Two good books

   Had a quiet day at home watching Tennis from Montreal, a little light housework and gardening, and finished a very dramatic book. It's "The Storyteller" by Jodi Picoult and has two main themes: family ties and The Holocaust. I am not usually able to stand to read about the atrocities of the concentration camps, but this story was very compelling. I couldn't put it down!
   I also just finished a biographical account of the life and times of the 5th Countess of Carnarvon called "Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: the Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle". The author is Fiona, 8th Countess of Carnarvon who is a historian in her own right. Lady Almina not only brought fabulous wealth to the estate (her father was the banking tycoon, Alfred de Rothschild) but also spearheaded a tremendous war effort to help wounded officers of the Great War recuperate at Highclere Castle. She seems to have been an amazing woman. 

Rainbow Trout

   Got this lovely rainbow trout fillet the other day for just over $5! I think it was a mistake as the price per kilo was $19 and it weighed 10 ozs. I cut it into 3 parts, grilled the first one with an orange ginger sauce and tonight I will have the second one, grilled, then flaked on top of a grapefruit and avocado salad with a potato and egg salad. Plenty of food for less than $3 each meal! 


  

 The first day of the Roger's Cup went off well but was very long. Left the house a 7:50 a.m. and got home by 6 p.m. but I had stayed to watch a match after my shift ended. I'm not back until Tuesday, so will watch the matches on TV, but then every day until Sunday's Final. Very windy today so I imagine some of the players found it very tricky. It will be interesting to see which of the qualifiers survived. Lots of games and activities for the kids as it was "Family Weekend"

Rain and more rain

   It has been belting down since about 3:00 p.m. and still shows no sign of stopping. The pool, which was already full to the top of the skimmer from Wednesday night's rain, is approaching full capacity. At least I won't have to worry about filling it or watering the garden during "Roger's Cup" week. Natalie had lots of fun in the pool today but was the only one who ventured in. James just wandered around the edge, wearing his "floaties" and throwing in things for her to dive for. Luckily she had had her fill before the rain arrived.

   Early start tomorrow - I have to be across town by 8:30, parked and waiting for the shuttle to the Rexall Centre and arrive there by 8:45 (this includes stopping by "Volleys: for a coffee). Our shift starts at 9:00 a.m. but the gates don't actually open until 9:30. Hopefully the rain will have passed over and the qualifying matches will all be completed. The first day is usually quite easy although it is Family weekend - free to families. Not many hassles or difficulties. It's my only early start and Saturday traffic isn't too horrendous.

   I have taken a few days off tennis this week as I have been very stiff and aching. The mornings are the worst so I hope I will be moving OK tomorrow to get away on time.

First post of August

   The rain was pouring down during the night so rather a damp start to the day. I had the last of the raspberries on my cereal then went to check out the tennis courts around 9:00 a.m.(we usually have a social on Thursdays) but they were pretty soggy, so came home for a quiet morning. It's now a comfortable mix of sun and clouds. I hope the rain is finished for the next week as the Roger's Cup starts on Saturday with the qualifying rounds. The Main Draw starts on Monday.
  
   Later my travel package arrived so I was able to spend a pleasant half-hour going through it - the names and locations of my fellow-travellers (mostly Canadians), bios on the Campus Director and guest lecturers, and more information on the itinerary, hotels etc. So now it's time to start collecting my travel documents and making sure everything is up-to-date.

   Last night's dinner came almost completely from my garden, except for some pasta, two mushrooms and a few shrimp from the freezer. I used an onion, cherry tomatoes, swiss chard and parsley to make a very colourful plateful. I chopped the swiss chard and wilted it like spinach. Topped it off with grated parmesan.