Finally, a Working Oven

    It's been nearly four months since I have been able to use my oven. I really got the run around from the repair guys but yesterday switched to a different company and had things working the next day. Tonight I made a Cabbage Roll casserole and can't wait to tuck in!

    It was marginally warmer today so I got in a short walk. I have been "under the weather" since Friday - dizzy, headache, nausea - and have slept a lot. I guess my body's way of healing itself. Still a bit headachy but getting outdoors helped.

   Restrictions are to be partially lifted tomorrow here and I am hoping that the Fitness classes at the Seniors' Centre will start up again soon. My Scottish Country dance group is set to return tomorrow so that is something to look forward to. Better go and brush up on the dances!

The Bard

    This week would normally be a round of Burns' Suppers but  that hasn't happened since 2020.  However daughter brought me a selection of goodies from the Scottish Bakery for my dinner tonight - some haggis, a meat pie and peas (not mushy peas, no one likes them in our family).  I will make my own 'neeps and tatties and it will be just like old times!

Another Snow Storm

    Boosting my snow blower lithium battery tonight as we are expecting another 5-10 cms. The machine should be able to handle that. No strong winds this time, thankfully! I was planning to hit the grocery store early tomorrow morning but that may have to be delayed until I have cleared the driveway. 

   There is still a pile across half of the end of the driveway from last week's snow plough. I got to the end of the driveway but the pile extends into the street and makes it difficult for me to see oncoming traffic. Luckily my street is pretty quiet. More will probably be added tomorrow but I'll worry about that later. Staying inside where it is warm for the time being!

Just a Tad Chilly

   No shoveling today, after a mild day yesterday, everything has frozen solid - it would be like hacking away at concrete! Daughter and I got a space cleared yesterday so I can get my car out, so I went early to pick up some groceries. It was bitterly cold and hardly warmed up at all today so I wasn't out after that. 

   Had a Zoom meeting with my Probus club this morning and there was talk of possibly meeting in person by March. However, the numbers would probably have to be limited - not sure how that would work out as we often have over 100 people attending. The speaker was interesting although we had some technical difficulties with the sound. Nevertheless, it was nice to see some familiar faces.

   Tennis from Australia is on TV each evening at the moment, running into the wee small hours, but I have managed to catch some good matches. Still two Canadians in the mix but they have had tough matches so far. Hope they can sustain their winning streak. It's very hot there in comparison to our frigid temperatures!

Yes, that's negative 22 degrees tonight - a cold week coming up.

Digging Out

 We got about 40 cms. of snow overnight on Sunday and well into Monday, although in places it was more like 50cms. with the drifts. The wind was pretty wild. I have been digging and snow blowing off and on all day and have managed to clear half way down my driveway. Now my back is stiffening up so I just hope I am up to more shoveling tomorrow. Luckily I am well stocked up with staples so don't need to go anywhere.

   Everything was at a standstill with abandoned cars blocking the major routes. You'd think people would have realized getting out on the roads was a bad idea! Even the snow ploughs were stuck. Schools were closed for a second day which is the first time in my memory.

Digging a path for the mailman! The newspaper only made it half way up the driveway but at least it was delivered today. 

My snowblower was well used today although I had to recharge it twice. It's really not big enough to handle this amount of snow so I had to shovel off the top half first! The snow plough has been around our street twice so now there is a huge barrier across the end of my driveway (known as a windrow). Daughter has promised to come by after work tomorrow to help me get that cleared.
   I got the Wordle word in four tries today so am on a winning streak!

My New Addiction

    Ok, it's nothing serious but I have become addicted to Wordle. It's a new word game in which you have five tries to guess a word. You only get one chance per day and it is the first thing I do when I boot up my computer in the evening.

   So far I have managed to guess 60% of the words which I think is quite good. On each guess you eliminate letters and stick with the correct ones. You are also told if they are in the correct spot in the word or not. Quite a problem solving endeavour. Today's word was "panic" which I got on the fourth try. 

   I am hibernating indoors today as it has only been able to warm up to -13C. Tomorrow should be a little better then we are getting a big dump of snow overnight and into Monday. Oh, fun! I finished the Val McDermid book which had a very suspenseful but satisfying conclusion.

My New Friend

    I have a new best friend  - her name is Diana Kochalas and she's the host of a cooking show called "My Greek Table" on TLN at 6:00p.m. Honestly, it's just like having her in the room with me, chatting about Greek food! It is really healthy and heavy on vegetables. She also shares beautiful views of Greece and cultural sights. My dinner tonight is going to include sauteed vegetables with a ton of olives, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese. Greek yogurt and honey also figure frequently in her meals and, of course, Greek olive oil. 

   I did manage a short walk today although it was -9C and the wind made it feel even colder. As the Danes say, "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices"! It's part of their "hygge" philosophy for surviving winter and  I heartily endorse it. I was well wrapped up but could have had an extras layer on my legs - just had to walk faster!  

On My Bedside Table

    It was milder today - just around 0C - so I walked up to the library to collect books I had requested. If you don't pick them up after a week you are charged for them. Unfortunately three came all at once so I will have to get cracking!

   Amor Towles: I read his last two and enjoyed them immensely so I am looking forward to this one.

   Louise Penny:  Another Inspector Gamache crime tale. Always a good read.

   Richard Osman:  Another Thursday Murder Club adventure - very light reading.

  Val McDermid: I have been binge reading her this winter but this one has a plot line which she explored in another book - a climbing accident in which one climber dies after the connecting rope is cut. C'mon, Val!

   Lisa Jewell: Great story, highly recommend all her books. Very tense! 

   Patricia Cornwell: Started this one, a Scarpetti crime mystery. I  couldn't get into it but will try again when I have read everything else!

   Anne Perry: May send this one back until I have nothing to read. Didn't have to order it as it's from my home library.

  I'm always on the lookout for new authors so welcome any suggestions. Hope you find something worth trying in this list.

Still Going Strong

...my Poinsettia, that is. I must admit I was late buying it, just the week before Christmas, but it is still looking healthy and should hang around for a few more weeks yet.

    There was one year when I managed to  keep a plant going until it was warm enough to transfer outside. It grew to be a bushy plant but never did produce the red blooms again. I may try that this year.

   Last Christmas I wasn't able to have one in the house because of son's cats - they are pretty toxic for animals, so this is a colourful treat!

A Correction

    Before anyone checks, I realize I left off a zero when announcing the Covid numbers yesterday. Today's newspaper reported the 7-day average of new cases in Ontario as 14,435. Hospitalizations were 1290 and the ICU number was 266. Seemingly we are all going to be infected with Omicron eventually, whether vaccinated or not,  as it's so infectious. The only difference will be the severity of the infection. So, get your shots, folks!

Cancelled!

     Omicron numbers are skyrocketing here (1600 new cases in Ontario yesterday) so a new Lockdown has been declared to try to get the numbers and hospitalizations stabilized if not actually brought down.    

   Just as I suspected, the fitness programs at the Seniors' Centre have been "cancelled until further notice". Very disappointing but not unexpected. All gyms are closed so it's not just the Seniors. I had signed up for Stretch and Strength, Gentle Fit and Osteofit. I also got into the Gentle Yoga class which is very popular so I was really looking forward to that.

   I have been working out at home using an old VCR tape I have, since just before Christmas when the Fall session at the Seniors' Centre ended and I will continue with that. I do an hour's program on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays before I have breakfast so get it over with early. The program consists of about 25 to 30 minutes of aerobic stepping (I have my own step but have it at the lowest level). Then there's abdominal work, upper body sculpting with weights and, finally, cool down and stretching. Sometimes I don't do the whole thing, just what I feel up to. Only drawback, I find it hard to be motivated when working on my own and doing the same routine again and again is really boring!

My basement "Gym". It has been a godsend during the pandemic.

Happy New Year

    To all my friends in Blogland. "Lang may yer lum reek" (old Scottish New Year's greeting).