Quo Vadis, Bailey?

Remember the chrysanthemums I bought last fall? Rather than throwing them out when they finished blooming -- which I've always done in the past -- I saved them over the winter. They died back dramatically but then sprouted and leafed out again in spring, and now they're blooming once again. I've learned something about the durability of chrysanthemums. They're not just annuals anymore.

I'm going to move them to the front porch, so people passing on the street can enjoy them. I wanted to wait until after Halloween so they didn't become a target of any pranks, though I'm not sure trick-or-treaters really play "tricks" anymore if you're not around to give them candy. As Dave said yesterday when I mentioned this concern, "It's not 1954!"

We did get some trick-or-treaters late yesterday afternoon, just as it was getting dark. Fortunately I'd prepared at the last minute by buying a bag of Celebrations and a bag of Maltesers at our local off-licence (in America we'd say convenience store). Dave and I had plans to go out for dinner last night, so we missed the bulk of the candy-seekers. Now we have a bowl of chocolates to eat. The Maltesers turned out to be a Christmas mix featuring reindeer -- probably from last year -- so it's just as well I didn't hand them out!

Bailey's cumulative energy has been building over the past week as she's been home healing -- she was like a pressure cooker about to explode. Finally, yesterday, she was literally doing zoomies around the garden, so I took her out for a long walk. We went to Gladstone Park, where I put her on her long lead and she ran and challenged squirrels.

We walked about five miles, which worked out a lot of that excess energy. Gladstone Park is a really good place to take her because it's open and grassy, and her long lead doesn't get run such a risk of getting caught in underbrush. (Unlike on Hampstead Heath.)

She was worn out enough that Dave and I could go to dinner with the secure knowledge that she'd be snoozing in the flat. We went to Quo Vadis, a Soho landmark with famous neon signs that's celebrating its 100th year in business. Dave heard they're known for their martinis. I tried one called a Gibson that was said to be "extra dry" with a pickled onion, and it contained too much pickle and not enough "dry" for my taste. But maybe that's just me. (I always find, when I try a fancy martini, that I much prefer the classic gin-with-a-splash-of-vermouth recipe.)

The food was excellent, though. I had a smoked eel and cheddar soup, followed by pork cheeks and a trifle for dessert. My trifle even came with a birthday candle, though my actual birthday isn't until tomorrow. Dave didn't finish his pork cheeks so we brought one home for Bailey. (Don't tell the chef.)

Here's a video showing Bailey at the park -- I was trying to capture her waddling gait and her restless demeanor. (We used to joke that Olga had ADHD, but she was placid compared to Bailey!) And then there's video of Bailey enjoying her pork cheek last night. She's not spoiled at all.