Fall Colours

      Have not been feeling great since returning from my trip. First the jet lag, then developing a cough and cold (probably caught on the plane - get dizzy when I cough). That has almost cleared up but now I have an "upset tummy". 

   I was out for lunch yesterday (which I had already paid for or I wouldn't have gone). I didn't feel much like eating but managed most of it. Then lunch with Judy today, to celebrate her birthday and I almost couldn't finish it - had to excuse myself half way through! I will eat lightly for the next day or two.

   I had a walk round the neighbourhood this afternoon to check out the Fall foliage, got some decent shots but it is past its best.

Brilliant bush in my back yard.

Sad to see the kale go - but it is now in the composter.

Two brilliant trees.

Almost time to start raking - not my property thankfully!

A couple of colourful verandahs.

Spoiling Myself

   My treat to myself, purchased at the Duty Free store at Athens airport. It won't last long!

Amarula Cream Liquor

Jet Lag

    Having a slow day as I adjust to the 7 hour time difference between Athens and here. I got home around 8:00 p.m. last night and, after a soak in the tub,  went straight to bed. I had been up for 20 hours although I did manage to sleep for an hour or so on the plane. Today I have just been unpacking and doing laundry although I had to bring in some plants and a few green tomatoes as we are expecting frost in the next day or two.

   The flight was "bare bones" - no entertainment, no wine with meals and a very basic meal at that. I finished my book about an hour before we touched down but by then I was quite happy to just close my eyes and rest.

   All in all, it was a great trip - lovely hotel, excellent and interesting meals and several outstanding outings by bus and by sea. Photos to follow!

Getting Excited!

    Just a tidy-up day today - I`m off on vacation tomorrow so won`t be posting for a couple of weeks. I did go into the Senior`s Centre to work in the kitchen this afternoon but it is still very quiet. The main room is being used as an advance polling station so no classes until next week, but there was a surprising number of voters. Bonus was that I got my voting done without an extra drive!

   So up early tomorrow to finish packing, garbage out and bathrooms cleaned. I will leave the house at 11:30 to be at the airport for 1:40 (I`m taking TTC) Then the flight (10 hours) leaves at 4:40, and arrives in Athens the next morning at 9:30 their time. I will be exhausted but should recover quickly. I`m really excited as I have never visited Greece and don`t know how many more overseas trips I still have in me. Hope it goes well!

End of Outdoor Tennis

   Currently highly frustrated with the space bar (is it still called that?) on my computer sticking. It will work fine for a while then requires lots of fiddling to get it to respond. Makes me want to throw the machine across the room. It is worst on Facebook which requires using it a lot. I hope I don't have to replace the computer!

   I did a bad thing today! We had a pot luck lunch for our last day of Kaffeeklatsch and I was helping to clear up afterwards. The food had been sitting out for a couple of hours and most people had left so I started dumping the leftover food in the bin so I could wash the last of the dishes. However, unbeknownst to me, someone who was still on the courts, playing, wanted her contribution saved and was quite upset with me no matter how I apologised. So now I am in her bad books!

    It was a gorgeously warm day and we had lots of fun playing our last few sets. Tomorrow the bubble goes up but my other club will have the nets up until the end of the month. Then we start playing indoors, just not as often.

Thanksgiving in Canada

   Thanksgiving lunch at Judy's with turkey and all the trimmings, including a yummy pumpkin mousse that Elliot made. Too stuffed to eat again but will probably have a snack before bed.

   I came home and promptly slept for an hour (must have been the wine with lunch) so may have trouble sleeping tonight. Tomorrow is the Thanksgiving social at the tennis club and I have a big pot of baked beans to contribute. The weather is supposed to improve; it has been very wet and dreary for the last few days, but not cold. The pool was covered yesterday and now it's just a matter of preparing the garden for winter.

The last roses.

Scary!

    Yesterday, while at the Senior's Centre, there was a shooting just down the street - someone killed. We were on "lockdown" for a couple of hours but I managed to get home by leaving by the back of the building. The roads were closed off causing traffic chaos but, luckily, I had walked there. All the schools in the area were also on lockdown so it was a very traumatic situation for everyone concerned. That is just a bit too close for comfort!

   A very peculiar day weatherwise today. I woke up to all my windows heavily misted over and the outdoor temperature a good 8 degrees warmer than inside the house. Gradually the house warmed up but then the wind turned around to come from the north and the temperature began to drop. We had a high of 22C but tomorrow it is back to the low 'teens, currently 15C. No tennis today but I went down to the rather wet courts and hit against the backboard for half an hour. That was my exercise for the day.

    Book Club this afternoon and we had a very lively discussion. Everyone enjoyed the book, "The Boys on the Boat" by Dan Brown, and we had several new members who, I think, will fit right in. Good times!

Another night out

   Early dinner tonight as it is the AGM of the tennis club. I have to give two reports ( Clubhouse and Kaffeeklatsch)  and am also in charge of refreshments. Dinner will just be leftovers but I will probably have a snack when I get home. This is the third night in a row that I have had somewhere to be so am looking forward to a night at home tomorrow. Wish me luck with my reports!

E-mail's Back

   Got my Hotmail account back yesterday, thanks to Steve and Dave. Lots of catching up to do! I think I'll keep the gmail account as a backup in case it happens again. It was a horrible feeling to be cut off from all my contacts.

   Judy had invited me for a birthday dinner last night so I was spoiled with a delicious steak meal and lots of presents. Every time I see the grandkids they seem to have grown a foot! Judy took a photo of me with the cake and the kids so hopefully she will send it on for me to publish.

    Today has been drizzly and quite cold but I was out and about anyway - Craft group this morning then lunch at The Mandarin with the Senior's group. Ate too much and not hungry for dinner but I will have to eat before I go to dance group or I won't make it through the evening. Maybe some bruschetta will fill the gap as I still have tomatoes galore from the garden. It has been a fruitful year.