Salt Spring Island Beauty

Just a few pictures from last week…

View from Anne's Oceanfront Hideaway on a Rainy Day

Even on a rainy day – the view from Anne’s Oceanfront Hideaway is very beautiful!

Lambs are everywhere on Salt Spring Island right now

Running back to the barn for breakfast ... or maybe they were just running away from the dogs!

Bram and Chewy are curious about the lambs

And the day ended with a beautiful sunset.

And the day ended with a beautiful sunset - this is a view from the Gary Oak Room at Anne's Oceanfront Hideaway

Valentine’s Day Specials at Annes Oceanfront Hideaway Bed and Breakfast

Visit Anne’s Oceanfront Hideaway on Salt Spring Island in February for romance and relaxation.

Unwind as you gaze at the ocean from any one of our ocean view rooms, relax in our hydro massage tubs and delight in a fabulous four course breakfast in our dining room each morning. It’s an amazing experience and one that is sure to spoil your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day.

This special is only available by Phone for stays between Feb. 1 and Feb. 28, 2009. So call us for all of the details. 1-888-474-2663

Pacific Yew Room
2 nights including a four course breakfast, a 750 ml Chocolate/Raspberry Port, 6 Harlan’s Chocolates, Facial 2 Go Kit and an edible Sensual Health Body Glaze (value $435)

$310 – save $125!

$290 Midweek Special (Valid Monday – Thursday)

Douglas Fir Room
2 nights including a four course breakfast, a 750 ml Chocolate/Raspberry Port, 6 Harlan’s Chocolates, Facial 2 Go Kit, and an edible Sensual Health Body Glaze (value $455)

$315 – save $140

$299 Midweek Special (Valid Monday – Thursday)

Garry Oak Room
2 nights including a four course breakfast, a 750 ml Chocolate/Raspberry Port, 6 Harlan’s Chocolates, Facial 2 Go Kit and an edible Sensual Health Body Glaze (value $495)

$355 – save $140

Do you carry your cellphone everywhere?

It is 2:00 am, the phone rings. “Hello Rick this is the Garry Oak Room calling. I am locked out on the deck, my husband is asleep and I can’t wake him up. Can you let me in?” Rick gets out of bed, puts on his housecoat and goes upstairs with the key to let her in. Unfortunately they have the chain lock on the door so he can’t get in. He also can’t wake the husband. With a full house, he’s trying desperately not to wake everyone else but he isn’t having any luck.

Other than breaking down the door, and waking up our other guests, the only way of getting her back into the room quietly, is with a key to open the sliding door from the outside.

Rick gets dressed and then gets the ladder. Our son comes up stairs wanting to know what is happening as he saw the ladder going past his bedroom window. Rick is now crawling across the shingles, past another guest room, to where the lady is waiting for him to open the door. He passed her the key, she went in and he went back to bed.

The next morning at the breakfast table she told her husband that there was another man in the room last night and he just laughed.  “Sure there was” he said. He had no idea what had gone on! Thankfully she had a cell phone with her when she was on the deck or it might have been breakfast time before she was rescued.

Do you carry your cellphone everywhere? It sure came in handy this night!

Just Another Day in the Life of an Innkeeper

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Yesterday we went shopping for breakfast supplies. Blueberries were on sale! Definitely going to bake a Blueberry Breakfast Cake tomorrow – always a favorite with our guests. Serving dessert first is always a hit!

Want to make a super easy Blueberry Breakfast Cake?

To a white cake batter (make it from scratch using your favourite recipe or get some help from a cake mix) add the zest and juice of two lemons (replace some of the water in the recipe with the lemon juice). And, reduce the water called for in the mix by 1/4 cup.

Gently stir in two cups of blueberries. Bake in a 9 x 13 pan for about five minutes longer than the recipe states. Cool, then freeze the cake.

Cut into serving sizes while frozen as it makes it easier to cut, and the blueberries won’t pop and run. Put into serving dishes, add a tablespoon of lemon yogurt on one side, a drizzle of blueberry syrup, a sprinkle of granola and top with about a dozen blueberries. Add a sprig of mint and serve.

We like to give our guests an entirely different menu each day so when they are here for three days we need to have three different menus. We have to work around a few diet restrictions – no pineapple, no banana and no fish with this weekend’s guests, which means a substitution of apple sauce for Rick’s muffins, no pineapple in the fruit salad and no Salmon Scrambled Wrap. No problem!

TODAY’S BREAKFAST MENU:

• Apple Juice,
• Currant Scones,
• Apple/Walnut mini Muffins,
• Blueberry Breakfast Cake, and
• San Remo Fritatta with Italian Herb Toast.

Tomorrow something entirely different, but we haven’t decided yet.

San Remo Frittata

The night before we set up the coffee and the table and do as much prep for breakfast as we can. This helps us avoid some of the possible morning swearing when we realize we’ve forgotten something!

Even evening before preparation doesn’t help us when I trip and spill orange juice over the entire table, drenching all of the cereals, butter and sugar bowls in one swift motion! Or when I spill the entire fruit bowl down the from of my shirt just minutes before guests are coming to the table, or when Rick forgets the baking powder in the muffins so they don’t rise.

It pays to have a head start some mornings and you never know when that morning is going to be!

By the time I am dragged out of bed, Rick has been up for two hours, gone for a walk with our dog Chewy and had a shower. My feet hit the floor about 7:15 am, I hop in the shower, grab a coffee and start setting up the coffee/tea trays for the 8 o’clock delivery to our guests rooms. Oh yes I do get dressed – don’t want our guests having a shock so early in the morning!

While I make the fruit tray and the cereal dishes Rick is busy with the breads and buns and the main hot dish for the morning. Then it’s “Showtime” at 9am when our guests seat themselves around the table.

Once breakfast is over I usually run through the highlights of the day on Salt Spring and also answer any questions, give directions and hints about where to go and what to do based on their interests. Some are off quickly while others lounge around to visit and have another cup of coffee before heading out.

By this time it’s only 10am and there is a lot more to do in the day, but I’m exhausted just thinking about it and I have to get ready for tomorrow’s breakfast!

I know it sounds a bit repetitive, but:

• Every personality coming through our door is different, so it’s never the same morning with different people to share it with,
• There is always a surprise in store thanks to my clumsiness and the occasional “old age” moment,
• We get to stay home – no commute,
• We are our own boss, and we meet interesting people from every walk of life, doing a variety of different jobs, coming from all over the world.
• We are open year round but many days in the winter we have time to read and catch up on the many things we let slide during the busy months.

It may not be a life for everyone but we enjoy doing what we do, so the rewards are many. Come on over and see for yourself! You never know who will stop by!