April Came and Went
If I didn't know any better, I would say that time has accelerated somewhere between 1.5 and 2 times this year. It seems that months are just flying by.

April has been pretty busy. Just in the last week, I've been putting finishing touches on my Europe vacation, booking flights and adventures in Africa for a trip later this year, searching for a nice beach house on the Outer Banks in North Carolina for what always turns into a nice summer getaway, and planning a scuba diving trip to Tobermory, as well as committing to do the PADI Open Water Advanced course in the St. Lawrence before then. My late birthday present, a BlackBerry PlayBook, arrived recently, and getting into it has been a fun pastime as well. But what is really taking all of the time is plucking the weeds in the much neglected yard and making the grass the best it can be.

I am consoled by the fact that May will undoubtedly be busier.

The Big Three-Oh
Looks like it's my thirtieth birthday today. Looking back, my twenties were certainly exciting. Embarking on my fourth decade ought to be fun.

Malbec
And a Happy New Year it was. One of the many items on the list of to-dos in the precious little time before returning to work was to get the most recent batch of wine all finished up.

Last year's Ottawa Wine and Food Show left me with the distinct impression that perhaps Malbec is my favourite grape of all. All of the wines I had sampled had a nice smooth quality to them, with a gentle warmth after each sip. Celebrating the end of the major renovations would be accomplished with a fine batch of Malbec.

Though it's still aging, I'm certain it was a good choice. Even at the time of bottling it was surprisingly smooth and mellow. Cheers to that!