Birthday Dinner

Saturday night Dan and I went to the Gorge Restaurant in Launceston for my birthday dinner and we were so glad we did. And it's a bit of an adventure as well.
It began by winding our way through the dark streets to the carpark out the back and then the long descent down many flights of stairs to the restaurant itself. Right then I decided maybe just 1 glass of wine with dinner!!!
Inside the wood fire was blazing in a very cosy room and we were lucky enough to get a table where a heater was blowing warm air under our table, it was on a cycle so every now and then there was a sudden blast of warm air that was very welcome.
I was pleased to see that they offered a seperate vegetarian menu, though upon reading it I was not inspired to order from it. The main menu read so deliciously that the vegetarian alternative seemed a bit uninspiring.
So on to the food.
To begin we ordered the Creamy Seafood Chowder which was divine, absolutely chock full of flavour though it would have been nice if it had come with a piece of bread, and the Calamari and salad which again was beautifully cooked. We both ate half and then swapped.
Mains I had the Sea Run Trout and Dan the Seafood Steak, both beautifully cooked. Best of all we still had a timy bit of room for dessert.
A flourless banana pudding with Toffee Sauce (and icecream if you ask nicely) but I had the dou of Creme Brulee and it was awesome, two little cups of yumsh, one with the usual and one with an extraordinary coconut creme brulee. So so good.
We were most impressed that every course was good and we were more than happy to pay the bill. Which I find most unusual these days.
Dan thinks we should return for his birthday dinner just to be sure.
x te

Happy Birthday to me

It's my birthday today. I am 49 years old and so glad to be here.

So today will be a day of reflection, of looking back to see just how far I have come.

And it sure is a long way baby.

I am most definitely happier now than I have ever been before.

I would not go back to being younger no way.

It took much damned effort to get this far.

And I am loving it.

Finally I am old enough to realise it is ok, in fact more than ok, it is mandatory that I focus on me, on what I want from this life. Time is ticking away and it is my responsibility to get the most out of what I have been given, no whining at the end that I didn't get the opportunities to do, well whatever the hell I want frankly.

So here I go, plunging headfirst into my 50th year of life, and loving it.

Oh but first I have to finish making the birthday cake to share with my co-studio mates.

x te 49 an kicking ass.