Starting to Feel a Lot Like Christmas.

    My latest heating bill arrived in my (virtual) mailbox today and it was a whopper. However, I checked last year and this one was actually slightly less. Next month's will probably be quite a bit more so I am keeping money in reserve in my bank account as a precaution.

   After a couple of quiet weeks, this one has started to heat up in the lead-up to Christmas. Last Friday I got the grandkids gifts at the book store as it was on my way to a Christmas show. Happy to get that done and the show was fun with songs, skits and a sing-a-long. Two birds with one stone.

   On Tuesday it was a pot luck lunch at my Bridge group. I overate as usual but wanted to try a bit of everything that people brought. I made sausage rolls and they went down well. Yesterday was the "Festive Special" at Swiss Chalet with the family (my treat) and it was great to see oldest grandson as he was back from school after his first term away. He seems to have grown up (matured rather than grown in height) so it was a good decision to attend a school away from home. 

   Today my Probus Club's Christmas party was held at "Flogo", a local Greek restaurant and about 60 people attended. Reasonable prices and a nice selection of dishes to choose from. I had an eggplant concoction, something I wouldn't make at home and it was very good with lots of Feta cheese and olives. Plus a glass of white wine as a special treat as it is the holiday season after all!

   On my way home from that I stopped off at the local mall and picked up a gift for my daughter from the Kitchen store. Just something for son-in-law still to get and it will probably be golf related. He is hard to shop for. We don't exchange gifts with the family in Victoria but will Skype with them on the day.

   Now I just have to decorate the house and do a last shop before the big day so everything seems to be under control. My freezer is already full with goodies for the meal!

Eating Out Again

    Yesterday was this months RODEO lunch and we are at the letter "K" so it was a Korean restaurant. Another quirky little spot in a non-descript strip mall. You would never find it unless you were actually looking for it. Our fearless leader, Norma, is painstaking in hunting down interesting places to eat. The restaurant was surprisingly busy for a mid-week lunch hour so, obviously, it's a well known and popular spot.

   So, we arrived at "Makkal Chon " and were all seated promptly. Our meal started with complimentary appetizers, some quite spicy, followed by entrees such Bi Bim Bop and Bol-gul-bi. Not being too adventurous, I chose a pork cutlet which was tender and crispy with a slightly spicy BBQ sauce and a salad and rice on the side. Having nibbled on the appetizers I was quite satisfied with half of the meal so took the rest home for dinner. 

   December is always a busy month for eating out and I have at least 2 more events to attend and one concert. The month will go by fast and, before you know it, it will be the new year. No idea what our next RODEO outing will be but, as we are at the letter "L", it may very well be Lebanese. ,  

'Tis That Time of Year

   I don't usually start to think about Christmas until December arrives but, last week, I received my first Christmas card. We are now in the midst of a postal strike so it may very well be the only one I receive! 

    Just to confirm Christmas is not far off, yesterday was the first of several Christmas meals - the retired teachers' luncheon complete with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce  and very good it was, too! After the meal we were entertained by the "Enchanted Flutes" who played a medley of seasonal tunes and had us singing along to several. One of our members belongs to the troupe which includes several semi-professional musicians. It is always so uplifting to be entertained in this way each Christmas season.

   Today the weather continues to be quite unseasonably mild (long may it continue!) so I walked to the Seniors' Centre for my Fitness class. I dodged a bullet as it rained while I was there but was just drizzling by the time I headed home. I have racked up 8,700 steps so far today!

   

Two Food Adventures

    As often is the case, my blog entry is prompted by a culinary adventure. The day started with a meeting with coffee, fruit and muffins where I ate sparingly as I knew I needed to be hungry come lunch time. So I was back on the road headed for my next destination by 11:30.

   It was the monthly R.O.D.E.O. lunch where we are "Eating Around the World". Last month was Italy (very yummy) so predictably this month was Japan. I love Japanese food, mostly take-out sushi, but had never eaten at the Nakamori Restaurant. It was a tiny, quirky space set in a nondescript strip mall, with bar seating to watch the chef prepare the sushi items. We were 12 ladies at a long table and soon we were tucking into a variety of Oriental items. First came a tiny but tasty salad which was quickly followed by Miso soup. This is a flavourful broth with bits of seaweed and tofu cubes floating in it. For the main course I chose sashimi, not realizing it is raw seafood! There was a large scallop and slices of salmon, tuna and another fish I didn't recognize. I did ask the waitress but it was something unrecognizable. However, it was all delicious and came with a bowl of rice, soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi mustard. I had to leave as soon as I had finished eating as I still had another destination before heading for home.

   My next stop was the community centre where we hold our monthly book club. This month we had read "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. We had a lively discussion but the foodie part, supplied by the members introducing the book and leading the discussion, was a rare treat, Russian caviar on slices of dark bread - so tasty!. They had hoped to also treat us to a cocktail, a Moscow Mule, but liquor isn't allowed in the community centre. Boo hoo! Quite often I have days like this followed by a few where nothing is planned. It may be Monday before I get together with friends again.

   Now I am home and, after a short nap, am contemplating dinner. I think it will be something light. Next month it will probably be Korean food, another new experience for me. Can't wait!