Another Milestone

     Today was my car license renewal appointment and another opportunity to try out the hearing aids. This was the third time since I reached 80 that I have had to take the test and the hardest part was finding the Service Ontario centre where it was held. I had to navigate a part of town where a new tram line has just been opened with confusing road signs but I managed to get there on time. First there was an eye test followed by the cognitive portion (drawing a clock face showing the time) and that was all. After just 10 or so minutes the clerk congratulated me and declared me good to drive for another two years. Yay!!!

   My current home project, which I started last week with the help of youngest grandson, is to remove the carpet in the family room. It is badly stained and doesn't even look good after cleaning. It was in place when I bought the house so is at least 30 years old, so it is time for it to go. Last weekend James cut up a portion of the carpet and rolled it up to go out for the garbage pickup. Next job was removing the wooden strips that the carpet was attached to, not my forte but he was good at that! Lastly, my job, was to remove the underpadding which had completely decomposed and was stuck to the wooden floor underneath. That has been the worst part of the job and is proving a problem to dispose of as it is extremely sticky and heavy. One load went out for garbage pickup yesterday but there are many more to go before we are done. Luckily there is no rush to get it done and James will help me again this weekend. The wooden floor underneath will look good once we have got all the gunk off it. Never a dull moment chez moi!

   

Beginning to Feel My Age

    On Saturday I received tickets to watch some matches at the Canadian Open Tennis tournament. This was because I am newly retired from volunteering at the event. I got my 20 year pin last year and decided "enough was enough". The tickets were for a suite on the second level - a great view of the court. I happened to run into my friend Susan just after I arrived and invited her to join me in the suite. There was a lovely lunch provided so we tucked in and settled to watch the afternoon matches. I stayed until the final match was underway but decided to make my way home as it was a bit of a trek to the parking lot. Home by 4:00 p.m. and watched the end of the match on TV.

   Today I went for a hearing check and came home with a pair of hearing aids to try out. After the test I was told I just have mild to moderate hearing loss but have been having difficulty following conversations recently. I will give them a try before I decide to buy, they are rather expensive. My health plan will cover some of the cost, thankfully. 

   Spent the rest of the afternoon pulling weeds but, rain stopped play for a while. I have a nice veal chop (on offer 30% off) for dinner and will start up the BBQ soon. That and a "fresh from the farm" corn cob with a glass of red wine will be dinner tonight. Yum!

Tennis and Dim Sum

     This week I have spent quite a bit of time watching the tennis championships at Toronto and Montreal. Only one Canadian remains in the draw and most of the top men have been eliminated but the play is still pretty spectacular.

   This afternoon the women were rained out here in Toronto but the men were still playing in Montreal. Now the rain has moved on so the games here have resumed. Hopefully it won't cause havoc with the play in Montreal which is in the path of the storm!

   Today, the "Ladies Who Lunch" (aka Retired Old Dames Eating Out or RODEO) met at a Dim Sum restaurant and shared a plethora of delightful treats for the princely sum of $14. This is one of my favourite ways of eating, also known as "grazing". I couldn't tell you what each dish was but, luckily, we had our very own guide to pick items we would like. A couple of my favourites were fried Lotus Root cake, spring rolls and stuffed eggplant. Now I will know what to order next time I go. There was also lots of rice and noodles and a couple of sweet treats to finish. And gallons of green tea! I didn't have breakfast this morning and will just have a light dinner if I get peckish later.

Commonwealth Games

    I have been glued to the TV this week for a couple of hours each afternoon, watching the games from Glasgow. Our national broadcaster is just showing highlights that feature Canadians but it is interesting nevertheless.

   According to them, Canada is in second place (by gold medal count) but really they are third behind Australia and England. Australia is doing amazingly well, way ahead of everyone else. It is interesting to see they also give time for the Para athletes. Usually they are an after thought at international competitions. 

   It's another hot sunny day here, I've been in the pool twice to cool off,  and no problems with the air quality, so Mr. Trump can stop complaining that we are polluting his air! The forest fires are still burning and are being gradually brought under control, until the next one starts up. Still, I think we are doing better here than the European countries who are really suffering. Rain is sorely needed everywhere!