Friends

25 May 2015

My Lovely Day


ROMANTICA ITALIAN RESTAURANT
It was my birthday on Saturday and what a lovely day it was, too. Rosanne was in the UK long enough to spend a couple of weekends with us and as a special treat Joe booked a table at a new-to-us Italian Restaurant called Romantica. Italian, I love Italian, especially their food. The meal was great and so was the new place. I have a feeling we’ll go there again. The next photo is the view from our table... lots to look at if ever there's a pause in conversation!



I took the picture to try and get the two black figures on the top right but the angle and distance was wrong from where I sat. This was the best I could do with my new phone.

Here are a few captures:
Tiramisu - my favourite pud
Him and Me
The new toy
You might have gathered that Joe bought me a new iPhone. Yes, I know I already had one but it pays to update the technical stuff. I had been a bit fearful of losing old faithful but decided that I needed to move on and not be scared of things going wrong. I needn't have worried, everything went smoothly once I got the phone home and checked everything out. Ooooh 'phone home' - that sounds familiar.

Prior to visiting the shop I had synced the phone with iTunes (Apple) and established that I was correctly connected to Cloud, I mean it’s a long journey through the skies if it isn’t working properly! Even so, things could have gone wrong, hence the nervousness. However, on the day all worked well. Everything was where it should be and I didn’t have to make any alterations. That Cloud is amazing – and so is technology.

However, I did get one or two things I hadn’t seen before, the most fascinating being a folder with a heart emblem - marked HEALTH. It was a measuring device for how many walking or running steps the phone-owner takes in a day. Wowee, I couldn’t stop looking at it. I walked up and down, in and out, and kept looking at the updated numbers. I remembered the old saying about housewives walking miles (two, I think) just making beds. I didn’t believe it then but I do now. Crikey, all that effort to go into the kitchen to make a cuppa. Unbelievable! I can measure sleep as well but to heck with that. I need my sleep uninterrupted!

These days I don’t do much exercising so imagine my surprise when I chased the squirrel (nearly caught him, by the way) and found myself running. Yes, actually RUNNING. Something I never, ever do. I couldn’t believe it when I checked the phone and found I’d run just over a kilometer. Me? I’ll be running the marathon before I know it. NOT!

The phone’s camera is better than the one in the old phone. The pictures are bigger since the view is enlarged. I can take black and white pictures as well as colour and I like being able to choose the desired effect before taking the pic. Now that IS progress, and all that on a simple phone. 

I played a few games on the old phone, e.g. Scrabble and the like, so I checked to see if they were still on the new one. They were, thanks to Cloud, but they’re all that much bigger so it will take time to adjust.

The interesting thing about purchasing a new phone is that I still have the old one. Apparently because of that wonderful invention, CLOUD, I didn’t need the SIM card transferred from one to the other. I can’t use the old one as a phone but I can get on the Net and do everything else. Could be useful. Once more I say, technology is amazing!


Joe is a bit of a romantic and as a surprise pressie he produced this box of chocolates. I have never seen such a large box. I got the ruler out and found it was 16 by 14 inches. It’s not every day a gal gets a heart shaped box of chocs of such proportions. Pity there's only one layer! 

I can’t wait to get started on the choc sampling and if you’re reading this Joe, I bags the first one. 

14 comments:

  1. Congrats on your new phone. I see you are already having fun with it. Take care!

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  2. Fantastic sounding birthday! So late greetings from me. That app sounds interesting. Running a kilometre after a squirrel - what on earth was it doing?! :)

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  3. Thanks, Jenny. We have an age old and ongoing war with the squirrels who insist on stealing the birds food and wrecking the feeders. We once had a wooden bird table but the squirrel is eating that as well!

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  4. I am still learning the functions of my Iphone.

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  5. I am a little late but Happy Birthday Valerie. What a lovely time you had. The new phone sounds wonderful and the health app, that is a super app. Yes, technology is amazing. And the chocolates along with a delicious meal. The dessert looks scrumptious! Lovely pictures, especially the one of the two of you. Joe hit a home run, Bless his cotton socks :) lovely to have Rosanne's company also. This post was a real smile bringer.

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  6. First, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, Valerie!

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR VALERIE!
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOO YOOOU!

    *applause and cheers*

    Second, I really like the ambiance of the restaurant you dined. It's got a wonderful cozy and warm feel to it. Love the framed photographs on the wall.

    Third, congratulations on your NEW PHONE! The photos you captured are awesome! It blows me away the quality of pictures taken with an iPhone. With an iPhone, who needs a camera?

    Lovely photo of you and Joe. You look beautiful in those colors!

    "Tiramisu - my favourite pud"

    Mine too! I love tiramisu.

    As you know, I don't own an cell phone, but I've heard others talk about the CLOUD and how much they like it.

    Glad to hear you had a great birthday and that your daughter was there with you.

    Have a super week, dear lady!

    X to you and Joe

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  7. Thank you, Ron. I need all the cheers I can get now I'm a year older... haha.

    It's true, the new phone cameras are amazing so I can understand why people use them all the time.

    Tiramisu is a favourite with me - it reminds me of Giuseppe in Sorento because of the special way he said the word ... apart from the fact that it's delicious.

    Thank you for your good wishes.

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  8. Denise, would you believe I'm still eating those chocolates!

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  9. Happy Birthday, Valerie! I guess I am a little late but I am glad you had a good one.

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  10. Well, here I am again (behind as usual). Happy Birthday! It sounds like you had a wonderful day and time, and you also have a wonderful husband!!

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  11. Good food, good friend, ambience, & a huge box of candy from that special person...Life is good!

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  12. Happy birthday. You look so radiant! :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  13. Well shoot. I feel like I am always wishing you a happy belated birthday. It looks like you had a great time and kudos to Joe for making it a truly special day. You deserve it, Val.

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