Wedding anniversary last night, so I bought a nice card, filled it with loving thoughts, bought a lovely bunch of roses ~ red ones ~ and the smile I received in return made everything else fade away.


My wife D. put a lot of effort into the dinner. Our special tablecloth, napkins and candles. I had wanted to take her out, but she wanted to do something that said "I love you".

We had four courses

• pierogi
• parsley soup
• crumbed lamb cutlets served with potato & jeruselam artichoke mash and peas braised with artichokes

Yes, I know I said four courses but we didn't quite make it .....

Bought a bottle of bubbly to go with it, kitchenhand at www.verygoodcooking.blogspot.com has something to say about this ~ I wish I could do the links properly but I'll learn.

The wine was Domaine Chandon `99 Rose and very good it was too. But there is something ironic about a French champagne house making wine in Australia and being unable to call their sparkling wine "champagne". You can just imagine the marketers talking to their masters in France.

"C'mon, can't we put the word champagne somewhere on the bottle".

" Sacre Bleu, non non non, do you Ozeees really think you can make proper wine".

"C'mon, we'll sell more wine".

"If you Ozeees want proper wine, buy champagne!"