Day Trip

    I had signed up (and paid for) a bus trip today but the weather forecast was atrocious! Thunder storms and constant rain right through the day. We were travelling a bit north east but the weather there was to be equally awful. My friend bailed but I decided to go anyway and so did most of the other seniors who had committed weeks ago.

   The trip was a cruise on the Severn canal to see the lift locks, one of which is quite unique in the world. I was totally impressed with the mechanics of raising boats up to 4 metres, we went through two locks and then returned through them again. There are over 40 locks on the canal before it reaches Lake Ontario so a major piece of engineering. So glad I have seen it.

   The weather didn't spoil things too much. We didn't get rained on  while moving from bus to boat to lunch spot and back again although there were several showers while we were on the boat. There were two decks, one enclosed and the other quite adequately covered so we stayed dry and could still observe the lock gates opening and closing. After the cruise, almost three hours, we headed to a local joint, Jack's Fish House, for fish and chips which was delicious. Having breakfasted early (our bus departed at 8:30 a.m.) we were all ravenous so the food really hit the spot. It was followed by Coconut Cream Pie, which was to die for, and coffee. 

   On the return trip we were scheduled to stop at an Ojibwe (local Indian tribe) craft shop and museum but, when we arrived it was closed. Later we learned there had been a tornado warning in the area and everyone had been advised to shelter in place. As an alternative, on the way home our driver stopped at a country store which held an abundance of locally made food and crafts so we were able to satisfy our shopping urge. Home by 6:30 and by then the sun was out. No need for a proper meal, just a small snack and  glass of wine after a busy and eventful day.

Air Quality

     I woke up this morning to a very strange sky. The sun was a barely visible orange ball and the sky was quite dark with a weird brown colour. Turns out this is air pollution from forest fires in Northern Ontario. This has lasted all day but yesterday's awful heat has fortunately dissipated. 

    I haven't been affected by the poor air quality but several people did say they were having trouble breathing and not too many were at Fitness class this morning. We just need the wind direction to change a bit - it was from the north west most of the day and is now WNW.

    I have all the windows open and the house has cooled down considerably. Yesterday was really unbearable even with the AC working overtime. At one point my car temp gauge registered 37C. Currently it's 22C. but tomorrow it is forecast to get up to 29C. We are due some rain by the end of the week which will also help to clear the air.

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!

 Thought you might enjoy this flash from the past.

Strawberry Fields Forever

    I had today free as the Seniors centre, where I am usually on a Wednesday for my fitness class and kitchen duty, was closed for their annual Spring clean. So I checked out the website of our local "Pick Your Own" strawberry farm and was happy to see the strawberries were ready. 

   I headed there early to beat the crowds and managed to have my basket filled in little over half an hour. The berries were huge and very ripe and it is an excellent, well maintained facility with helpful staff. So this afternoon was spent making jam and eating the occasional berry that made its way into my hands rather than the cook pot. I added a cup of chopped rhubarb as it is plentiful at the moment. I got 8 jars of jam for the cost of $16 for the berries (I only used about half of them) and $10 for the sugar and Certo. Probably works out to a bit less that $3 per jar, quite a reasonable price. Plus I know it is just pure fruit and sugar, no preservitives.

   Steve came over today, on his way to somewhere else, and fixed my fence which has been wobbly since last week's strong winds. I had fixed a pasta casserole in case he came at dinner time but he was long gone before then so that's tonight's dinner! 

So, What Have I Been Up To?

    June has gone by in a blur and I had to go back to my calendar to remind myself of all my activities. Here's a brief overview.

   Got the car its annual check up (expensive as usual but nothing major, it's just 6 year's old) and the pool guys found the problem with my pool (not so much but it took them 3 hours to find the tiny crack that was disrupting the circulation system) so I should still be in the black by month's end.

    Several of my regular activities came to an end this week before the summer hiatus, which involved several celebrations. We had a pot luck lunch on the second to last day of Bridge last week - lots of yummy dishes, I had to try a bit of everything before we got the cards out -  and last Thursday was the Final Probus Club meeting. Instead of a speaker we had an entertainer regale us with songs from the "British Invasion of the 60's", the Beatles, the Guess Who, the Rolling Stones and many more. Lots of great songs that had us tapping our toes and singing along. My favourite was "House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals. This was followed by a Pizza lunch, coffee and Timbits. I went straight from there to Book Club where there was more food and even a bottle of (non-alcoholic) Prosecco for making mimosas. Staggered home for a nap around 3:00 p.m.!

   Today was quieter, just the monthly Executive meeting at the Seniors' Centre but I took some of the leftover Timbits and distributed them around the few members who were in the building. No way could I have kept them in the house - too tempting!

   Well, now I am caught up. Summer will be much quieter, just tennis twice a week and the odd BBQ and bus trip. It's been quite cool this week (low 20's C)

but it's been ideal weather for working in the garden and I've managed a few swims when the sun has been shining. I imagine it will heat up again soon enough.

First BBQ of the Year

    This was at the Seniors' Centre and I was helping out in the kitchen - didn't actually have anything to do with the BBQ but got a burger, coleslaw and potato salad from what was left over. I even managed to snag a burger and bun to bring home for tonight's dinner!

   The crew in charge of things served over 60 meals to the seniors who had ordered either beef, chicken or veggie burgers in advance. We had many compliments about the food and the (relatively) reasonable cost of the meal  - $8. This also included an ice cream bar for dessert. 

   I was pretty pooped by the time everyone had been fed and all the numerous, greasy utensils and trays had been cleaned and stored away, so came home for a nap. Since then I have been reading (I'm into a Cormoran Strike novel by Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling), pottering in the garden and just generally relaxing. Tomorrow the car goes in for its bi-annual service and one of the pool guys is coming over to check my pool pump as it's not working as it should. Both things may put a hefty dent in my savings but I am keeping my fingers crossed it won't be too expensive.

   There should be at least three more BBQ's there over the summer and I may host one here as well. It's the perfect weather for al fresco eating!

Feeling More Like Summer

     Lunch with the Wine-Knows was fun but I wasn't too impressed by the meal. The last time I was at that particular restaurant I had a very nice piece of salmon but it wasn't on the "pris fixe" menu this time. I had a very huge Caesar salad, pork and veal tagliatelle (also huge so I took most of it home) and finally, a delicious peach panna cotta and a cappuchino. Of course, there was wine (I chose a Valpollicello which went very well with the meal) so it was a very jolly afternoon and we didn't roll out of there until 4:00 p.m. We did manage to set up our next wine tasting which will be at Suman's condo in September - looking forward to seeing her place and tasting her wine choices.

   Things have been quiet since Thursday (just tennis on Friday and a quick trip to the grocery store) but I did pick up some tomato and Swiss Chard plants and got them into the ground. The weather has been gorgeous - sunny but not humid and cooling off at night. I could take this kind of weather right through until September. I have been in the pool several times and it's still May. Whoo-hoo!

First Dip of the Summer

    I forgot yesterday to get up at the crack of dawn (actually 7:00 a.m.) to sign up online for my weekly fitness class. So, now I am on the waiting list and just hoping someone doesn't show up so I can get in. I'm not too worried about missing it as there are lots of opportunities to exercise outdoors now that the good weather has returned. Today we had blue skies and a very pleasant 26 degrees.

   Late this afternoon, after cutting the back grass, I was hot and sweaty so decided I needed a cooling plunge (and the water was cool, just on 70 F). I swam up and down the pool for 10 minutes and sat outside to dry off for another few minutes, but by then the temperature was dropping so had to come indoors. Tonight it is to go down to 12C so it may be a few more days until the water heats up enough for me to get in. However, I am glad I managed my first dip before May ended. That's not always the case. 

    Tomorrow the "Wine-Knows" (the wine-tasting group I belong to) are meeting for lunch and, no doubt this will involve some wine. We are meeting at a restaurant rather than someone's house as this is more of an end-of-season celebration rather than an actual wine tasting. We won't meet again until the Fall as quite a few members spend the summer months on vacation or at cottages. My vacation spot is my back yard with a pile of books and a cool drink on hand.

Rain Stopped Play

    A rainy, blustery day and not much on the agenda. It's been another busy week so I am quite happy to relax indoors with a good book. I never did get to take my first dip in the pool yet as the weather is most un-May like at the moment. Hope it improves soon.

   Tuesday was the monthly lunch at Qssis - not very exciting, a plentiful salad followed by meatloaf (I could make that myself) veg and mashed potatoes but we had coffee and ice cream dessert for afters so not a complete disappointment. Our regional president swore in next year's executive and extolled the virtues of volunteerism. Most of us volunteer at something or other now we have so much free time so she was "preaching to the choir" in more ways than one.

   Thursday was Probus club with an interesting speaker (for once) followed by Book Club. I won't recommend the book  (The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern) but we had a lively discussion and the presenters had gone to a lot of trouble to set a suitable atmosphere. One more book to discuss before we break for the summer. 

   I played tennis for an hour on Friday morning and it was a good workout as my opponents were pretty challenging. That's not always the case as it's mostly the geriatric group who show up for the drop-in activity. But I had a good partner so we did OK.

Life in Retirement is Busy!

    I had to go back to my calendar to see what I was up to last week, how time flies when you're having fun!

   On Tuesday I got out on the tennis courts in the morning, then later in the afternoon I filled in as a host at a pre-retirement workshop for teachers. There was a huge crowd (so many intent on leaving the profession, unfortunately), the presentation was excellent and I was able to answer some of the questions the participants had. There was quite a selection of food (and leftovers to bring home) so that made the time commitment worth while.

   On Thursday I was on a bus trip to south Ontario (Grimsby, Beamsville and points in between) where we enjoyed High Tea at a fancy garden centre and later toured a winery. All in all a fun day and I brought home lots of leftovers.

   On Saturday the pool guys were here to take the cover off my pool - it's still rather green and the water will need to warm up a bit but I bet I will be in by the end of the week. It's turned very warm in the last few days!

    Another busy week coming up so stay tuned. I am babysitting two cats for a few days so life will be anything but dull, for sure.

It's That Time of Year

     Out for lunch today after the Annual Meeting (long and boring) of our retired teachers' group. The lunch was lovely, though, salmon in a mustard sauce with a salad first and lots of vegetables with it, followed by a chocolate ice cream bomb and coffee. The meal was subsidized (to get us to attend the meeting) so very good value and it was fun to have some time chatting with acquaintances I hadn't seen in a year. Also, there were lots of door prizes. I didn't win anything but it's fun to hope!

   After a nap I cut the grass, it's growing like crazy as we have had lots of rain recently. But that means the Spring flowers are finally in bloom and the trees are starting to green up. I had taken some chicken pieces out of the fridge for dinner but am still not hungry so I will probably save them for tomorrow and just fix a light meal tonight.  

   This has been a busy week (another meeting tomorrow, this time at the Seniors' Centre) so I will be looking forward to a less hectic week next.

First Day on the Tennis Courts

 .....and it was a chilly one! A spattering of rain (some tiny snow flakes, too) but we managed an hour or so of easy tennis. It was my first time playing since last fall and I was pretty happy that I lasted the hour. Also, I managed to serve reasonably well as that had been a problem previously as I struggled with a painful shoulder. So, all in all, not a bad start.

   Today was the opening social and there was a reasonable turnout despite the inclement weather. I never did get warmed up properly but luckily lunch was served indoors and there was plenty of coffee on tap. Cake and donuts too so I went home satisfied. Just a light dinner tonight, methinks!

    Still having trouble uploading photos but I will keep trying. 

An Easy Day

    I made a jar of pickled red onions this afternoon and that has been the total sum of my domestic endeavours. I have been working on my tax return and thought I would be able to finish it today. However, I found an error on my practice form and had to redo the whole thing. So, it will be another day of trudging through it. Only positive is that I believe I might get some money back from the government for once!

   There were a few snowflakes this afternoon but, on the whole, the weather has been improving. Son and DIL were staying for a few days (they are moving back to Ontario from B.C. next month) and they helped me bring up my garden furniture from the basement. So I am ready for when the nice weather finally arrives. Can't wait!

Just a Bunch of Winos

    Today it was another meeting of the "Wine Knows", the wine-tasting group I belong to. A wonderful time was had by all and several tasty wines were sampled, not to mention a beautiful array of nibbles!

 We had two white wines, two reds and one sparkling wine. It was almost everyone's favourite. One of the reds was very popular too. so I will be looking for these two at the liquor store for my next party.

   There was an assortment of cheeses, cured meats and fruit which got well and truly demolished while we sipped the wine and with the last bottle we had home-made biscotti as a sweet finish. Delicious!

Not Finished with Winter yet

     We had snow again overnight, not much and it has mostly melted but the wind is bitter and strong so another indoor day. Tonight will be -5C but after that it starts to warm up a bit. The nets are up at the tennis courts but, apart from one brilliant day last week, it has been too cold to get out there. 

   Finally, with the help of my son, I have finally figured out how to import photos from my phone to Blogger, just some problems adjusting the size. My current header photo is the Thai Restaurant we visited in March and I will try to import another now. 

It was quite a spectacular place and had a Michelin ranking but not the top rank. This week, since we have reached the letter "U" and there are no Uruguayan restaurants in our neck of the woods, we have chosen United Kingdom so it's going to be fish and chips!

Too Much!

   Hate to keep moaning about the weather but, honestly, this past week has just been ridiculous! After a few Spring-like days, it's been back to winter with a vengeance.

   This morning we woke to another heavy snow fall and a biting wind (-12C with the wind chill making it feel like -20C). I had to go out around 10:00 a.m. so went out earlier to scrape off the car. Once the snow had been cleared I found that the windshield wipers were thoroughly iced over and all the windows coated with ice so it was a very cold, miserable experience. Half an hour later it was done but I had to go inside to thaw out before getting on the road. Driving was not too bad thanks to Works Dept. and their snow and salt trucks.  We are still struggling into boots, winter coats, gloves and hats, and it's almost April, for goodness' sake!