A Life, Lived

On the Road Again . . .

We left town and flew to Winnipeg on Friday. I have a meeting in the city and we are participating in the Solidarity Forever Parade to commemorate the Winnipeg General Strike.

It has been a long eight years since we were last in the city. We are only here for a short time - 5 days, and I'll be indoors for much of the time. We plan on touring the new Human Rights Museum that has become such a highlight of the city.

I am also looking forward to spending some time with Paul's sister since we don't see her nearly as often as we would like.

Travel Tuesdays - Piemonte

The wine that I pulled out of the cellar for our Anniversary dinner was one that we bought in 2008 when we were in Italy for our 10th anniversary. It seems like a good idea to post some pics from that trip for Travel Tuesdays!

Anniversary Celebrations

Paul and I celebrated our anniversary on Saturday. It was 21 years since the day we met and started dating and 3 years since we get married. We normally celebrate quietly at home with a feast and gifts. This year was no exception.

We started with cedar planked brie with a cranberry, port, pecan topping. It paired well with a bottle of sparkling wine.

The main course was grilled asparagus, double stuffed baked potatoes, london broil, mushrooms, and grilled butterfly shrimp (sort of a surf and turf theme happening).

I was lazy with dessert - rather than make something I bought some pastries imported from Italy at an Italian grocery store.

Then there were gifts (and cats playing with the tissue paper!)

It was a great night!

Happy Anniversary

Hard to believe it has been 21 years . . .

Cherry Elderflower Martini

I tried t make this drink a few weeks ago but I was out of elderflower liqueur (how on earth does that happen . . . ). There was plenty of cherry juice leftover so I popped into the liquor store one day after work and picked up a bottle of St. Germain.

We mixed this up last week and were very impressed - this cherry martini with lime and elderflower is fruity, flavorful, and so easy to make! I guess it was a good thing that I bought a big bottle of St. Germain because there are more of these in our future.

If you’ve never tried elderflower liqueur (most common brand: St. Germain), you have to give it a try! It adds such a great flavor to cocktails with floral and citrus notes. I love it with drinks that have citrus or berry flavors in them, but it’s really a versatile liqueur that’s great in so many different drinks. It’s perfect with the cherry and lime in this cherry martini.

Cherry Elderflower Martini

2 ounces tart cherry juice
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur
Juice of 1/2 lime
Ice for shaking
lime slices for garnish, optional

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.

Shake well, and pour into glasses, straining out ice. Serve immediately, garnished with a lime slice.

Travel Tuesdays - Bermuda

Someone that I follow on Instagram is in Bermuda for the weekend. It got me thinking of our cruise to Bermuda a few weeks ago. We weren't staying at a luxury resort on Hamilton, instead we were on a nice cruise ship in the cruise port but it was a fabulous time nonetheless.

Happy Mother's Day

I hope that all the mothers out there, and those who stand in the place of a mother, are spoiled rotten today (and every day, actually).

Here is a shot of my mom at the Colosseum in Rome.

Seconds after this pic was taken she decided to head off to take a picture without telling anyone. Of course our small tour group moved on losing her in the crowds. Some quick action on the part of my sister and I helped ensure that she wasn't left behind.

A New Office 'Friend'

Our office is a green building - no expense was spared to reduce our environmental footprint.

I think the addition of this guy (or gal - I didn't get close enough to tell) is too much however.

Yes, that pile underneath the bird is just what you think it is.

Not sure we'll ever get enough rain to clean that off.

This critter seems to like me because it keeps coming back.

Forest Fires

Yes, this is our reality in Ontario right now. Despite growing risk of forest fires as a result of climate change the government has slashed forest fire fighting and prevention budgets.

SIGH

Travel Tuesday - Verona

Someone that I follow on Instagram was in Verona last week. It got me thinking to when Paul and I were there in 2014.