a peek inside the fishbowl

18 Feb, 2021

It was a happy Quarantine’s Day

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Misc. life

FYI, we had a very nice Quarantine’s Day Valentine’s Day here at Casa Fishbowl.

In many ways, it wasn’t that different from a typical Valentine’s. Mark and I don’t generally go to a restaurant on Valentine’s, we are much more likely to order from our favourite sushi place or make a special dinner at home.

This year, is not a typical year. I walked down to Mamie Clafoutis first thing in the morning to avoid, er, people. Everything was covered in a fresh layer of snow and the walk was silent but for the sound of my breathing and my boots in the snow. This, in itself, was a gift. I think I was the first one in the shop. (Note! Their COVID-related precautions were very good.)

I bought three croissants for breakfast, a baguette for lunch, and a heart-shaped baguette for our dinner.

Heart-shaped baguette for Valentine's Day

I wasn’t planning on buying dessert but the sight of a chocolate caramel hazelnut tart in the display case was too tempting to refuse.

After coffee and croissants, Mark and I went for a walk down by the river. It was a sunny and beautiful winter day. I feel like we are walking way more than usual this year. (Is there anything else to do??)

Walk by the Ottawa River

After our return I assembled a charcuterie board and we had a long lunch. (SO.MUCH.CHEESE.)

For the rest of the afternoon I read my book in a puddle of sunshine, stretched out lazily like a cat. It was bliss.

Mark cooked up one of his specialties for dinner: mussels in a creamy leek sauce. And of course, we had the baguette to go with it. We drank wine, walked the dog, and demolished the tart. I gave him Valentine’s themed socks (from the Village Quire in Westboro!) and he gave me a card with a thoughtful note. It was a day to remember, for sure.


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  • Gretchen Humphrey: I had a beautiful bee& birdbath filled with a solar fountain and dozens of antique marbles that were suddenly disappearing. At first I thought my
  • Jinjer: I am sobbing reading this post. And you're right, companion is not enough. Little furry treasured gifts that they are. Thanks for sharing cutie-pi
  • Karen: Dear Andrea, Mark and your daughters I am so very sad for your family xxx Piper was/is my favourite Instagram post. You shared with us so intimately
  • Christina Banuelos: Thank you for sharing Pipers life with us. Your posts of Piper brought me joy. Every time I see your post and see what kind of mischief Piper was gett
  • Carla Slocum: I am sitting here yet again crying at your loss. We have known that loss with Asta the WFT our first pup but now have the enormous gift of Stryker the
  • Janelle Brown: Dear Andrea Thank you for sharing Piper’s story with her followers. I empathise with your grief and emptiness as I lost my 14 year old Westie last
  • Natasha McReynolds-Nicholl: My god reading this is heartbreaking. December 1st was the as you describe longest day of my life, we lost out beautiful WFT hazel. Pipers final momen

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


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