Berries, Rose Hips and What are Those Called?

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/holly-berries-in-the-snow-01.jpg" alt="holly-berries in the snow-01" width="640" height="480" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14297">I've encountered some bits of red in the landscape recently. Red as in what is currently on plants around town at this time of the year.My personal favourite were these pretty holly plants, arranged in a row alongside a warehouse alleyway. I found them first before the snow, and was quite taken by the way whomever planted them also painted some of the stones at their bases. Most interesting was that someone would go to such effort, in a spot that would really not be seen by many people. I love that they did it for the sake of beauty, and not because they expected it to be seen by loads of people.

Winter Scenes in the Park : Before and After the Snow

Readers will know that I love to go to this beautiful park in our neighbourhood, called Trinity Bellwoods. But of course, everyone loves pretty parks, so I won't go on and on about my adoration of this beautiful green space, located amidst our urban landscape.Here are some photos I have taken recently, a set before the snow ....

Out for a Nice Dinner and What I Wore

I don't want to be a braggedy-ann but my husband Nick is an excellent cook. He plans our meals (with creative lefties in mind) and does all the grocery shopping. Even if he will be away for a meal, he suggests things I can have on my own.We recently had a session with a Nutritionist together and now he has incorporated healthy choices into his cooking.In fact, right now I am just back at my computer after having a lunch of lobster and ricotta lasagne, with fresh tomato sauce, and homemade noodles. It was his first try at making pasta from scratch and it turned out really well. But while it was absolutely delicious, the lasagne is the result of what he would call, a fail. His goal was to make lobster raviolis, but the first batch didn't turn out right because he put too much filling in and they were bound to burst open when he tried simmering them in water. So he turned those ones into lasagne, and continued working to perfect his technique. We now have some gorgeous looking raviolis in the freezer awaiting another meal.Suffice it to say, he handles the food in our home, and I really appreciate his efforts.Even though he really enjoys creating in the kitchen, (when asked on a recent vacation what he missed most about home, aside from our cat Eddie, his response was cooking) I like to repay him by taking him out to a nice restaurant every once in a while. So a couple of Saturdays ago, we went out to one of our favourites for a fancy meal, a place called Politica.They have an excellent chef there and everything we've ever eaten has been really good. A minor qualm we had during this recent visit was that, although I had made a reservation well in advance, upon arriving we were offered a less than optimal table. It was a tiny one, smack dab in the middle of an almost empty restaurant. (Things were quiet because it was the week-end before Christmas, but they are usually quite busy on a Saturday night.) The choice of seating was nowhere near conducive to the romantic dinner we hoped to have, but that was remedied quickly after we asked for our favourite back-corner table.From there we proceeded to enjoy an outstanding meal.

White Puppy in the Snow

So, I just had to ask Eddie Boycat to give up his usual post this week and allow Caturday to go to the dogs. How could I not, after meeting this little guy in the snow the other day?

He is a Siberian Husky pup, who is only five months old. I had trouble getting a shot of him facing the camera because he was very bouncy and really quite excited about making a new friend. But if he had stood really still, I might not have seen him, matching as well with the snow as he did.

In all my oowing and awwing, I forgot to ask what his name was. But he lives in the neighbourhood so hopefully I'll run into him again soon.

Bits and Pieces : December 2012

Hello. Here is the monthly post where I include some photographs taken during the previous month, that wouldn't otherwise find a home on this site. I hope you like them.

Let's begin at the end of the month, after we got our first snow on December 26th. It came so late this year and then fell with great abandon, covering the streets in a thick layer of fluff overnight.

I found this funny snowman standing right beside the path that goes through a little park in my neighbourhood. He's pretty special with his carrot nose and real pieces of coal.