fajrdrako | Saturday... (Reply)

All in all, a wonderful day, and much of it due to

auriaephiala, who arranged for us to go for a walk through the Arboretum, which is a division of the Central Experimental Farm. which is, in my opinion, one of the coolest places in Ottawa. I used to go there with my parents when I was a kid - for picnics, for walks, for tobogganing down the big hill - the very one we climbed up today, huffing and puffing, while kids were shootng downwards on plastic sleds.

I don't usually go walking there in the winter, when it's all under many feet of snow.

In most places there were paths, but we did some venturing off into the unknown following Whippet trails (don't ask) and finding the Northwest Passage. There was some discussion as to what direction we were actually going, especially considering that we were going back to my place afterwards to watch Due South. A highlight: a lone chickadee, singing loudly as it flitted about the tops of several tall trees. Another highlight: the intricacies of actually waking when you find yourself in thigh-deep snow and sinking further.

Another highlight: visiting the greenhouse. I don't remember ever having been there. It is warm and filled with what seemed an amazing hodge-podge of tropical plants, temperate plants, cacti, trees, whatever, all thriving in a tiny space, with a stream and a small waterfall, and pathways, and bits of vines doing their own thing and growing upwards on the whitewashed window-frames. An odd sight: a sign identifying a cactus was illegible because covered with mould. The names of the plants were exotic and wonderful, but I can't tell you what they were, having failed to bring my pen and notebook.

I only took what I could fit into my rather small pockets. This included my camera, but unfortunately the batteries wore out after one picture, and I hadn't thought to bring a spare. The likelihood of this happening increases exponentially with the beauty of the day. Have you noticed?

auriaephiala had to leave, so we walked with her to Carling Ave., then headed back towards my place, first along Carling, then along the Canal. By the time we got back we'd walked 6.5 km, which, being in and on snow even when we had sidewalks to go on, was a fair workout.

We then sat in my living room eating chicken, tabouli, cheese, bread, tea and cinnamon toast, and watched an episode of Due South.

I want to do this again.

commodorified at one point enumerated the qualities one looks for in a hiking companion - I don't recall them all, but we fit all the requirements, including the tendency to quote Kipling, Milne, or Bujold with very little provocation.

We discussed the Eowyn challenge, which I'd once done - and after I went to Rivendell and back again, I went to Minas Tirith, which is where I figure the interesting people are. You simply log your walking miles and go the distance.

We considered doing a major hike through Barrayar, if we can find mileage in one of the books. How far from Vorkosigan Surleau into the mountains, like they did with hill ponies in Barrayar? Anyone know? Or possibly replicating the distance of Amundsen or Godfrey de Bouillon - I had to promise

iclysdale that I wouldn't make him kill Turks, though he actually wanted to sack Constantinople - but that would be the wrong Crusade.