Blog
16 Dec Day six and seven: reintegration
Reintegration into the real world is imminent. Weighed in today. Lost 2.5 pounds: inch off abdomen and a slice, about half inch, off the buttinski. Healthy food and exercise aside, I'm convinced I lost wine weight. Tonight we get one glass at our final supper. At cardio max class I pushed it hard knowing it was only hours away! Cardio max is a high-intensity interval class: 2, 4 and 6 minutes on different machines. Time flies by! Lunch with the gang over a hearty canellellini bean shrimp stew.
15 Dec Day Five: I could get used to this
Slept in until 6:30 am this morning. No call about the hike: boo hoo. Besides the food, the hike is my favourite part. Plucking grapefruits, pomegranates and persimmons from the trees. Oh, and baby avocados.
I recouped lost ground, however, with three fitness classes back-to-back: funky rock and roll dance, followed by an elastic band session (loads of arms) and then spin. Fell asleep during facial.
13 Dec Day four: rain and hot tomato broth
Heard the rain on the tiled roof last night. Ahh. Woke 5:30 am for hike, but it was too wet so I decided to stay up and write. Quiet and focused over a strong cup of coffee. And, my most favourite time, breakfast. After which I met with personal trainer, "the Mighty E" as they call her, Ellen. I think knowing it was our last session, she upped the ante.
13 Dec Day three: toes and tips
I sat next to the founder of the spa, Deborah Szekely, last night at supper. At 90-years-old, she no longer owns the spa, but she acts as a consultant. And wow, she looks amazing. Bright skin,...
12 Dec Day two: hike and cirque de face
Waking up at 5:30 AM isn't fair on so many levels. It's dark. You lay there anticipating its arrival--half awake, half asleep. You know it's coming and you can't avoid it. However, hiking for five miles...
10 Dec Day one Cali-life
"Last call for flight 521 for San Diego." I'm sprinting with a full backpack and laptop bag, jumping over luggage; "sorry. Pardon me. Coming through," I say dodging travellers. Mouth is cat litter dry and...
08 Dec Five styes, strep and a bad attitude
Ok, I leave for San Diego--tomorrow. I'm writing a story for Mountain Life magazine (www.gb.mountainlifemag.ca) about a famous, and long standing holistic spa called Golden Door. www.goldendoor.com. Every time I have mentioned The Golden Door to American friends, I get a few responses: "Oh, that is one of the originals." Or, "posh," is my favourite.02 Dec Whisky — ohh, the burn!
"I'm part Scottish and part Polish. Which means, I like to drink, but I don't like to pay for it," says Frank Biskupek, the Scotch Brand Ambassador for Glenlivit. This was going to be a good night. Frank and a room full of whisky lovers (and neophytes such as myself) are here at the Black Dog Village Pub and Bistro in Bayfield celebrating St. Andrews Day-- Scotland's Patron Saint celebrated on November 30th. Frank is taking us through a five-course menu paired with whisky ranging in age from 12 to 21-years-old. Oh, the burn! www.blackdogpubbistro.ca. The night starts with a procession: a bagpiper followed by Dog co-owner Ted holding a tray with a bottle of Glenlivit. Quite the religious introduction.
I love the simplicity of Scottish food. Maybe it's because I'm part Scot and Newfie; our trademark dish, Jigg's Dinner, is meat, potatoes, carrots, dumplings and cabbage boiled in the beef's juices. The first course of our evening, after a glass of Tennents Lager, www.tennents.com (which accounts for 1 in 2 beers served in Scotland) is Boyndie Broth. "It looks like oatmeal," I say to my friend. Sure enough, Kathleen, Ted's wife and co-owner, reveals that Irish Boyndie is chicken stock, carrots, steel oats and a splash of milk. "It's stick-to-your-ribs kind of food. Good after a cold night out," she says.
14 Oct New York: all the people that you meet, walking down the street
I had two goals in New York: shop and eat. I did both. A lot. Nancy and I woke at 5 am. The flight left at 7:30 am. Gulp. But, I was totally energized. I've been...