Nice weather and a lazy Sunday

Well, it would seem I need to catch up on my postings so here goes.

Two weeks ago, we had the luck of having wonderful weather (warm), to the point where Salem decided to take me out to Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue for supper on a terrasse and some walking. We ended up going to Peter's Cape Cod, had fish & chips and a tuna steak. Both were quite yummy and we later on went to a coffee shop to discuss our upcoming summer trip. Needless to say, not much was accomplished as Salem was low on energy, went on a sugar high (chocolate and coffee) and then crashed!!

The construction of the new MUHC super-hospital is in full-swing!

Yayy! Fresh air!

It was a bit cool but still nice to be outside.

Bwahahaha! Stalking random people!

I love you bi!

And a lazy Sunday...

We just bummed around the following day after shopping for camping equipment.

Salem is enumerating something... most likely something political such as "Why I should rule the world".

In total relaxation mode... woof!

And I decided to accessorize my nails:

With little 5-petal flowers and dots. Cute.

The NHL needs to come down hard on punishing players

While I did not watch last night's game where the Canadiens de Montréal  played against the Boston Bruins on home ice, I did hear about the sickening hit that Pacioretty took last night at the hands of Zdeno Chara. I decided to take a look at the video when I got to work and what I saw made me feel sick and my blood run cold.

If you want to take a look at a video, here's the link to a video on the RDS site.

The latest news is that Pacioretty is recovering, but no other information has been given out. After reviewing the video, I believe that Chara had the intent to hurt another player, just look at the way he sets it up and carries through on the move. Also, I have heard from quite a few commentators and former players that the area where Pacioretty hit the boards/glass is a spot all players dread - it's a post at the end of the player's bench, wrapped in many layers of padding. Now I am willing to argue the point as to whether Chara knew who he was sending into the boards or whether his intent was to cause such a severe injury (Pacioretty was out cold for a few minutes, carried away on a stretcher and kept overnight at a hospital for observation).

I think the NHL needs to/has to/MUST start handing out much more severe punishments when it comes to any uncalled-for moves during a game. Players have been injured, unable to play for a few games, out for the rest of the season and even had their careers ended because other players figured they could make a move to injure another player and never suffer any consequences. I don't care what team you play for, I don't care who you injured and I don't care what your name is - these kinds of actions have been tolerated for too long - players must face the consequences of their actions!

Like I said, players have previously been injured and been out for a few games, a few weeks, the rest of a season and some have had to end their careers because of injuries suffered at the hands of other, careless players. So here is a good question: How long before someone dies?

I hope the NHL gets tougher on punishments. And if all else fails, remove all players' equipment and padding and let them play simply with pants, socks, jerseys, skates and a stick. Lets see how hard they hit then!

My wishes of speedy recovery to Pacioretty.

It's March - snow is all par for the course!!

Ok, people have been complaining about winter and the snow on the radio all day today. Guess what - this happens every March! Winter isn't even close to over until April when it comes to Montreal. I honestly think people complain too much about the weather. You don't like all the snow? Move to Florida like the rest of the "snow" birds (shouldn't they be called "sun hogs" or something?).

Here's what I was greeted with this morning as I was making my way to the metro by foot - I wasn't sure my bus was ever going to show up and I didn't want to risk missing the train. Sure, it was snowing, semi-plowed and windy but at least it wasn't cold.

Trust me, my legs were going well below the posted speed limit.

I would also like to take this opportunity to ask  co-worker (who isn't a follower on my blog) "Who shit in your Kashi this morning?".... or every morning in your case! Stomp being grumpy all the time, stop all the kvetching and be happy about something for once, no? Bah!

My birthday yet again! And more snowwww - yet again!!!!

This weekend, I celebrated my birthday with a few friends over at Ciné Express. I've now decided that Ciné Express is very hit or miss. Salem and I met at this very place and we used to go to just grab some food and hang out. A few years ago, it went all downhill (only one waitress for the whole place on shift and I ended up wearing some of the beer that fell from a glass off her tray). We hadn't returned until about a year ago - they had renovated and our usual waitress was there to serve us. We were happy! We're returned a few times since and service was always good. Well, not so last Saturday. The waitress rarely came around and when she did, she took one person's order only to turn and leave before anyone else got to put in their order. After getting sick of waiting, I took down everyone's dessert order to bring it to the counter. After complaining to the guy behind the counter, he told our waitress to take care of things to which she started telling me "I went back many times and no one was ready to order"... Bah! BS! We got our orders in, half of their cakes were no longer available, etc. I was none too impressed, read even a bit embarrassed for picking this place! I don't think we will be returning.

Next time: party at my place - BYOC (bring your own chair). Honestly! Don't talk back to the customer when they have to go and do your job for you. Here are some pictures though, we at least got a couple of good laughs and I got to spend some time with friends. :-)

It was a dark and stormy night...

... a pair of lovebirds were cuddling on a couch, seeking shelter from outside...

While Sabrina was busy giving physicals and Adam... well it seems he was busy using Sabrina as a back rest! ;-)

Ok, I will admit, the couches are good for large groups of people..

Chris even joined us!

Lisa - post parking disaster - with Caro and Salem.

Cheeeeeeese!

Some little extra birthday tidbits i never got around to posting about!

Salem surprised me with a wonderful bouquet of flowers on my birthday! He even thought to lower the bedroom temperature so the flowers wouldn't get hot between his lunch hour and my arrival! Honestly, I never wouldn't thought about this.

I especially loved the irises, lillies and the frilly yellow rose!

I made some small double-chocolate birthday cookies to celebrate (no cake this time around)! They were AMAZING!!! We're still finishing them off now. Recipe to come soon.

They may look like miniature cow patties but they sure as heck don't taste like them!

Sutton!!!!! Way better than Mont Tremblant!

Yeah, you heard me! Mont Tremblant is over rated! Why? Because it's quite expensive, you're packed in like sardines and everybody goes there.

Salem and I wanted a quiet, relaxing and romantic couple of days out of town during the holidays. After searching all over the place, we decided to head for the Eastern Townships - affordable, quiet, quaint and welcoming.

On our way in, we drove through St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. I'd love to come back through there sometime in the summer to take more pictures along the waterfront.

On the other side of the river, looking towards St-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

My habibi!

A beautiful place to take pictures.

The happy couple - along with the darn Maximum 50 sign that kept creeping into our pictures. I just had to throw this one in here!

Most of the Eastern Townships are characterized by flat patches of land (hello agriculture!) with hills off in the distance here and there. Actually, it reminds me of my childhood visits to see my Pépé. It's a bit bittersweet honestly - the good memories but also the reminder of just how much I miss him.

A typical winter view outside the car window while driving through the Eastern Townships.

Our arrival in Sutton was nice - you see more hills in the background. We arrived later on in the day so we were gunning to make it to the B&B before darkness was fully upon us. We made it!

Sutton at our arrival - you can see the hills in the distance.

The house was amazing, the hostess was super nice and the room - OH MY!!! A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a couple thousand words! We'll definitely be going back to Les Caprices de Victoria!

Our room as we come in. A magnificent, old, metal bed, amazing old wood floors and the ceiling beams just added so much charm to the room. I think I could've spent the rest of my life living out of that room alone.

From the window: Our bed, the sink and the washroom hidden away.

The couch by the window and fireplace. So romantic. 

I love the sink and the little details that went into everything in the room and the house itself. 

My favorite part of the room!!!! And yes, the bath fits two!

Here's a note to you all: to add a bit of romance to a room, never under-estimate the power of light dimmers!

And because Les Caprices de Victoria is a B&B, well there has to be an amazing breakfast, right? Well, this place certainly didn't disappoint! Every breakfast started with fresh juice, a patisserie, a starter (usually dairy and fruits) and the main course along with plenty of coffee and tea. They also offered a dessert but Salem and I were always too full by then. Here's some of what we stuffed ourselves silly with (boy was it ever gooooooooood!!!)

A mixed berry juice with berry skewer on top. So cute!

A mandarine and fruit juice with a "cerise de terre". Very sophisticated!

I fell in love with this berry and cheese pastry.

Salem thoroughly enjoyed his almond and crème anglaise pastry. 

One of the starters: a soft cheese with some berries in a light dairy sauce. 

A fruit kabob over yogurt in a light honey sauce, sprinkled with lavender. Yum!

A new twist on eggs Benedict: mini pie crusts topped with smoked salmon, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce, served next to a soft cheese and tomatoes. Where does this woman get her ideas? Spectacular!

The dinning room. 

The wonderfully decorated living room.

We relaxed, walked around the village, did some cross-country skiing - to which I forgot to bring my camera, but perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing after all considering all the falling we were doing. Honestly, the cross-country skiing was almost therapeutic for me: it was a bit cool but my body warmed up quickly, the trails weren't crowded so we could take our time, etc. I recall one spot where I actually felt the first bit of utter piece I have felt in a very long time (years maybe?). I was standing there, at the top of a small hill, waiting for Salem to get a bit further ahead so I wouldn't run right into him at the bottom (I can't stop yet). I looked up at the trees and their branches covered in snow, listened and heard nothing, took the time to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the rays of poking through the branches here and there. It was as if the world had stopped. I wish I could go back. Alhamdullilah, I think Allah gave me a glimpse of what heaven could be like.

The trees! The Snow! Breathtaking!

Just an idea of what the trees looked like with the snow stuck on their branches. I love this part of winter.

Salem and I drove back up the hill at Sutton on the day we left. Here are a few pictures of the storm we drove in (we got stock once or twice - I helped push the car out at one point). We made our way to Lac Brome and then took our time making our way back home.

Salem cleaning off the car playing in the snow while I take pictures. Bwahahahaha!

Going up Mont Sutton. There's some snow falling.

Near the top of Mont Sutton.

At the top of Mont Sutton - Holy Snow!!!

Of course, we just had to take a picture! I can't just be quiet for a minute. 

On the way back down! To the village!!!!

My hot husband. 

Sutton - the Village. Really cute! Checklist: chocolate, patisseries! Done and Done! 

I love shopping!

On our way to Lac Brome - I love the winding roads. I also love that my husband knows how to drive in this kind of weather. :-)

A few pictures of the daytime (winter) skyline of our beautiful city. It's only in the last couple of years that my love has truly grown for the beautiful city I call home. Don't get me wrong, Montréal has it's pros and cons, just like any other city, but any time I travel and go to another place, I end up missing this city and looking forward to just walking its streets again. It really is one of a kind.

Downtown Montréal from Pont Champlain - click the image for a bigger picture.

Pont Jacques-Cartier, the top of the Stade Olympique and part of Île Sainte-Hélène (Expo 67) from Pont Champlain - click the image for a bigger picture.