The adventures of the intrepid traveller.

D is for decisions.

Naturally, I make so many decisions in the middle of the night. Yes, lol. I'd already heard Brian's snoring (down the end of the hall) but then it stopped. I was worried, 'cuz neither one of us is a young'un anymore. [I found the snoring should not have been going on, but Brian has taken the appropriate medical response.] Also, the bathroom door squeaked – not when it was closed, but when opened. Sigh.

Getting back to being old, etc. Brian had said that we had limited time and he'd agree to whatever my heart desired. Well, my heart desired to go to the Butterfly Conservatory as I'd had significant transcendant experiences several times over the decades. But, what with my mobility (and slight) issues, I wondered whether it would be time and money well-spent. So I decided to forego the visit and do some shopping instead. At two shops in particular in Niagara-on-the-Lake, namely Ten Thousand Villages (ethically-sourced crafts from around the world) and the Butterfly Gallery (hey, if I couldn't see real butterflies). After making those decisions before 4:00 a.m., I rolled over and managed to fall back asleep. The bed was comfy, the covers as tight as swaddling, and the pillow divine.

When I woke up, it was daylight and Brian was already preparing brekkie. So, what did we have? Well, nothing but exquisiteness with a hiccup. Why? Well, Brian is amazing in the kitchen but, this time – because he couldn't find a sharp knife – his cutting was hilarious (as bad as the blinde blonde's). We started off with organic blueberry pomegranate juice, a huge side of luscious smoked salmon (for two days), red onion and tomato slices (hacks!), capers, Ace Bakeries everything bagels (frozen, defrosted, and popped in the toaster), and cream cheese. I'd also provided two cans of Smirnoff Ice Peach Bellinis. It was a sybaritic eating experience. Finally, stuffed enough that we would get through to dinner, we got dressed. Befire we left, I trusted Brian to put on my eye makeup! I did the copper lid colour while he added brown countour (which I think went way too high) and black eyeliner. I finished with black mascara. Then he teased me about my "clown makeup". Um ... do I kill him now or after we're back in TO? Well, I had to trust him (and he knows it).

We had a chance to sit on the Muskoka chairs in the backyard for a little while. There were several as well as a bbq. Then we did a drive by the falls so that I could have a better look in daylight and then were off to N-O-T-L. We found parking near the main drag. Brian wisely persuaded me to take my walker. The first stop was Ten Thousand Villages. I was looking for a small wooden frame with pleasantly tinkling chimes; they only had a large jangling one. Disappointed, I got Brian to lead me around until my eye was transfixed with ... glitter! It was a narrow wall hanging from India with diamond shapes and lots of sparkly beads. The background was multi-coloured with a silk border. I'd found my treasure. There was a spend $50, get $10 off sale, so I got the special hanger basically free. I'm only going to display the hanging over Christmas, replacing the lovely scarves I currently have hanging. After that, we went to the Butterfly Gallery where they didn't have hangings, but I found two long jewelled butterfly hair clips which I'll probably use as napkin-pins. After that we hit up a candy store where I bought tangerine, watermelon and amazing cappuccino jelly beans and a package of ginger mango mints. Only $41. Oops! Brian left me at a park bench to investigate a couple more shops (bakery, etc.).

Then we had a couple of hours to waste until our 5:30 reservation at the winery. So Brian drove around under a delightfully sunny day that made the cooler temp more bearable, letting our Brit-GPS-voice direct us through lush tree-lined roads and vineyards. We also stopped for Brian to go to the nut house(!) to buy dried corncobs you stuck in the microwave!!! I wanted a special magnetic and grippable flashlight so we found a hardware store. Okay, I'm tired. Let's find the winery.

When we got there, Brian first purchased two bottles of Late Harvest Vidal. We were shown to a small table but the seats were divine club chairs. I won't fall out of those! We were both disappointed by the menus. The multi-course "tasting" one had too many weird things on it (and I'm the one saying it), so I chose basically lamb 3-ways (shank, sirloin, and merguez sausage sorta-kinda cassoulet style). The sirloin was amazing, the merguez wonderful but, meh, I can so make much better lamb shanks! Also on the plate was a long parsnip and luscious shredded red cabbage cooked in red wine. I. Must. Copy. This. We'd also started with a bottle of sparkling water and fresh baguette (very good) with red wine butter. Brian didn't drink but I had a lovely rosé.

Brian wasn't thrilled with what he ordered (or the price): rib-eye steak, truffle fries (he gave me a couple), creamed 'shrooms and ... other stuff. We both ordered the same thing for dessert: some kind of chocolate cake, ganache, shavings, cramberry(?), orange gel thingy. It arrived as one long lump. Brian took a piccie and posted it on FB. Goot thing I'd been so satisfied by the lamb.

When we got to the house, we relaxed for a while. Brian watched Downton Abbey while I had a really, really long soak in the jacuzzi. I told him to knock on the door if it was more than 40 minutes. Also a good thing that we didn't have bathroom hogging issues. He took long hot showers in the morning instead. So, I climbed in and let the jets do their thing. I also did some hydratherapy, leaning my back away from the tub so the jets could massage it while I was rolling my shoulders. I added more hot water and continued soaking. Finally, when I thought it was (almost) enough. I sat up with eyes closed and encountered a wall of bubbles (Euphoria, natch) tickling my nose!!! Yes, the foam had expanded dramatically. I managed to subdue the bubbles and empty the tub. When I came out, Brian said I was two minutes away to the deadline. I wished him a goodnight and went to bed. It wasn't pleasant being without slippers and a bit cold. I dozed off and woke again when I heard him shut the TV off and go to bed. And that was Day two of our adventure.

The adventures of the intrepid traveller.

It's all over except for catching up on sleep.

Oh, how desperately do I need sleep. It didn't help that I woke up at 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning hearing a faint beeping sound. I thought Brian was in distress. We talked about it later. He thought I was having a problem. Nope, it was neither of us so we figured the sound was coming from upstairs.

But, when I woke up this time with freezing hands, I couldn't get back to sleep. Once again, the lack of slippers made a difference. So I got dressed and went to sit on the couch with my iPad and continued reading for hours until Brian woke up and came out to make brekkie which was a repeat of yesterday, except that today's luscious juice was mango-orange by my fave supplier. His knife skills had also improved (or else he was getting used to the dull implement). We really went to town on the smoked salmon. And here I'd been worried there wouldn't be enough food through the weekend, so I'd packed a bag of miniature milk chocolates. Ha! I definitely didn't need them.

After Brian's looooooong shower (I envied him because it was cold, damp, and possibly wet out), we packed up the car. I'd wanted to sit outside where there were a couple more Muskoka chairs but, as it had already rained, they were wet. So, sadly, we departed before 10:30. Had one last drive by the Falls and then headed back to TO. It's a good thing we left early, because traffic was still very bad in spots so we had to detour.

After Saturday's drive around in N-O-T-L, Brian loved the town so much he wants us to stay there next time (and already started picking out luxurious homes). It's a good thing we'll have more adventures together! We'll also see each other Thursday as a mutual friend has invited us to a nice restaurant (in my old 'hood) for dinner. We're looking forward to it.

I was in serious pain despite my muscle relaxant, so asked him to turn on the seat heater for me. Slightly better, but made me long for hours in the jacuzzi where, to my surprise, the hot water and bubbles had softened even the dry patches below my elbows. When we arrived, he lugged my suitcase and purchases into the house; we hugged and then he was off home while I did the collapsing thing. So how out of it was I? I was trying to unzip the suitcase but kept tugging at the wrong zipper. Okay, that can wait. I need major sleep.

I woke up in time for the news, puttered around a bit, and tried my jelly beans. The best flavour is cappuccino. Had juice and water, but wasn't hungry, so went back to bed.

Of course, you can guess what happened next; yes, I woke up around 3:00. I got out of bed and began tackling my emails, especially regarding the blind group. Finally got around to having a healthy, hearty brekkie. Finished emptying the suitcase. Then it was back to bed to read a little and sleep some more. Woke up around 3:00 (you know there's too much symmetry here). Watched the news, my game shows and too many recorded judge shows which were putting me to sleep again.

Now I'm worried about my monitor. I think it's really on its last legs, so I may not be able to wait for a sale. Sigh. And I couldn't reactivate my talking clock, so I'll have to hope I wake up at an early but decent time tomorrow. ::crosses fingers::