Now is the winter of our discontent......

Where we live, in the Northeast section  of the United States, we have very cold winters that last several months (as you can see from these pictures that My Lord Cham took around our home this year.) Apparently winters in the Northern region of Westeros are even colder and last for years! I shiver just watching those scenes and have to snuggle up with him to keep warm. Of course, I will use any excuse for that pleasure😚.

Game of Thrones returned last Sunday night for it's final season😔, but we did not watch it. We had completely forgotten that we wanted to rewatch season seven beforehand, so we are putting the first episode on hold for a week and then we will have two episodes to watch on Sunday! My Lord Cham had been watching the series when he peaked my interest with Monday morning breakfast tales of Daenerys , Jon Snow, Tyrion, Sansa, Arya and the Hound, Winterfell ,King's Landing and the Wall.

The cement pond froze again.

  I begged to be allowed to watch it with him (there were also food-related bribes involved). He thought about it for a few weeks while he finished out the season and then I received an invitation to join him in his den to watch the  very first episode. He had decided that it would be too difficult for to catch up to the current season unless we started from the beginning (I think he wanted to avoid having to answer a plethora of questions. I do not blame him (He banished me from his den after one episode of Westworld 🤠😩 He had good reason.). He had considered letting me watch the pilot alone, but checking the episode and being reminded of the very first scene (if you have seen it, you know what I am referring to😨😰😱) he thought better of it. He says that he regretted ever telling me anything about it, but because I had watched The X Files, he thought that I would not be afraid.

This was a beautiful picture before we put the doll's head on it.

Neither did I, because his re-tellings had been rated strictly PG and not a single death or otherwise shocking scene had been spoiled for me by him or anyone else which is surprising to me now considering when I was searching online this week for ideas for our premiere party because there are plenty out there.  Well, within the first five minutes he said he looked at me and knew he had made a terrible mistake, but that he asked me if I wanted to turn it off, I said "NO!" We watched two episodes that first night and when they were over, I was exhausted, but I could not wait to see what would happen next! We watched two episodes most nights to catch up to the next season, but I will admit to needing a break now and then after certain characters' deaths, weddings (I think we have both had our fill of those and have decided to elope if and when the time comes) and battles.

What kept me going back was wanting to follow the surviving characters, and wanting to see where their journeys would lead them. That, and the art direction, the costumes, the music, the cinematography, the direwolves and of course, the dragons!  The special effects in this series have to be the most impressive that I have ever seen on television and on the same level with the very best films. Unfortunately, that is the same reason that we will be deprived of a ninth season. The almighty dollar☹️. Bah humbug.

I did not tell My Lord Cham that I was planning anything special for our evening. He was busy in his office, so I busied myself with the menu and decorations that I had planned and when he came downstairs for lunch, he saw and grimaced. "Are we having a party?" "No, it's just the two of us."  "Good. I don't have to wear the costume, do I?"  "Of course not, Honey. Be comfortable."  "What are you making?"  "Food."  "Very funny ." I showed him the menu. "Mmm.Looks good."  " I hope nothing happens to make us lose our appetites."   "Oh no! I  just remembered, we have watch season seven first!" "Okay." "What do I do with the food?" "Freeze it . I'll order pizza!" 🍕"Alright." Luckily, I had not started cooking and most of the ingredients would last a week without a major disaster.  Fast forward a week...... 

(Switching to Smartphone. I find that I like it more than my laptop now, exept for the masculine font.)

                                                                            We began with cocktails.

My Lord Cham looked at his glass with trepidation. "What is it?" Wildfire!" Said I. "What is it really?"  "The Aloxe-Corton that you bought last week.....with  green food coloring." He gave me a look that would make Arya Stark nervous and then took a sip. "D..did I ruin it, my Lord?" He chuckled and shook his head (Sigh of relief). "And what are you having?" "Ginger beer with green food coloring". I am a tea toatler and leave the wine cellar to him. He chuckled and being the love that he is, humored me and drank it.         

 Our starter was a Dragonstone spinach salad with lobster, pickled beets, baby carrots, cucumbers, and Valyrian "dragon's eggs" (only in honor of Drogon, Rhaegel, and poor Viserion. We would certainly never eat a baby dragon!)                       Our entree was Chicken Clegane,

with Highgarden 😔 pilaf with dried apricots, cranberries and almonds, steamed spinach and asparagus with lemon butter sauce.

For dessert Sansa's gateau Limon, cherry and apple" hot pies",and Lady Olenna's cheese.

 

We watched last season's finale and the first two episodes of this season and we were so exhausted that we did not get up until this afternoon. I think we had better rest up before next week's episode! Hopefully, My Lord Cham's schedule will allow for more at home Game of Thrones evenings. There are only four left after all, and then our watch is ended.                                         But, not today. 🌷

Mine

His

A Little (VERY belated !!! ) Romance.

     
I love Valentine's Day !!! 😀 I am a hopeless romantic , and proud of it.  😍 So, when February 14th comes around, I am usually prepared,  but not this year 😔. I have been pretty busy, both with work-related and family responsibilities and Tess' mother had to be hospitalized for several weeks after a fall and Tess received the "Royal summons" 🙄 to go to Florida to visit her and again when she was ready to go home. We were all set to see Michael Buble at the Garden on February 20th, but that's been postponed indefinitely. We'll try to catch up with him sometime during the tour. We gave our tickets to friends (including the pair from our anniversary giveaway box !!! Because NO ONE entered ??? 🤨 So no one won 😣. Don't you feel silly now  ? ) who called later to say they'd had a great time. I know Tess was more disappointed than she admitted. I know that look. It breaks my heart 😔💔. Yesterday, I got home from a weekend business trip and that afternoon, Tess put a card under my office door. Inside, was a belated Valentine with an invitation for a candlelight dinner. (We celebrated over the phone last month , but it wasn't very romantic for either one of us.) How could I resist😁??? Oh no😲 ! A present !🎁 We have an agreement, My Tess and I, about presents. Preferably handmade and nothing ostentatious or expensive. ("Frugal" is her middle name. Not really. ) Fine. Of course, we made this agreement AFTER she gifted me with my OSAKI JP PREMIUM 4S Japan 4D massage chair three years ago.                                        

 Isn't she a beauty !!!😍 

Now, Tess is a chocoholic, so she's easy to buy for 💝💝💝💝💝!!! So usually, I just call See's and have them back a sixteen wheeler into the driveway and dump the contents into the empty swimming pool😆(We drain it for the winter, although I think it would be cool to use it for a skating rink⛄🏒⛸️🎣). Tess requested that I not make fondue this year because she says it's too fattening😆.Thursday is usually Tess' baking day, and she made a cake

for us and dinner was in the oven calling my name😋. As I walked by, I noticed that there was a wrapped package on the dining room table. Oh no ! 😲 I don't have a present ! My sweetie was upstairs taking a bath and I didn't have time to go shopping. I'd done that two years ago and while I was out, I bumped into an old friend, went for a drink which turned into a late lunch, and came home seven hours late, in the dark. She thought I had been kidnapped or something. She didn't yell, she didn't pout, but she hugged me harder than ever (and I get plenty of hugs🤗🤗 from her on a daily basis) and I've never felt so guilty.  Present....present.... Money ?💵Nope. That would insult her. I could call the florist💐 ? No. She says flowers should come from your garden. I looked out the back window. Nothing growing in ours yet. It's still too cold.
Shiba Inu 🐶? Uh uh. I went into the pantry and rifled her supply of semi sweet chocolate morsels, some sweetened condensed milk, marshmallows, and, threw them all in a bowl, nuked it, stirred it up, tossed in half a bag of walnut pieces, and half a bag of rice  krispies, poured it into a dish, covered it with plastic wrap and hid it in the back of the fridge.

Then I rooted around in t ithe closet where she keeps the holiday stuff and found a red velvety heart shaped box and a long silvery box and some ribbon. I finally decided on the silver one, lined it with wax paper and hid it on top of the frid

ge until after dinner which was...heart❤️ shaped. Seriously ! After dinner, we decided to watch two movies and during the intermission I got up and offered to make the coffee ☕and tea 🍵 (she should've known I was up to something) and cut up the fudge and filled the box💝 Then we exchanged presents.  Ladies first. Tess gave me a handknit scarf 🧣and watch cap in my favorite color and soft as a bunny🐇, and a pair of beautiful leather riding gloves 🧤. We're still having a lot of cold 🌧️weather, so I'll wear them. She made some for me a couple of years ago, but I'm hard on my clothes and she said they had "seen better days". Did you make these 🤨??? Tess: Yes, except for the gloves. Me: Who made those?  Tess: Someone in Italy?  Me: Were they ....expensive ?🤨 Tess: N...No. Me: Fibber. Tess: But you need them! The ones you wear are disgraceful. They look ancient and they do not even have fingers. Me: They're mitts !!! Tess: Your hands get so cold. Feel how soft they are. Me: Cold hands, warm heart. Ooo ! Nice !😍You spoil me. Tess: You are not spoiled! You are pampered. Me: I sure am😁. Tess: Then you like them? Me: They're great. She smiled, which was another gift. Her smiles have been rare lately. Me: Open yours !!!🎁  My Tess is one of those people who takes ten minutes to open a present because she refuses to tear the paper (actually, she's the only one I know. She uses it later to wrap other packages and saves the ribbon for ponytails. 😄Did I mention she was frugal ?) Well, after I woke up 😴 she had finally folded the paper and wound the ribbon into a little ball. We have a closet where she keeps all of the decorations, ornaments and gift wrapping  paraphernalia. (Watch out, Martha 😬!!!) I shouldn't complain. To make a long story short (too late, I know🙄) I gave her this little pearl pin 

(everything has to be little 🙄)  that I found in a LITTLE shop in St.James last year but I hid it from her, and subsequently myself, but I eventually found the box on a high shelf in my office and took it downstairs to wrap it.  P. S. : She loved it. And the fudge. Later, we took our cake into the den and snuggled up on the couch and watched a Michael Buble concert from a couple of years ago on YouTube. A month and a half late, but it was still the best Valentine's Day ever. I'm looking forward to Easter🐰🐤💐 Sometime in July. 😉.

Today's Quote.

Our Baby is Two Years, Two Months and Two Days, Old Today !☺️

No, not OUR baby (My Mr.Cham and I are not married 🤭) , but my goodness what a gorgeous baby🤗!   I was referring to the blog. My Mr.Cham chose to cancel the anniversary due to my absence and to the lack of interest in the drawing. Not one entry! We thought perhaps we had forgotten to push a button or something, but we checked and everything is working fine. I guess no one wanted to see Michael Buble and have sushi with us ( you did not have to order sushi! I was not going to!) We gave your tickets to our gardener and his wife, who helps me around the house, and turned ours in since as circumstances would have it, we were not able to go, but we are hoping to see Mr Buble at a later date. The rest of the giveaway box (minus the edible treats 🍌🍜🍿🍪🍫🍭🍬🥠🍨☕🍵🍻 which I think the bear must have eaten) have gone back into the storage until next February. It was nothing, only an original crew jacket from The Mummy, a nifty prop from Bedazzled, a few polaroids from Scrubs and something extra special from George of the Jungle! NO, not the loincloth(s)! Actually, there were four and we did not have one anyway. But, you would not have wanted to have one of those now, would you? 🤨Of course not.                                              I finally found someone to fix my laptop and they managed to save my videos. We have spent the past week finishing the anniversary video (our first co-production) that was about half done when my laptop decided that it needed a vacation. I hope you have as much fun watching it as we did making it! (Never again🤕).  Tess 🌷

Apparently, the video is not available here because it is too long 7:44. It is available on both of our YouTube channels.😊😉