Tagged!

Nina tagged me with a few questions! I love getting tagged.

1- What would your perfect day consist of?

There's lots of elements to make a perfect day and they don't all need to be in one place at one time. Fudge, warmth, new experiences, sleeping in, good food, friends (or sometimes just that special one - the hubby), my garden, my pets, Iceland.

2- How would you describe yourself if you were an item of clothing?

Hmmm... have never really thought of myself this way. A big cozy blanket or tunic dress, probably.

3- What hobbies are you currently working on?

It's gardening time!

4- Walking in the woods in Wellies or Barefoot on the beach?

Depends on my mood. :) I'd be totally content in either situation.

5- Have you ever hugged or sang to a tree?

I got married under a tree, and we left the flowers at it's base when we were done. Does that count?

6. Growing your own veggies or nipping to the supermarket.

Growing my own! It's so rewarding to watch the whole cycle of birth to growth to eating. And yummy too!

7. Have you found anyone exciting in your family tree?

I've never explored my family tree.

8. Slap up meal in a posh restaurant or fish ‘n’ chips from the wrapper?

Posh restaurant, man. Hands down. Not because it's 'posh' per se... just because, generally, you really do pay for quality and fresh new experiences.

In Toronto this past weekend, we ate at Colburn Lane and Lee restaurant. These two folks are considered to be Toronto's top two chefs right now.

I wouldn't go back to Colburn Lane because it just wasn't worth it's pricepoint. This is high end molecular gastronomy - something I could never do for myself at home, but there's a whole experience thing, the big picture, that I expect out of a high end experience and Colburn Lane was missing a few parts. I can't complain of the tastes - that was delightful! But the portions were small, the time lag between dishes was annoying, the music was a bit loud and they had fake cheap candles on the tables instead of real tealights.


Orange in Reykjavik,was also high end molecular gastronomy but it was more fun, the portions were bigger, the waitress couldn't crack a smile for the life of her, and a mad scientist mixed up liquid nitrogen smoking meringue bombs at our table. They served their dessert on liquid nitrogen chilled rocks from the Icelandic earth. The appetizers came floating a few inches off the table attached to perfectly filled helium balloons. The restaurant is mere feet away from the dock and the fish tasted like it was caught that morning and died only seconds before cooking. And!! the drink menu wasn't confined to stiltifying perfectly suited wine choices but had wild tasty fun choices instead. I've never met a cocktail menu more alive!

Lee, on the other hand, was fantastic food, served with perfect timing fashion, and larger portions. It was however - crazy busy (which didn't intere with the service!) and the music was a bit loud.

9. Which element do you most resonate with, Earth, Wind, Fire or Water?

Depends on what I'm doing, and what mood I'm in. I'm mostly Fire and Water - all steamy and in conflict, but I've been blown away by Iceland's sheer physical earthly beauty. :)


10. Do you believe in fairies?

I haven't seen one myself, but there's just way way too many stories out there to not have some basis in truth. :)

Weekend - Shoes, peaceful setting

Bunches of interesting things this weekend. Met up with friends in the Dark Ages Recreation Company to learn how to make turnshoes. We're using modern tools, but the end product should be pretty much the same as Viking Era shoes.

This is our teacher, working on a pair of shoes for his daughter while we're all off on earlier steps in the process.



Our hosts for the weekend have beautiful garden spaces and right now, their tulips are in full bloom. Long time readers will likely realize that I have a special thing for tulips. :)

This picture seems to have turned out pretty darned well. I like the luminous sunlight and slight fuzziness around the edges of the photo.



They also have chickens. I think this is the rooster.



And horses, and cats, and a deeply peaceful farm out in the boondocks of Ontario. Sitting on the porch in the early morning ... it was so peaceful.

Our host was Grondzilla and his partner, who dislikes seeing her name in print. Grondzilla has been engaged in a commitment to blog every day for a year. I'm intrigued by the idea. I briefly considered the idea. Generally speaking, I update my Facebook status once a day anyway.

But I'd have to be crazy to consider it right now. DARC is gearing up pretty heavily for a gig at L'Anse aux Meadows in August, my boss just went on mat leave again leaving me busier at work, and there's that gardening thing. I have way too much to do these days already.