Almost Back to Normal

   Woke up feeling good yesterday and managed to play two sets of tennis this morning. I think the secret was a good long break between sets! Spent an hour or so over coffee and chats with friends. It was a perfect day for tennis - quite cool, a mix of sun and clouds and with a bit of a breeze. Surprisingly, for August, the temperature only reached 21C.

   I went to a movie in the afternoon - Tuesday is "cheap" day at the movies! The film was "Blue Jasmine", a Woody Allen film quite different from his usual light comedies. Kate Blanchett gave an outstanding performance as a disgraced socialite having to endure reduced circumstances. You couldn't help feeling sorry for her although she definitely deserved her comeuppance.

   I picked up some sushi on the way home for a supper treat. Can't believe I ate the whole thing! But it was yummy.

Feeling Better

   This has been one eventful week! As well as doing 6 shifts at Roger's Cup I spent a whole day at the emergency department getting a load of test for my sore back and hips. I had gone to my GP early that morning thoroughly exasperated with the lack of improvement so he sent me to Emergency. Mostly I sat around waiting but, finally at 5:00 p.m. the doctor arrived with a diagnosis and a prescription. Next day I felt considerably better but I think there will need to be some tinkering with the dosage to get me back to normal. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all will be well before I depart for Spain on the 25th.



Women's Final live in Toronto

   Roger's Cup is over for another year - we (the volunteers, not the players!) had a great party after the Final on Sunday and said our goodbyes until next August. No rain outs but a couple of the players withdrew which made for a rather lacklustre field. Great excitement at the Men's Tournament in Montreal as two Canadians got to the semi-finals. One went on to the Final but wasn't able to put up much of a performance, probably exhausted by the preceding matches. 

Men's Final on the big screen from Montreal

   Judy and the boys came over for lunch today - Elliot actually got in the pool for half-an-hour although it wasn't a very warm day. He is quite a little fish! Natalie is at dance camp this week and I am interested to hear how she likes it. Elliot's outdoor camp was a big success, by all accounts. 

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"