First Tomato

 .......just a little cherry tomato and I ate it straight off the vine. It was delicious. I only have five plants this year and, although most have lots of flowers, there are only a few green tomatoes so far. 

   A little bugger got one of my tiny zucchini last night - I can't think that it was worth the effort as it's still early days with the zucchini plants. Lots of flowers but not much produce so far. I will keep them well watered and fingers crossed.

   So hot today, I was in the pool three times just to cool off. Too hot to sit in the sun as I usually do to dry off, just straight back inside. I did trim a couple of bushes which were in the shade (the reason I required the cooling dips) but once all the clippings were cleared away, that was it for gardening today. Once the sun is down I will put away all my gardening tools and bins of clippings.

   I have been trying to clear my ears of wax this week in preparation for consulting my doctor about my hearing. People are complaining I am forever asking them to repeat things and it is annoying for me too. The ear wax removal treatment doesn't seem to be very effective (drops in each ear for a few minutes then rinse, twice a day) but I will persevere for another day or two. Also, today I had to book a driving test which has to be done every other year here once you are 80. It's just a vision and cognitive test and doesn't take long, no road test, thank goodness - this will be my third time!

First Raspberries

    I picked and immediately ate two raspberries today. They were delicious but could have been two more days to full ripeness. Lots more on the way!

   Today was the Wimbledon social at the tennis club. One of the members provides scones and other members bring strawberries, cream and other goodies. So it is quite a feast. There were sandwiches, quiches, salads and fruit trays. I brought some crackers and cheese and my friend Kathy brought devilled eggs. Unfotunately I felt quite ill afterwards - don't know if it was the food or the heat. I did play two sets beforehand and it was getting quite hot by the time we stopped for the food. When I got home I lay down for a couple of hours and feel much better now.

   The pool guys found some algae in the pool today and treated it with a strong dose of chemicals. So I wasn't able to swim until 6:00 p.m. and by then I really needed a swim as I was quite hot and sticky. I watched some tennis from Wimbledon and the last Canadian in the singles draw was eliminated (by Novak Djokovic) There are still a couple of Ladies in Doubles play. 

   So, it's been quite a busy and eventful day. I should sleep well tonight!

Rain (Almost) Stopped Play

    Still hot here but, unusually, rainy and overcast. We had a violent downpour this morning while I was making a quick run (by car, fortunately) to the grocery store and library. I got quite wet but by the time I was finished shopping it had stopped. Since then it has been sprinkling intermittently but is now back to sunny and hot. 

   The family were to come over for lunch and a swim and decided to stay with the plan despite the weather. They were all (but one) in the pool as the water was still pleasant and we were able to stay sheltered under the awning to eat lunch. Judy brought salads and barbecued sausages so it was an easy meal to prepare. By the time they left around 3:00 the sun and the heat were back full force and now everything is drying off

    I waited until they were gone to have a swim and have since been watching sports on TV, too hot to sit outside. Canada went down to Morocco in soccer but there is still one Canadian left in singles at Wimbledon and one in doubles. I had run out of reading materials but managed to find a good book at the library so am all set for the rest of the weekend. Nothing on the agenda until Tuesday.

Canada Day

    A bit of a scorcher today for our national holiday. The temp in my car was at 37C when I drove home today. I had been at the tennis social but, like several others, didn't set foot on the court because of the heat. I couldn't even venture on to the practice court to hit a few balls, felt quite dizzy and sick.

    I did manage to eat the nice lunch they provided, BBQ hot dogs and green and potato salads with coffee and a special Canada Day cake for dessert. And prizes! I was lucky enough to get a new tape for the grip on my racket. Then we sang "Oh, Canada" just because of the special day.

   Since then I have been hiding indoors, watching the last few matches at Wimbledon (the time difference means we only get it until mid-afternoon), napping and reading. My current book is good, "Whistler" by Ann Patchett if you are looking for an engaging summer read.

   I will go out later and water the plants in the back yard which seem to fade in the hot weather. The front yard has to look after itself!