I am Golden

While most of Canada spent Friday at the beach or on the deck, enjoying hot dogs and cold drinks and celebrating Canada Day, my time was spent doing something a little different.

You see, today, I turn 50. Early last week, I was told I needed to make sure I had nice, casual dress clothes ready for Friday. Always open to the opportunity to go shopping, I complied. New blouse? Check. New pants? Check, again. New shoes? Of course. I even threw in a manicure and a pedicure. I will arrive wherever it is that I'm going, dressed to the nines.

Well. Where AM I going, anyway?

The Teenager is at a friend's cottage for the weekend and the cat

didn't much seem to care, as long as there is food in the dish.

Our GPS (whom we affectionately call 'Kate') wasn't telling.

Neither was the Man with the Plan.

He does know that I don't function well without my breakfast, so our first stop was, oh, so appropriate, for breakfast on Canada Day

Yup. That's me eating a breakfast biscuit, at Tim Horton's.

From this point on, I'll leave the scintillating 2-hour drive along the 401 to your imagination. I can tell you that I was told to pack light. This, I'm pretty good at. (That bag is for both of us.)

Things started to get interesting when we exited at Woodstock. I was by this time completely flummoxed, since I know that nothing terribly exciting is happening in Woodstock, around Canada Day, that can't be enjoyed at home. Right?

Well there might be a shepherd or fibre processing plant out here, somewhere.

We spent a very nice hour on the back roads of New Hamburg

and Tavistock.

And I was still totally confused and wondering what we were doing, all dressed up in farm country.

Well, they say patience is a virtue. I wasn't feeling very virtuous, and just as I was about to yank the steering wheel out of the Man's hands and demand, "Tell me, TELL me TELL ME!!", I started recogizing where I was.

So, we did a little shopping, because we had some time before the totality of my birthday surprise was to be revealed. There was a really fun toy store,

and hats to try on, seemingly wherever we looked.

And then...

Is that...?

It IS! This is Stratford, after all, and that's the Festival Theatre!

Oooo! What's playing? Do we really get to go in? Pleasepleasepleasedon'taskmetositstillandbeladylikeanddecorousbecauseI'mabouttoexPLODE!

This is what's playing:

And this, (Oh, be still my beating heart!) this is where we sat:

In case you missed it, that is one of a pair of front row seats. I very nearly cried, I was so excited. An extraordinary performance followed -- including a walk-on performance by a hawk. (Or, would that be fly-on? Hmm.) It was an amazing show, with music, costumes and choreography up to the calibre you'd imagine from a world class stage company, as well.

Umm. I think I might be babbling.

The show ended around 4:30, and dinner reservations weren't until 7:00 (The Man of my Dreams still had a surprise for me, and I had no idea where we were going for dinner), so we went back to the motel where we were to stay for the night.

Wait. Wait, that's not the right setting. Here's a better idea:

That's more like it. The Swan Motel. A neat, spacious, comfortable, quiet room, with coffee and muffins available in the office for breakfast. And did I mention the gardens?

There are beautifully kept lawns and gardens all over the property, and just when you begin to wonder if you should be allowed to pitch a tent in a botanical garden, the driveway opens up and you find yourself parked at the door to your room. Yes, that's a gazebo, and there's a great swimming pool, too.

Plus lots of places to just sit with a cold drink and chat. And there are lots of people to chat with. We checked out the muffins-and-coffee at breakfast, and discovered some lively conversation with Colleen (the lady of the manor, so to speak) and some of the guests.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. We spent a little while walking the grounds at the hotel before I was whisked off to dinner. And where was I to dine?

Here:

This is Raja Fine Indian Cuisine. See all those hanging baskets? They are camoflaging a beautiful deck

Even though there was a Canada Day parade going by, less than a block away, this dining area felt secluded and private. And when the last of the pipe and drum corps passed by, it was serene, too. But pretty and quiet do not a fine dinner make. The chef and his staff definitely know their stuff. First came papadums and condiments (I may have eaten most of the pickle):

followed by a glorious dinner.

We chose Vegetable Samosas for our appetizer. Dinner was Tandoori Chicken, with Peas Pulao, and Mixed Vegetables. I had a glass of Riesling with dinner and The Man had a Kingfisher beer. And I must confess a weakness for Naan. I can live without dinner rolls most of the time, but there is something about that tasty Indian flatbread that just makes me happy to be within breathing distance of it. It's even better when I get to eat some. And I did. It was Garlic Naan. So, so good. Everything was incredibly good, actually. It was a great birthday gift to me, that's for sure. And after I finished the seconds of veggies, and personally inspected the very bottom of the dish of mixed pickle, I realized that I was going to have trouble finding room for dessert. I shouldn't have worried. The dessert menu was filled with house-made sorbets and mango ice cream. I chose lemon. And asked for two spoons. I wish I could remember to take pictures of my food before I start eating...