During the last few weeks, AP has been spending a lot of time on the road so I have been flying solo and it made me start to ponder the joys of dining alone.

I’m not talking food… (in case I forgot to mention it…I am not a Foodie and the aisle of heat ‘n serve frozen boxes at Foodland and I are old friends ) …I mean the serenity and calm. And, importantly, the table that one sits to enjoy their meal.

Ooo, but for that matter, does anyone sit at the table when they are alone? I certainly didn’t last night. Instead I sat cross-legged on the floor (thank you yoga ) and perched the plate in my lap, flipping between TV channels and watching the birds on my deck. (I should probably never have confessed to eating on the floor like that; dreadful habit!) Anyhoo, back to point…what about the table? When by oneself, does anyone bother with dressing it up? Maybe even with a simple grocery-shop bought bouquet of flowers?

That one I will do. Actually…make that…that one I will do in the right environment! On the side of the mountain in VT we always have something going on with our table. In my itsy bitsy apartment in New York, there is normally a spray of flowers on the media stand and that pretty much does the trick for the whole space. In Adelaide, not so much…Oy Vey

I’m not alone in not having table decor though as friends, MM, TM and GM  (say, look at that, they are all M’s. Wasn’t planned, promise ) all told me that theirs stand empty unless entertaining. Pity really as it gives one such pleasure to sit down to a pretty surrounds.

I lived in the USA for a long time (in another life) and during that time became very competent at taking myself out for the solo dinner. In the States it is considered completely the norm for a woman to dine by herself, whether she be seated at a table or the bar. I quickly found on moving back to Australia that a lady at a restaurant on her own was an oddity. And trying to order a counter meal at the bar seemed to translate as an open invitation for fraternisations, even when sitting with a tablet or open book in front of you! Whatever...Ooo, does anyone even use that expression anymore

Tinerate, I am loving the idea of dressing the solitary diner space…the serenity dining stag offers should be relished while the opportunity is there. How about you, do you think that too?

Till next time.

Tipsy Pipsy xo