On Island Time

We spent our anniversary weekend on Bowen Island, at a fantastic little B&B on the far (western) side of the island - nary a city light in view, thank you very much! As the Gray Mare (TM) has moved on to greener pastures, we were doing this adventure on transit, which required careful packing of the barest essentials...Baileys, cheeses (lots), fancy crackers, chocolate, etc...and Mr.Q was a phenomenal help with the packing, as you can see:

Thank FSM he wasn't drooling, as his head was on my pillow! 'T any rate, we eventually got everything assembled in a manageable way, had a fairly painless trip over to Bowen on transit (Umm...Bowen Island community shuttle schedule - very, very wacky. But the drivers? The friendliest, most helpful bus drivers either of us have ever come across!) and found our way to the B&B - a self-contained suite looking through cedar forest at Howe Sound.

We spent the better part of 3 days reading, napping, sipping coffee with Baileys (or mimosas), staring out the windows, and sitting in a hammock chair looking at this:


We did have that fancy-pants pizza on Sunday at Tuscany (pear and caramelized onions with Brie... mmmmmmm!)...I even convinced Mr.Q to wear something other than a T-shirt:


Doesn't he look handsome in the garden? (The facial expression, I can only assume, was related to his "I look like a Hare Krishna" whining. I pointed out that, since he was neither wearing a yellow bedsheet nor sporting a shaved head, he was being just a teensy bit melodramatic. He did stop when his beer arrived. Which is good, or I would have started chanting..."rama rama hare hare...." He insists on referring to Krishna as "the cool blue dude." I refuse to rise to the bait.)

Anyway. Dinner was great. Though I was a git and didn't think to bring my Tuscany shawl for a perfect photo op at the restaurant...doh! Afterward, we had time for a walk around the harbour before the shuttle left. Random photo outside a cafe:


Unfortunately, we didn't have time to play!

One interesting thread through the weekend was Mr.Q's choice of reading material. He was blasting his way through Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom series, which led to occasional random outbursts and pronouncements: "Woman! Fetch me a beer! I, Zimbu, Jeddak of Lothar have spoken! Deny me not, or suffer my wrath!"

Etc.etc. Needless to say, he had to get his own damned beer. And bring me a drink while he was at it! It seems that "Zimbu, Jeddak of Jeddaks" is best known for his deadly Eyebrows of Eternal Peril. Mr.Q was practicing, even on the ferry home. Quite chillingly effective, don't you think?


Which got rather a few looks from the tourists on board, but honestly, I was too busy giggling to care. One thing he will never be is boring! (Plus, truth be told, I get a kick out of the old-school bombastic pulp writers, and ERB was one of the best)

And now we are home again, and I've got the hundredth load of laundry going (or so it seems!). Trying an adventure for dinner - Mr.Q called from work this morning and asked if he could put in a request for dinner - "something light" as he was feeling a bit sluggish after all the cheese over the weekend. Since he almost never asks for anything special, I am happy to indulge him. So I thought I'd try something new and summery, salmon with peach-ginger salsa. And an attempt at home-made frozen yogurt (with honey and raspberries) for dessert. Which may or may not survive until dinner, as I seem to have to "taste" it every time I go to stir it....oops!