A birthday treat

April 22nd was Mrs. Legends Birthday, as well as Good Friday. Not the big five zero, that was last year. It is indelibly etched in my brain. I made a near fatal error in believing that she didn’t want to celebrate it. She told me so every time I broached the issue, so after the 10th time, I gave in. The day after was the start of a mini ice age that lasted for weeks. I still feel a cold chill now and again when the topic comes up in conversation.

So this year, not wanting to repeat my mistake, I booked a stay at one of the state’s most luxurious lodges. My piggy bank took a severe hit and may never recover, but it may have just been worth it. Mrs. Legend likes a bit of luxury now and again, and this was the place to find it. Besides the crappy name (Suncadia), this was/is an amazing place. I gave my wife a spa treatment voucher to use for whatever she wanted, which started with a Martini of her choice and a manicure in the Grand Hall, with gorgeous views over the snow peaked Cascade Mountains. Next up was a day of lounging in the outdoor hot pools, followed by a massage with lots of fragrant oils, hopping in and out of steam rooms and finally a pedicure.

Legend Jnr. was in heaven too. While Mommy was being turned into a noodle, we set off to explore miles of trails on our bikes with no traffic to worry about, we soaked in hot pools, we swam in outdoor pools with slides, and we picnicked wherever he chose to.

Dinner in the evening was taken in a large, luxurious winery which was built on the site of an old coal mine. We had the place to ourselves for the two days we were there, so they gave us a private tour of the facilities and a barrel tasting.

We camped out in front of a huge fireplace to eat our food, and our wee laddie made himself at home on a soft furry fireside seat, head propped up by a rather expensive looking leather pillow (I had to turn it over to hide the drool marks when we left). The food was so delicious, we went back the next night and did it all over again.

We were picked up and dropped off at the winery each evening by the lodge shuttle bus (guess who took the most advantage of that), driven by an affable chap called Doyle, who let Jnr. ride shotgun. Before bed, we toasted marshmallows on the fire pit outside our room and enjoyed a large glass of Port or two with the only other family staying there.

Fortunately, for my wallet at least, we had to leave on Saturday afternoon as the crowds arrived, so we loaded up, checked out and headed back to the island

We got back home on Saturday night, just in time for the Easter Bunny to arrive on Sunday morning. There had been an Easter Egg hunt at the lodge, but Mr. Grumpy didn’t want to be part of it. “Looking for eggs is just stupid”, he proclaimed, and no amount of bribery was going to make him take part. I guess he was upset about missing the local hunt on Saturday morning, but at the time we couldn’t figure it out. We both felt a little low at this point, as we thought we’d lost our little wide eyed boy, so we were both delighted when he jumped out of bed on Sunday morning to search for his Easter basket.

He followed the clues up into the new roof space and I was fortunately right behind him with the camera. That look of wonder when he saw the basket is priceless.

A belated happy Easter to you all