The other day I had an unannounced visit by my long time friend Sir Oscar Stickman. He complained that he could not find a parking spot for his Roll-Royce Wraith in my Kitsilano neighbourhood.

I last visited him in his home in London that last time that I was there. He invited me for a sensational cup of tea with crumpets and with a jam Sir Oscar said came from special Bulgarian plums.

Sir Oscar then entertained me with the three instruments he happens to master, the lute, the guitar and the accordion. Of that latter instrument I can only say that only an expert accordion freak would have appreciated it. For me it was all noise and it suddenly put our friendship in question. But Sir Oscar then offered me a shot of his best schnapps and all was forgotten.

Sir Oscar is in Vancouver incognito on a research project in which he is going to see if the guts of Chilliwack goats could possibly make good baroque strings for his lutes. He is being helped by baroque bassist Curtis Daily who is here, not incognito for a concert for Early Music Vancouver on Friday at Christ Church Cathedral.