Mum's visit

My mom has been and gone, and we had a wonderful time. I'm so glad she was able to come - one of the things that I find hardest about living in Toronto is that my family is so far away. They can't really share in the things that are important in my life, except insofar as they listen to me talk about them, so it was really good to be able to show Mum my world...such as it is :)

This may sound funny, but one of my favourite things about having Mum visit was just spending time running errands with her. We made a trip to the Walmart to pick up the stuff that had been accumulating on my Walmart list, and I got to show her around my neighbourhood - my yarn store, our favourite restaurants, our dentist, the bank, the pharmacy - essentially the landscape of my life.

We also had a lot of fun just sitting around the apartment watching HGTV and the Food network, chatting and catching up on everything and nothing. On Sunday she came to church with us and met quite a few of our friends, putting faces to the names we've talked about.

On Friday we had Afternoon Tea at the Windsor Arms Hotel just south of Bloor Street. If the idea of having a grown-up tea party appeals to you (and you have some extra $$$), I highly recommend going. We had a marvelous time! The room we were seated in was just lovely, with 12' ceilings, ornate moldings and huge windows. The walls were a rich eggplant colour, and the furnishings were all either white or the same rich purple, with lavendar window treatments. We were seated at an elegant and cosy little table for two right next to the fireplace and underneath the crystal chandelier (sorry for the lack of pictures - TC took the camera with him to Washington).

Mum ordered the Darjeeling tea, while I opted for the Russian Caravan which tasted like tea that has been brewed over a campfire - strong, but good. We were each brought a different teapot (Mum's was a cute little pot covered in pink roses, while mine was a larger sturdy-looking affair with an Egyptianesque border around the top), and they kept the hot water coming throughout the 2-1/2 hours we were there.

Our server then brought out a 2-tiered china platter. On the top tier were three kinds of the cutest sandwiches - asparagus, citrus chicken and smoked salmon. Then on the bottom were 4 scones (2 lemon, 2 raisin) which were the most delicious scones I've ever had in my life! They came with Devon cream and blackberry currant jam - mmm! Next to the scones were an assortment of petit fours, all of which were very yummy. Then we were given a little ramekin full of fresh strawberries and Devon cream. By the time we finished eating all of this - and believe me, we did indeed finish - we were both just about ready to pop!

This did not stop us, however, from stopping at the Godiva store on Bloor Street on our way home and buying far too much unbelievably delectable chocolate :)

The only downside to all of this is that now that Mum has been in my little world, I really miss her and wish she could be part of it all the time - or at least more often... I'm trying to stay positive, though, and focus on being thankful she was able to come for as long as she could.

But will you do me a favour, loyal blog readers? If you live anywhere near your moms, will you give them a hug and tell them how much you appreciate their involvement in your life?

Thanks.