Work was kind of stressful last week with colleagues visiting from California. We were in intense meetings all week long with working dinners on Tuesday and Wednesday. We also went for a team building event before dinner on Wednesday. I had some wine at dinner.
It was good work in a sense, yet four days without any real movement makes me kind of cranky. The meeting schedule was too compressed to permit me the luxury of my bike commute, noon run or midday swim. I intentionally left my weekend very open to recover.
With Chinese school cancelled for the long weekend, I spent three days completely in the company of my youngest child. At six, she is easily entertained (unlike her older sister).
We had Saturday morning coffee in the Maplelawn Public Garden. It's been a good year for rain, and the garden is a sheer delight. The day kind of meandered into a picnic over at Rockliffe Park with some geocaching, and we were able to fit in a short swim at the Brookstreet Hotel after a late dinner. The day's events cost us coffee and gas: under $15.
On Sunday, we went car free. The rain threatened all day, but held off until we completed our day trip by bicycle (and Chariot) to the Arboretum near Dow's Lake. We had initially set out for the Ornamental Gardens but never got there. Intoxicated by trees in bloom, we hit sensory overload and turned back, at most 1 km short of the gardens. While stopped for a picnic at Hartwell's Lock (along the Rideau Canal), we found the geocache. On the way home, we paused at Brittania Beach briefly to indulge in a snack for approximately $3.
Our route from Kanata took us through Watts Creek, along the Ottawa River parkway, then Pinecrest Creek, and eventually to the Experimental Farm pathway. I considered an alternate route home, but our Chariot is too wide to cross at Hartwell without disassembly.
Today was lower key, but cost a little more. At first light, I walked (while she biked) over to the library to return an unfinished book. We indulged in a longer swim, followed by a leisurely lunch of potato pancakes and tzatziki. Our afternoon revolved around some yard work, followed by a visit to the Parkdale Market for a hanging plant and some herbs for the garden: $32. I briefly considered a restaurant meal on a patio, but plants will give back.
I'm back to work in the morning.
