as I sit here quietly in the living room I am thinking of two big events that took place in the last few days…
the first was a congratulatory note from WordPress… on December 1st, 2012 I began writing about my journey into widowhood… and have continued that since then, moving into commenting on my life…
the second was today, which would have been my beloved’s 77th birthday… this year we had burgers here, one of his favourite foods, while the kids in Ottawa had an apple galette… he loved apple pie… we had a video visit between the burgers and galette, lol…
my grandson is going to use his Christmas stocking for the first time…
on Friday, woke up to geese honking as they headed out looking for something to eat… and spotted flickers in the field across from the house;-)…
opened the beautiful cards and gifts from friends and family I’d been saving over the last few days, and laughed at Google singing to whoever was having the birthday, lol…
received a gorgeous purple handmade book, filled with photos of the garden and a book about monarchs with things I didn’t previously know… going to have to read that more thoroughly…
tried to vote, but the lineup was long, so headed out for breakfast at The Pancake House…
decided to vote Saturday when I would have more time…
friends arrived with cards and flowers and we had a lovely visit… the neighbour stopped by and gave an update on the house next door and collected Easter books for the littles…
received many texts and phone calls and had fun watching some F1 on tv…
cookies and hot cross buns arrived as I was reading in the living room, so I had to eat one of the hot cross buns, yum…
supper was steak and lobster, with fries and asparagus;-)… followed by a blizzard, yum…
went out for sushi on Wednesday and then took a drive to pick up a computer part for my grandson…
hadn’t had sushi for quite a while and the food was excellent… only had a few leftover rolls to bring home which is good because sometimes we order way too much, lol…
our group went to view the Fleurs de Villes display after our birthday lunch at Gather…
as always, a walk through the Tropical Biome is rejuvenating…
we had such fun as each of us shared different points of interest as we wandered through the lush vegetation…
we visited the cacao trees, saw coffee beans, enjoyed new vistas of the fish, chatted about the banyan tree, spotted many heliconias, and got dripped on a few times, lol…
we moved on to the Mediterranean Biome for the Fleurs de Villes exhibition…
all of the mannequins (that represent the arts in the city) were very nicely done… we met two of the designers and spotted things we liked at every display… it was amazing to see the details that had been included…
after we’d been around once, most of us went around one more time, as we each made a decision on our favourite and filled out the ballot which we received as we entered the space…
the Fleurs de Villes exhibition is always stunning and such a delight to have had here two years in a row;-)…
yesterday we moved the table on the deck to the middle of the space and this morning I put on the tablecloth and runner that I picked up on Saturday…
then my housemate put the umbrella back in its hole and we opened it up…
I folded silverware into napkins and brought out pretty, but unmatched, plates to put around… glasses and mugs followed… everything was upside down so they wouldn’t get dirty…
found bowls, covers, and spoons for the two salads – ham and German potato, as well as the coleslaw…
crackers went onto a wooden tray and the salt and pepper shaker made it onto the table, alongside some lily of the valley flowers from under the deck…
chair covers and cushions went out and umbrellas went up…
friends arrived with other food offerings… there were fresh veggies and hummus, devilled eggs, fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate, and custard…
there were flowers for the birthday woman…
we gathered at the table and enjoyed everyone’s delicious offerings… of course there was our usual coffee and tea to go with the fruit, custard and whipped cream, topped with a piece of chocolate and a pistachio, lol…
the bubble machine came out and was on until bubbles started to land on plates… the weather was beautiful as the sun shone with a slight breeze every now and then… conversations were free flowing and stories made us laugh…
we took a group photo, as we always do when we gather for special times;-)…
as everyone began to leave the clouds filled the sky and the temperature went down, but no rain fell…
I had a relaxing time as I cleaned up, filled the dishwasher, put away the cushions, and got the table back into its original location…
read my book as the last of the bubbles flew around the deck…
had a pedicure, which was a real treat as I haven’t had one since covid… the massage portion was bliss…
received cards, gifts, texts, and numerous phone calls… my kids were trying to see how many times they could sing happy birthday to me throughout the day, lol…
enjoyed the technology that let the Ottawa kids send me presents via Amazon…
treats turned up throughout the day, and a gorgeous bouquet arrived in the afternoon;-)…
dinner was barbecued steak and lobster with asparagus, mushrooms and tiny potatoes prepared by my housemate…
and considering the crazy weather – rain, snow, and bits of sunshine – barbecuing was a gift…
a final touch was a small portion of chocolate mousse;-)…
herbiggirlpants 