Special Valentine

I've had a simply amazing day. I should be heading to bed, as I have an 8 a.m. meeting tomorrow, but I had to write a few words about what was probably the most surprising and lovely Valentine's Day. You'd think that as a single woman, I'd be dreading this day when Hallmark reminds you that you have not found that special person yet. But forget Hallmark, this Valentine's Day was all about affection, friendship, and plain old fun.

On my way out of the condo this morning, I had to turn around and quickly shut down the alarm. Someone had left a bouquet of four yellow roses on my doorstep with a package of dark, heart-shaped chocolates. Even before reading the note, I knew who this was from. The vase gave it away, it was an Avalon milk bottle. This was from someone with whom I share a connection, built on our common interest for sustainability, respect for the environment (I met him at a workshop on CSR reporting back in November) and common love for good food and wine.

I read the card, placed the vase on my dining room table and left for work.

After work, Sarah was meeting me at the office and we were heading to a wine and chocolate tasting. Sarah called me as she was parking, and I met her outside of the building. As she was walking towards me, I saw that she was carrying flowers. I thought "oh, how nice, someone sent her flowers at the office." Well, little did I know that she bought the flowers for me. She said that since she was my date for Valentine's Day, she felt she should bring flowers. Wow.

The wines were from Granite Creek, in the Shuswap region (northern Okanagan) and the chocolates, from Chocoatl in Yaletown. We both enjoyed the white wine, but the reds were not really that exciting. I guess the winery is not getting the really hot and dry weather that gives some wines from Osoyoos such fabulous flavours. The ice wine, on the other hand, was simply fabulous. It felt like butter in the mouth, so smooth and silky. I bought one bottle of Kerner which is similar to a Riesling, and a bottle of ice wine.

Sarah and I then headed out to find a restaurant for dinner. You would think this would be mission impossible, but the second place we visited, Cactus Club, had a table for us. We had a wonderful dinner and talked a lot about travels and Europe.

Sarah gave me a lift home and then, as I was walking up the steps and searching for my keys in my purse, I noticed something else on my doormat: potted red tulips, with dark, heart-shaped chocolates. At this point, I just couldn't believe how the day had just turned so surprising. The potted tulips were from the same person as the roses. I picked up the pot, made my way into the condo, placed Sarah's flowers in water and headed for the shower.I quickly showered and changed, then met another friend for a drink. He had asked where I wanted to go and I told him that a place with live music would be wonderful. He took me to Kino Cafe to watch some life flamenco music and dancing. What a great way to end the evening and what ended up being the very best Valentine's Day.