I confess I started this post Friday night and will finish Sunday because Saturday morning I have a brunch with three girlfriends and in the evening, dinner with two other girlfriends!  Hah!  I should call it Girlfriend Saturday!  Or All Girls Outings or Girls’ Galas or Dames’ Day!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that, although still not 100%, now that I’m on day three of antibiotics, I am feeling loads better and should no longer be in danger of spreading this to you.  So, please do come in.  We can even share the couch without you having to worry!  I’ve fresh banana-chocolate chip muffins fresh out of the oven, should you feel peckish.

Seriously.  Thank you, to my former neighbour Dr. Fhum for hooking me up with her clinic so I could see a doctor.  Now, “finally” I had been sufficiently sick long enough for the doctor to see something.  Sheesh.  Without going into gory details, suffice to say my sinuses were very inflamed and my throat was badly irritated.  Weird, considering I have hardly coughed in the last 17 days.  Yes, you read that right 17 days…  And I am not the only one.  Seems to me, every day, another friend is announcing on Facebook that they are so sick… Harsh season, to be sure!

K. ’nuff said about that.

If we were having coffee, I would share that I was feeling particularly nostalgic Friday night.  Boys were both out, I was still not feeling up to going out, wasn’t in the mood to watch TV, tired of Facebooking, so somehow I ended up reading some of my earlier posts.  I realised my blogging had changed.   Last summer I practically disappeared, not being able to organise my time with the new job and totally frazzled.  Since the end of the golf season,  I have been down to writing a Friday Fictioneers on Wednesday, a Coffee Share on Saturday or Sunday, an occasional random post and maybe re-blogging something that has resonated with me, now and again.  Not quite the way I planned it but then, I shall not chastise myself.  I was where I was and am now where I am!The The “Dale Posts,” as Eric, wonderful blogger who happens to read moi, called them shall make a comeback.  A good while ago, he let me know that he missed them.  The types of comments I received when I did such posts were meaningful and touching.  Different bloggers commented on those ones too.   Quite a few of them I miss.  They, like me, may be blogging less or are just too busy to read all the blogs they follow (guilty as charged!)  Weekend Coffee Share is actually more like a Dale post so I feel I have not completely disappeared…

K. ’nuff said about that too!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I had a lovely brunch with three wonderful women, Danielle (I went to high school with her), Guylaine and Lynda, both friends made through our absent mate, Isabelle (also a high school friend).  We met between 9:30 and 10:00 at CIBO and sat and talked and laughed and ate and talked and commiserated, going through gallons of coffee until 2:00 PM!  Talk about catching up.  I love connecting with female friends.  It is a whole different dynamic than when men are around.  And no, that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy activities that include the men!!  There is something to hearing about another’s situation that reminds you that you are not alone.

Lynda, Guylaine, Danielle and me

We went our separate ways and I, foolishly, thought I would go to Ikea to pick up more bottles for my limoncello and orangecello.  Hah!  What a joke!!  I couldn’t find a single parking space.  What was I thinking, going to Ikea on a Saturday afternoon!  I kept on driving until I arrived home.  Monday will be a much better day to go there…

Just as I was thinking I’d bring Zeke for a short walk around the block before leaving for my dinner date, the skies opened to torrential (I may exaggerate, but just a bit) rains!  Holy moly.  It became dark as night and the rain was slanting at an impressive angle.  So much for my leaving early to shop around Dix30 before meeting the ladies.  This is one of those new style open shopping centres where all doors lead to outside.  You have to walk miles to get from one store to the other one you just happened to want to have to go to.  That or drive and find a new parking spot.  I loathe these places.  Yet, they have lovely fire pits scattered here or there that are in winter – and which burning bright even in this crazy rain – so if you wanted to, you could take a break during your trek and enjoy the heat.

However, not today, thanks.  I did give myself extra time to drive there as the highway to get there is dark and unlit and frankly, was not relaxing at all.  Driving ’round and ’round, I finally found a spot.   My lovely Siena, Tuscan souvenir umbrella was too fragile for the crazy wind and now has a broken arm? spoke? whatchamacallit? from my short walk from the parking space to the ZIBO restaurant.  Dang.  Hoping the rain had kept people away, I was soon set straight.   We were told the restaurant reserves 15% of its tables for walk-ins so not to worry, a drink at the bar to wait would not be too long.  Of course there was no room at the bar.   France soon arrived and a couple sitting at a longish table in front of the bar gave us their spot.  Just as the place was cleared, our glasses of wine ordered, Jocelyne arrived.  Hmmm… Only two seats but we chose to stand anyway.  Maybe five minutes later three spots opened up at the bar.  Yes!   Barely comfortable, our doohickey started to buzz and light up, telling us our table was ready.  Well now… you call that a 45-minute wait?  It was barely 15… No complaints from us, that is sure.

We had a most lovely time despite the very large party happening behind me.  After my fourth look behind at being bumped into and Jocelyne’s comment about children being allowed to run around the tables, the mother finally understood and made her ragamuffins sit their butts down and stop disturbing the other patrons.  That group left not too soon after and the staff immediately set up for another, even bigger, group.  Some people… this totally stiff, zero sense of humour guy was putting bouquets of balloons on the table and as he passed by Jocelyne, she put out her hand, saying “Oh, thank you”.  He looked at her with such a look, turned away and continued decorating.  We looked at each other and burst out laughing.  Really?  Dude! Did you truly think she was serious?  Man… some people really need to get a life!

France, me, Jocelyne

A delicious meal, good glass of wine and great company.  How better to spend a Saturday night?  We looked out the window and our shoulders fell.  It looked like slush was falling from the sky.  Not rain, not snow.  Slush! Ugh.  We went out separate ways and I meandered into Indigo book store.  How cool that this place closes at 10:00 pm!  I managed to resist buying any books.  No, seriously, you’ve no idea.  It’s soooo hard!

While perusing the shelves, I did come upon this display.  The top book, Swimming Lessons, by Claire Fuller, is the one I am half-way through right now.  For those who don’t participate in Friday Fictioneers, she is one of the writers.  I love that I exchange with published authors.  So many of them in the group.  Maybe one will rub off on me?  It is funny how much of a sense of pride I feel when someone I “know” is successful!  I am adoring this book.  It is the second one I read of hers.  The first being “Our Endless Numbered Days”, which was fantastic.  I highly recommend both books.

Oh dear!  Look at the time!  I’ve kept you way too long as it is!

Before I go, thank you Emily, for hosting this lovely gathering of people, sharing their stuff!

CIBO and ZIBO…. hah…