems that all that work caused the mounting screws to back out and weld themselves to the power terminals. That accounts for the vibrations (no restraint so the motor was on its own) and sparks. Well new screws Loctite and solder has put the MP44 back where it was. It was built like a tank (probably a panther mk 4). A fine piece of German Engineering.

I've got to get back to the wineries, but in buying a certain wedding present ( a picked dozen of local wine ) I managed to buy 5 cases of wine so I am overstocked. Guess I will just have to drink more so I can come out to play again.

Wine review shortly.

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More Pinot Goodness - Tuesday March 13th, 2007

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:01:58 +0000

More Pinot Goodness

Well what winery came with the biggest hype, most labels and fanciest digs. Well, come on its easy....View Pointe. I had heard a multitude of rumors about the wine, the building etc and when it opened I was a little apprehensive.

I had had their wine at a Epicure a couple of years ago and wasn't impressed. Okay it was 150 out and the event is on asphalt ant tso was a little pissed at me. So it wasn't the best of times to taste test. When I saw that they were open we went in and I bought several bottles. On Sunday we met Tso's mum at the John R Park Homestead for the Maple Festival then took her to View Point. Now as per maple syrope....I just don't get how anyone came up with it. The sap tasted like water and in the old days you had to boil it down all night. A lot of work but it tastes good.

Well I left with a case, and of course there was Pinot in it and that's what I am drinking now. A word about the winery. It is not my taste in architecture but the result is nice BUT... change the racking. I cannot get the wine out easily and at some of the prices this is a problem. It could use some softening as I find it all rather hard.....but the wine is good.

I had some grilled salmon and asparagus with a tomato(why did I bother getting cardboard tomatoes..yuck)basil,boccacini salad. The salad was a waste of good cheese and olive oil but oh well. The wine went perfectly with it. It complemented the salmon without overpowering it. Very classy and it did ok with the salad too. There is no vinegar, one relies on the acid of the tomato, BUT these had no acid nor taste so wait till summer(note to self....you have ~ 3 months to figure out how to make fresh mozzarella).

The music was “live at Charlie's” by Mel Torme. This album is a rare gem as I managed to get a standard (yeah right its very limited production virgin vinyl etc) copy of the original direct to disc of his performance at Charlie's. This is definitely one I would have to take to the desert island. This matched the wine well, smooth cool. Then I put on some live Mingus. This did not. Charles Mingus was a musical genius who was eons ahead of his time. His music, though jazz reminds me of Bela Bartok's. A lot of dissonance and the dissonance didn't do the wine any good. So after a call from the ugly American who has a saint for a wife (uawasfaw) who absolved me from the paella disaster I put on some Roxy Music, Avalon to be exact and this too compliments the wine.

Now the wine. The nose is big and amazing. I pick out some oak, lots of fruit and berries and remember I aerated this so it muted the nose somewhat. The color is slightly tawny but still that pale reddy color that makes a Pinot.

The taste. Well it sucks....NOT. This is a wonderful wine it is light yet strong, with all the body of a proper Burgundian. I taste the fruit as it goes in then a whoosh of a wonder follow up. The aftertaste lingers like a good single malt. I taste the oak but it doesn't dominate, it just floats around. This is a very well made wine and is the best Pinot in the area and challenges any of the Niagara Pinots.

All in all I really like this wine and with the hint of tannins I think it may stand up to food better than most Pinots. I've had bigger, and yes better, but at the price of $20 it is a steal and I really enjoyed this wine.

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Oktoberfest - Monday October 16th, 2006

nobody@vox.com(Jim Small) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:14:39 +0000

I'm back!!!! Well I wasn't gone long but it was Oktoberfest time and that means loading up and off to Berlin. Where's that you ask: well for some reason after WW1 they changed the name to Kitchener after Lord Kitchener, who was a British General. I guess they didn't have a sense of humour about the war and it seemed the right thing to do at the time.

This trip is a tradition and goes back maybe 20 years or so for us. We have been to a lot of clubs but have settled at the Transylvania Club. Food is good and the beer is cold so what more can you ask.

This year tso and I spent Friday night making quiche for Saturday morning. Well this was after going to the dh for a few libations with app. It's amazing what the new ownership has done with the place. Dirt that was older than me is gone. It's bright in there and the food is good. Bet Sid would be happy. Well after that we opened a bottle of Harold's cider. It's out and man is it good. I find it hard to believe that he is the only producer of cider down here. Drive around and you see a lot of apples. Obviously Johnny Appleseed made a stop here. And by the way how about perry (pear cider) and maybe a peach cider. Never seen the peach but hey we got them here so its worth a try.

I had a Strongbow while out and I can say that Harold's is on par with it. It's very refreshing and not too sweet. Well it will taste sweet but you can tell it's real and not made up.

I've followed the cider since he started the batch and it is really worth it. My only fear is that he will run out of it too fast and I'll get pimped out of my share. Good for him, bad for me.

Well Saturday morning we had quiche, mimosa's and The Ugly American's ceaser's. I had to get the right horseradish, hot sauce and pickle juice. He does some evil stuff with these and I find it too much but he likes them and everyone else seems happy . I kept to Martini's. Always good at 8:30 am. We managed to get out of here by 11 then it was off to Berlin.

To the hotel and there was a crisis. No smoking rooms. Who told me we needed them. Hell, I didn't think they still existed. I guess they do but one couple off to the Radisson. Damn I screwed up. Next-heater doesn't work in room, another crisis. They are off to the Rad too. Hold on I had 4 reservations with now 3 couples-take that room-- ok that sounds good-sheesh problem solved. I needed a beer. So I had a beer and took a shower-had to wash the BS off my body. Now it's off to The Ugly American's room for what??? More beer. Ooops it's getting late and we have to get to the Trans Club. The sun was ready to go down and we were supposed to meet more friends there. Supposed to be there for 5 and its 5:30 damn we're late. Run downstairs and lo and behold-a cab but he won't take six people for some reason, so tso and I take it and have him call for another cab. It was a Toyota and for god's sake why do they use Toyota's for cabs???? I smashed my melon on the door and was woozy for a while. Get to the Trans and there was a crowd out front. What's up??? Oh the doors don't open until six. Man its cold out, and windy and I have to pee. I really think having to wait to pee when its cold out is terrible and cruel. Drinking beer in the cold to me is stupid as it seems one has to pee faster and more often. Doors open, I check my coat and run to the men's room. Oh I feel better. This 6:00 pm stuff blows as the food line was a mile long. Was it worth the wait-yup it was. Pigtails are a food of the gods but they hate me so limited myself to 1. It still killed me but less than the year I had 6 and sauerkraut. Beer- we had a pitcher or 2 then as the youngins took over ~ 11 we decided to leave. Back to the hotel and guess what??? More beer, just two more then sleep. I felt like death on Sunday but it was off to Joe Kools (another tradition) for brunch, pizza and beer. What more do you want. Guess what??? I fell asleep on the way back to Windsor.

A great time with good friends and man I'm just waiting for next year. My liver should have recovered by then.

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Music Festivals From Around the World

nobody@vox.com(Hotel Reservations) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:48:58 +0000

Event	City	Dates	Find Hotels
Lollapalooza (website)	Chicago, Illinois, USA	August 1 - 3, 2008	Find Hotels
JVC Newport Jazz Festival (website)	Newport, Rhode Island, USA	August 8 - 10, 2008	Find Hotels
San Jose Jazz Fest (website)	San Jose, California, USA	August 8 - 10, 2008	Find Hotels
Virgin Mobile Festival (website)	Baltimore, Maryland, USA	August 9 - 10, 2008	Find Hotels
JVC Jazz Festival Los Angeles (website)	Hollywood, California, USA	August 17, 2008	Find Hotels
Reading Festival (website)	Reading, UK	August 22 - 24, 2008	Find Hotels
Electric Picnic (website)	Stradbally, Ireland	August 29 - 31, 2008	Find Hotels
Bumbershoot (website)	Seattle, Washington, USA	August 30 - September 1, 2008	Find Hotels
Monterey Jazz Festival (website)	Monterey, California, USA	September 19 - 21, 2008	Find Hotels
Street Scene (website)	San Diego, California, USA	September 19 - 20, 2008	Find Hotels
Austin City Limits (website)	Austin, Texas, USA	September 26 - 28, 2008	Find Hotels
San Francisco Blues Festival (website)	San Francisco, California, USA	September 26 - 28, 2008	Find Hotels
San Francisco Lovefest (website)	San Francisco, California, USA	October 4, 2008	Find Hotels

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Wiki Travel Guides Wiki Travel Guides - Event & Festivals

nobody@vox.com(HolidayMakers) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:36:58 +0000

Experience the South African Christmas in winter and head for Tulbagh. Don’t miss out on a Christmas with a difference from the 28 June to 29 June 2008.

Decorations will dazzle with Christmas lights and trees! There’s even traditional Christmas dinners which will be served at local restaurants. So come hungry and bring your entire family.

You can shop for arts and crafts on sale. For the jazz fans, bands ensure good entertainment. Party with good ol’ Santa Clause at the 'Rock with Santa' party.

And if cheese and wine tasting’s your kind of thing, then experience that throughout the valley.

Call Patty for more information - 023 230 1348.

Get to South Africa’s Gourmet capital to celebrate its centuries-old French Huguenot heritage. I’m talking about the Franschhoek Bastille Festival on the weekend of 12 and 13 July 2008.

Prepare yourself for a wonderful combination of food, wine and entertainment. There’s tons of activities for the whole family which will make for a memorable weekend. Take advantage of hotels and guest houses who throw in a complimentary bottle of Franschhoek wine!

Expect a gastronomic affair with the theme of great cuisine and fine wines running throughout the celebration. Chefs and wine makers aim to please by showcasing the very best they have to offer. Award-winning restaurants are even going the extra mile by designing menus especially for the Bastille celebrations.

The Bastille Food and Wine Marquee is where the hub’s at. Experience the showcased talents of well-established wineries and famous chefs. Look forward to fares such as oysters, sushi, local and French cheeses to charcuterie, hand-made chocolates and salmon trout. Complemented with a Franschhoek wine certainly!

The festival not only caters for the foodie culture but looks after the culture vultures too! You can check out various galleries, boutiques, craft shops and food emporiums. All dressed in French garb.

Take your family to see French films at Le Quartier’s Screening Room. Or even as spectators at the chefs and waiters race. Participate in a game of street soccer, a barrel-rolling contest and fly-fishing competitions!

For the party animals, there’s musicians’ hitting those jivey notes. Your kids will be taken care of for hours with tons of children’s activities. As the French say, C’est la vie!

19 Wineries from Ashton, Bonnievale, McGregor and Robertson will welcome you into their homes, to their dinner tables and onto their farms to spend some time...Slowly. It’s known as the Robertson Slow.

Check it out on the 9 August to the 12 August 2008 in Robertson. You can anticipate traditional Robertson fare such as waterblommetjie bredie, organic tripe stew, leg of springbok and home-smoked pork. Rounded off with good wine naturally!

If you’ve ever wanted to learn to cook, there’s a lesson where you’ll make pasta, cheese or salami.

Enjoy activities such as Stargazing, Photography, Campfire Story-Telling, Horse Riding, Boating and Fynbos and Renosterveld Walks.

Tickets are only available by booking in advance, so get to it! This weekend’s a must if you’re a wine lover who prefers a slower pace.

The Hermanus Whale Festival is the only Enviro-Arts festival in South Africa. Held annually it celebrates the return of the Southern Right whales to the waters of Walker Bay. It also marks the arrival of spring! Catch it from the 24 September to September 2008.

Hermanus is known as the best land based whale watching destination in the world. It plays host to thousands of visitors who gather at the seaside resort to exhilarate in the unique natural environment. Here you can watch whales, join in the world’s only Welcome Whales Wave and revel in music, comedy, cabaret and African rhythms every night during the Festival.

Winelands

The whales are the star performers at the Festival. But on land you can watch musicians, crafters, sports celebrities and thousands of people celebrating spring.

Contact the Festival office on 028 313 0928

Source : gotravel24.com

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