We had a Game of Thrones Finale party last year where I tried to make snacks that corresponded to the regions of Westeros. (Incidentally, Season 5 premiere on Sunday... excited!!!) I had meat pies for Winterfell, lemon tarts for King’s landing, and baklava for the desert lands of Essos. I didn’t actually make the baklava then. We bought it from Paramount, a Lebanese and middle eastern Arabic restaurant that has the best fresh pita bread and hummus. It was so good, a mouthful of buttery, sweet, melt in your mouth pastry.
I’ve lived in Canada most of my life so I really don’t expect it to actually be spring even when the calendar says it is. But we’ve had hints here and there; just enough to whet your appetite. The days are longer so we don’t have to walk home in the dark anymore. The bright sunshine makes you think it’s warmer than it is. I even saw some buds on the trees the other day.
Sometimes words are hard to come by. We use words all the time. We talk, we text, we e-mail. But how many times can you say you read something, hear something, and it really stays with you? Writing is easy. Writing something powerful, something meaningful is much more difficult.
You wander out of the small cabin into the night air, thick with the perfume of flowers. Though the night is warm, the piles of snow still remind you of winter’s grip. The dense thicket of trees calls to you and you pick your way between them, searching for something.
Right after New Year’s everything tends to change to red and pink in stores. It’s too early for me, and it gets pretty tired by mid-February. This year, I wanted to try a different Valentine’s colour palette. Pink still makes its presence known, but subtly. Creamy white keeps the palette clean while yellow keeps it bright. Splashes of black add some sophistication.
