Late this morning on the occasion of what I believe qualifies as one of the scheduled semi-annual conference calls with our financial advisor Stephen Brown, B.Com. (Honours), CFA®, CFP®, CIM®, FCSI® of BMO Nesbitt Burns (613-562-6533), we were reminded in a decidedly and winning professorial manner of the coincidence of everything upon the stock market. Over the period of an hour, Brown methodically reviewed the changing face of the stock market and included throughout pointed (and intermittently detailed) references to the effect of politics, democracy and oligarchy, wars, immigration, birth rate, religion, pandemic, nationalism, isolationism, accounting practices and of course the weather.
In the result Brown (who fortuitously joined the banking and investing collaborative in 2013 about the same time we did) has confidently concluded that the forecast development of the market is favourable. His credentials speak well of his perspicuity; and, his delivery is commendable. He as well legitimized his projection by remarking upon the prior challenges arising from the various influences such as Brexit and the stoppage of Russia’s oil supplies to Europe; also, he commented upon the possibility of others departing the European Union but quelled the anxiety by reminding us that palpably our particular investments are confined to Canada and the United States of America (while adding interestingly that investment in Russia is illegal).
As for my shallow part in these otherwise arcane proceedings, I stimulated my interest by asking only how much money we had given BMO Nesbitt Burns from the outset; and, how much money they had given us to date. We know the balance of the account because of its on-line demonstration along with other information of mixed and critical entertainment including illustrative charts and tax forms.
But upon the completion of this tremendously intelligent and vastly complicated lecture (really, we just listen), I returned to my daily preoccupations of indolence. First upon my list was to review an article of the London Times sent me by my erstwhile physician. We together share what I shall boldly distinguish and decorate as an unlimited conversation. Today’s especial interest was the food at a pub in England.
The author of the article is Giles Coren.
Giles Coren is a restaurant critic and columnist who has been writing for The Times since 1993. A previous winner of British Press Awards food and drink writer of the year, he was also named the restaurant writer of the year at the Fortnum & Mason Awards in 2016. As well as an award-winning journalist, Giles is a television presenter and author.
Horse and Groom review: ‘Almost certainly England’s best pub’
Shortly after having engaged myself in that inspiring gastronomic jaunt upon the English countryside (and having further shared the article – with due acknowledgement of copyright and source – with the golf club caterer) I dissolved into the aura that is driving.
Driving my automobile is a positive daily undertaking. I say “positive” not because of its optimism rather because of its clarity. In an era of advanced age when there are few opportunities for diversion and expression (which either attract or permit), I find I can exhaust elaborate energy upon the mechanics of the popular passenger automobile. It is rather like playing with watches or clocks (perhaps even a train set), the only real difference being that I have the added pleasure of mobility and thus changing scenery.
But there is another advantage of the modern personal vehicle. I can casually instruct Siri to play whatever on my premium sound speakers. Today – though I began with Claudio Monteverdi – I ended with Saint-Saëns. He is to me a marvel of what I consider to be modern classical music.
Punctuating these gripping digressions was a telephone call from my sister Linda who, in the process of expanding upon her and her husband’s upcoming cottage vacation, reiterated the unsurpassable Bagna Càuda to which serendipitously I was introduced about thirty years ago by my erstwhile physician. I still have the ceramic pot and candle heater used for the purpose.
This constitutes a sequel to the Mediterranean diet about which we are latterly (shall I say) consumed.