The weather cooperated for our penultimate day on the tennis courts. I went well dressed but was soon peeling off layers as the dull conditions morphed into glimpses of sun and people started to trickle in. I managed to pull off some decent rallies and played with people I don't normally see at the week day drop ins. 

   Then it was a pot luck lunch (I brought a cole slaw) and there was a good assortment of tasty dishes followed by a lucky draw. There's another pot luck tomorrow for the last day before the summer club is turned over to the city to run the winter program under a bubble. I don't join (too expensive) and will just have to pack away my racquet and  bide my time until next May. Tomorrow will be a smaller crowd, just the retirees and seniors, but it will be a chance to say our goodbyes until Spring.

    Sunday was the turkey feast with the family - SIL cooks the bird on the BBQ and very fine it was with all the trimmings. We ate around noon and I didn't eat again until a small sandwich just before bed! Judy made  sour dough bread to go with her butternut squash soup, both excellent,  and the turkey was accompanied by quinoa and squash salad, green beans, stuffing, gravy and (for the lone vegetarian, the other grandma) stuffed acorn squash. I did indulge in a small glass of wine before the meal, and stuck to (non-alcoholic) cider with the turkey as I was driving. Later, when we had had a chance to digest all that good food, there was pumpkin pie with whipped cream and coffee to finish. 

    Phew! It makes me tired just writing about all that food. Needless to say I needed a nap when I got home. It will take me a week to work off all those extra calories!

Changing of the Seasons

   Big weekend coming up as it is Thanksgiving. Lunch with the family on Sunday and another social at the tennis club on Monday with more food. 

   We had a couple of frosty nights recently and I brought in most of my outdoor plants. They have done well over the summer as they seem to like the big outdoors. They always seem to die back a bit over the winter - less sun and dry conditions - but will perk up again once Spring rolls around.

   I am still picking tomatoes although I have removed three of the plants after picking a tray full of green ones. I knew they wouldn't ripen outdoors any time soon but they will keep for another month or so.

   It's still warm enough to sit outside most days and we are still getting lots of sun. However, I have started switching over to more seasonal clothes and packing away the summer outfits. The pool is closed for the season so no need for my swimsuit!

An Update

    It's been a couple of busy weeks, thence no posts. I can't remember if I mentioned the winery tour I went on recently (it was fun with a lovely lunch and wine samples, but I fell asleep on the bus home and felt awful when I woke). Then we had two lunches and a brunch which wreaked havoc with my diet so I am trying to cut back this week and have some simple meals.

   The weather has turned distinctly cooler, the pool is all wrapped up for the winter and I have got out some woolly sweaters for lounging around the house. My little home improvement project is just about finished bar some small painting repairs but I have still to get the paint. It looks way better than before and should add to the price of my house when I decide to sell. Another project for next Spring!

Starting to Feel Like Fall

    It was really cool this morning (12C) and I was well bundled up in layers for tennis. I did warm up eventually and got one layer off but nothing like our normal temperatures. I do hope this isn't the end of the lovely summer weather! The tennis courts will still be open for another 3 weeks and we will keep playing until the nets and wind screens are taken down. There was a strong wind from the north today which made playing a bit tricky.

  The pool guys were here yesterday to close the pool for the season - boo hoo! It's been a good year but the nights have been so cool recently that I hadn't swum for the past week. Sometimes I'm able to swim until almost the end of September but not this year, sadly. It looks so different with the pool cover on but now it is safely tucked away before the nasty winter weather arrives. Now I just have the job of getting the garden tidied up but I still have two or more months until the snow arrives to do that. 

Wine Tasting

    The Wine-Knows met again on Saturday afternoon - just 8 of us this time as some are still vacationing - but it was a jolly time and I had to be careful with the wine consumption as there was more to go around. Five interesting wines, 1 white, 1 rosee and three reds. My favourite was one of the reds and it also happened to be the one that scored the most points. We judge the wines on appearance, aroma and taste and that one had a very distinctive bouquet. There were also lots of nibblies so I didn't need dinner when I got home, just a late night snack. The meeting was at one of the member's condo which was on the 17th floor with a spectacular view of the city. I wouldn't mind living there!

    Still desperately trying to stay ahead of the tomato crop. The cherry and grape tomatoes are still going strong and the heirloom tomatoes are beginning to produce large specimens. I've had three already (they are a meal unto themselves) and there are still several at the green stage. I'm sure they will ripen before too long. So every meal has to contain tomatoes in some form. Tonight it's chicken parmigiana with eggplant casserole and corn kernels.

Labour Day

    Gorgeous day today - sunny with a few clouds, not too warm, around 24C. The tennis club always puts on a social on holidays so I left here around 10:00 a.m. for some light tennis and a BBQ lunch, all very pleasant and a chance to socialize. 

   I just played two short sets (we were time limited for the maximum number of people on the courts) with some new faces and I acquitted myself respectfully. Lunch was juicy chicken souvlaki skewers, Greek salad and potato salad, cake to follow with water melon for those that preferred something refreshing. And, of course, coffee on tap!

   Home by 1:30 and, after a nap, I cut the back lawn and did some garden tidy up. By then I was hot and sweaty so had a swim and dried off on the patio for half-an-hour. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the U.S. Open tennis, no particularly exciting matches but interesting nevertheless. So it has been a busy and productive day and I will sleep well tonight with all that fresh air and exercise.

Grocery Shopping While Hungry

   Last Thursday we had a pot luck lunch at the Seniors' Centre - just the volunteers who work in the kitchen and everyone brought something special. There was enough food to feed an army and of course I wanted to try everything. I had made sausage rolls and there were quite a few left (plus some other people's food, lasagna, onion cakes, noodles and marinated eggs) so I brought home enough for dinner that night and Friday.

   I wasn't starving when I went to the grocery store on Friday but had only had a banana and yogurt smoothie and a granola bar before my tennis game so must have worked up an appetite. It's not the best time to shop anyway as the store is always quite busy. Last week I witnessed a fight over bargain corn cobs to which the store manager had to intervene!

    Anyway, my stomach was ruling my brain and I purchased a huge cauliflower ($1.99), a beauty of an eggplant ( just because it looked so glossy and shiny) and a pack of reduced chicken drumsticks without thinking that I already had leftovers to eat this weekend and I am eating out Monday and Tuesday. So what to do?

    Yesterday I ate up the last of the sausage rolls and made a cauliflower gratin. Today it was eggplant parmesan and and half the pack of drumsticks. The rest went in the freezer and the eggpplant dish will also go there, probably five portions. That still leaves more cauliflower and some of the chicken which I will pick at for the next two days depending on how hungry I am. Monday is a BBQ at the tennis club and Tuesday is brunch with my retired teacher friends to celebrate NOT having to start back to school!

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!

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.