A Few Pleasant Surprises

Don't you love it when life throws you a pleasant surprise.  Well I had two this past weekend. We just had a three day weekend due to the new Ontario Family Day holiday.  We didn't have any grand plans, just some lovely relaxing time.  I made a couple of suggestions to the kids as to things we could do - go to the Art Gallery of Ontario or have chocolate fondue. The answer was "Yes please" so go to the AGO and have chocolate fondue we did.

Going to the AGO is a wonderful experience, but I always have to brace myself a bit for the sticker shock of the admission price.  For myself and Kate and William the admission price was going to be $49 along with the cost of parking.  However - here's one of the weekend's pleasant surprises - both William and Kate got in for free because they are under 25 years of age and several major sponsors (including Scotia Bank) have donated enough to allow young visitors to get in for free.  When I went to pay for my ticket she took $2.50 off the price because I was paying with a Scotia Bank card and Scotia Bank is one of the AGO's major supporters.  So instead of paying $49, I paid $16.50. Yeah Scotia Bank (that may be a first - me cheering for a bank).

The Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Court exhibit (you can see some of the images here) was magnificent, especially the silver carriage and the traditional outfits.  I so wish you could take photographs in the exhibit to share with you.  I borrowed the following three photos from the AGO blog (here) so you can see the gorgeous landau carriage with the plants and animals decorating it.

There was also a fantastic exhibit of prints by David Blackwood depicting life in the poor outposts of Newfoundland.   Really the two exhibits could not have been more different - one dealing with the excesses and riches of royal families in a warm climate, and the other depicting the struggles of the poor, hard-working fishermen and their families in a cold, damp maritime land.  

Detail of the Black Ice by David Blackwood

S. S. Imogene Leaving for the Icefields, by David Blackwood

The next day we had our chocolate fondue.  I've never made one before because we didn't own one of those special ceramic pots with a place for a tea light to go under it.  I tried to buy a chocolate fondue pot at the grocery store, but didn't feel like forking (get it - forking!) over $30 for a set so I decided we would just put it in a regular bowl and re-microwave it if we needed to.   And my second pleasant surprise of the weekend - it worked!  Maybe that's because it didn't have time to solidify.  I'm just saying.

Bowls of kiwi, half mini donuts, bananas, pineapple, strawberries, and marshmallows

I melted an entire box of Baker's semi-sweet chocolate squares and had read that you should add some table cream.  Well I didn't have any so I added skim milk.  Yes, I know it was diet chocolate fondue.  I have to say it was delicious and tasted as good as any I have previously had.  Have a look at the action shot below.  I think that speaks for itself.

Fun activities and nice surprises to celebrate our long weekend.

The Best of February

My list of things I was looking forward to in January included things like enjoying a fresh snowfall, examining the beauty of snowflakes, crunching ice and snow, and seeing snow-covered evergreens.  Well the good news is that I was able to enjoy all of these things - many times over!  We have had a lovely snowy January, and I do mean lovely.  When it is winter it is much nicer to have snow everywhere than just frozen dirt or worse still, slush.  I also appreciate that for the most part the snow has fallen on weekends or in a big storm so school and work were cancelled - all of which means we didn't have to get up early and go out and shovel the driveway first thing in the morning and then drive on snow-covered roads to get to work.

Winter is beginning to wear a little thin, but there are still lots of things I'm looking forward to in February.  I've interspersed my list with photos I took of the snow in January.  Here's my February list:

1.  My birthday.  It's always a nice February diversion.  I mean who doesn't like cake and a few prezzies.

2.  Our 30th wedding anniversary which just happens to be on February 14th.  We're planning on going out to dinner with the whole family and some friends and then coming back for dessert and champagne. 

3. Trying the cupcakes we will be serving at our oldest son's wedding in May.  This is the dessert we will have after we go out for dinner for our anniversary (see above).

4.  Working on my food photography skills.  I have in mind to try playing around with the cupcakes and taking some photos.  I've been studying photos of food and there is a real art to the composition and lighting and I'd like to improve mine a bit.

5. Valentine's Day - which just happens to also be our wedding anniversary (see above).  We are just that romantic (haha)!  

6.  Chocolate.  This has to be one of my favourite things about Valentine's Day.  I adore chocolate.

7.  Enjoying the form of bare branches on deciduous trees.  They really are lovely against the winter sky and look absolutely gorgeous when each branch is highlighted by a trace of snow.

8.  Having a long weekend.  Monday February 21st is Family Day here in Ontario so we are all off school and work and can hang out and ... be a family.  Sounds like fun!

9.  Going skating.  I only got out once in January so I'm looking forward to going out a few more times in February.

10.  Getting over the adenoid infection which has plagued me since the first week in January. Sigh!