If Elvis is flipping burgers in the south, Ernie Coombs is alive and playing pool in Peterborough.

Another long hiatus, but another valid reason. I was in the Petes with Rick, and frankly, I was too busy to even manage to check my email, let alone write in my weblog.

We had a nice time in the Petes, despite some setbacks. I had a tetnus shot that made me feel kind of less than stellar, and all our corn maze haunting intentions were foiled when Henry (since childhood, I've given this name to my vision of the weather god) decided that the skies should open and spill forth their liquid contents. Oh well. I might manage some haunting next weekend, but we'll have to see.

There was much enjoyable socialising. On Saturday, Rick and I met up with the gang (Al, Carrie, Richie, and Bill, and many others, who do not picture in the later part of this account) at a Warhammer tourney and following that, upon discovering that nothing worth mentioning was playing at the cinema, there were drinks and food at Riley's. Rick and I played some highly humourous games of pool with Richie and Bill. Richie narrowly missed Rick's boy-bits with the cue ball, and nailed me with the chalk. I swear, it was like a war zone with balls flying everywhere except where we wanted them to go. And yes, Ernie Coombs is alive and playing pool in Peterborough. The resemblance was uncanny.

Mom had Ray over for dinner on Friday night, and though the vaccination had me feeling low, it was a good time. We ate some of the game meat that we came back with from the cottage, the venison sausages. Following that, we watched Deliverance, which oddly enough, I'd never seen. Wow. They just don't make films like that anymore. Mostly, I forgot that I was watching a movie at all, the whole thing moved so naturally. Interestingly enough, they showed it on television the following night, and we managed to tune in to the interviews following it. Ronnie Cox, the actor that played Drew, said that in the year following the film's release, 31 men died on the Chattooga river (where the film was shot) trying to re-enact the story.

Sunday was the fundraising champaigne brunch in support of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra hosted at th'Electric City Gardens. It was amazing. The champaigne, provided by the incredibly cheap Collio Estates (they donated four bottles of not very good, ultra-affordable 'champagne'), was the only thing that was not. It was fizzy white wine that was a long way from being delicious or classy. Anyway, the food was marvelous, naturally, and there was a flutist and keyboard accompaniment who played quite pleasantly. All in all, it was a success, I think, and everyone was impressed. Good job to my mom for organising the whole thing, and to Rick (he cut off the holly from the ornaments - they were Christmas tree decorations, originally), and also to me, for sitting at the computer for a couple of hours putting together the menu cards. Yay !