See my pretty little flower?

Don't ask what it is, I have NO idea. It is blooming on one of my houseplants - one I received in a basket some time ago - and I just had to post it because it is so pretty!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Who is the most spoiled girl? I AM! Iain took me to a fabulous dinner at Perspectives at the Brookstreet Hotel last night, as a special Valentine's treat for our 20th anniversary year. Dinner was preceded by martinis at the Options Bar, which is a nice relaxing spot; they make a pretty good martini, though Iain makes the best at home.
Since my phone doesn't have a flash, and it is the only camera I had on me, I don't have any pictures of the lovely meal, but if you would like to see the menu, you can find it here. I had the ostrich and the guinea fowl with lamb; Iain chose the skate and the rack of lamb (we wanted to taste-test each other's, of course!). Not on the menu are a one-bite appetizer sent out by the chef: duck, goat cheese, and pineapple chutney on a piece of toasted bagel; incredibly good.
We chose a Kenwood Pinot Noir 2006 from California to accompany the meal, and chased it with coffee (which they also do right).
The dessert deserves extra comment. Three little items, all so different, and all so good. The sweetest and richest was the walnut/apple cake; the chocolate pudding was wonderfully smooth; and the sorbet was sharp and sour - a grapefruit flavour. I just made the rounds among them until I could manage no more.
We had a great time: excellent service, a nice atmosphere, and the best company at my table I could ask for, too.

And that's the month that was.....

Wow. It's February. Where the heck did January go, anyway?

Well, for starters I spent the first three weeks waiting for the Curves place to reopen after being destroyed by the same devastating fire that hit Deslaurier Custom Cabinets and four other businesses. They have moved to a spot just up the street from where I work, which is so handy I LOVE IT! So I am back getting some exercise again, at least a few days a week.

We have had some nice outings over the last month: a fun time at the Rotor's where we saw lots of friends we hadn't seen for a long time; trying to figure out the Mystery Meal at church (watching Lisa eat her spagetti with her fingers was....interesting); and an evening celebrating Mac & Sherry turning 60. Whenever possible, though, we have been laying low: reading, doing needlework (me), canoe building (Iain), and exploring Little Big Planet (both of us).

It hasn't been the busiest month ever, but it has had lots of those cozy twosome on the couch moments; and that makes it a good one.