Three Days in One

   Wednesday: James here and we had a nice morning at "Sing, Play, Learn". He didn't nap but stayed quietly in his bedroom reading while I lay down. Dinner was a quinoa salad, with red pepper, corn and cucumber, sprinkled with lemon juice and olive oil. Went to Petronella in the evening but didn't stay to the last dance. Carole was whipping through the program for the Kingston workshop but I'm not going so didn't mind missing a dance or two.



Brilliant tree colours.

Thursday: No tennis this morning. Four guys were on Court 1 but no one else showed up so I just headed back home. It was a little on the chilly side anyway. Later in the morning I headed down to the Collision Centre to get an estimate for the scratch on my car. It was still too much for my budget but the guy cleaned it up a bit and suggested I try some touch-up paint before deciding on repair. Next stop the Toyota dealership and a $15 purchase which sufficed to cover the scratches. Now to see if it prevents the area from rusting! Cooked chicken thighs in a pasta sauce with potatoes, mushrooms and sweet potatoes.

Friday: James here again and today he did nap. He was pretty beat, and quite fractious so I wasn't surprised when he nodded off after two stories and one song. Went to Wendy's group tonight and she taught the dances for the Stouville dance tomorrow. It's a nice program but I don't think I will attend it either.

Last Koffeeklatch

   Up early to make some sausage rolls - my contribution to the potluck lunch today. I got in three good sets of tennis before lunch then stuffed myself silly.  Lots of great dishes, salads, an especially tasty herring salad of which I had two helpings, spring rolls, fried rice (several kinds), dumplings, sandwiches, devilled eggs (Kathy's contribution), and several desserts. I managed to restrain myself and just sample two but one cake came with a delicious butter rum sauce, yummy! Harold brought his special Mulligatawny Soup which was spicy but so heartening.  Something must have been very salty as I have been drinking gallons of water all afternoon. There's always too much food when we have a potluck - everyone brings way more than they could eat so, of course, there's an overabundance! The summer club is now over and the bubble for the winter tennis will go up later this week - that's it for me at Don Mills until next Spring.

My Fall Planter

   Staggered home about 1:30 and dived into bed for a short nap. No supper tonight (or at least not until much later and then only soup and a small sandwich). I brought home a slice of pumpkin pie which I will have as a late night snack.

   Tomorrow is garden refuse pickup day so I spent an hour this afternoon trimming bushes and filling the bins. Soon it will be time to start raking the leaves but most of them will go in the composter. Got another tomato from the garden and another is almost ready to pick. Hope the frost stays away a few more nights!

Holiday Fun

   Last Tennis Social of the year. The Thanksgiving BBQ with salads and a pie contest. And tennis thrown in for good measure. It all got underway around 10:00 a.m. with round robin play - a good way to get to play with folk you don't normally see at the courts. I had three good sets but was worn out after that and ready for lunch.

   Hamburgers, sausages, pasta and green salad were followed by the entrants in the pie contest. Unfortunately I didn't get to sample the winning pie - pecan - but there were lots of apple pies, a pear pie and a pumpkin pie, and an apple crumble, all delicious, all homemade, and I didn't have to do any baking! There was a good turnout considering it is late in the season, and the weather cooperated beautifully. Tomorrow is our last Koffeklatch and later in the week the bubble goes up for the winter tennis club so our season is almost over. It has been a good year, all in all.

A Thanksgiving Feast

   Yesterday, another beautiful fall day, was the perfect time for a family get-together. This occurred at the Atherton's with Dave handling the turkey on the BBQ and Judy doing stellar duty in the kitchen with all the fixings that traditionally accompany the Thanksgiving meal. I don't know how she manages to juggle a full-time job, three small kids and produce such an excellent meal!

Handsome Elliot with his new haircut
 - the only one to sit still for a photo!

   There were 11 of us around the table and the food just kept coming. First we had a delicious pumpkin soup. This was followed by the turkey (tender and juicy), stuffing, sweet potato casserole, Brussell sprouts (roasted with bacon by Alison) a yummy risotto with, I think, squash and cheesy topping, ham, roast potatoes (my contribution, I got off easy) and cranberry sauce. Wine was on tap and generously poured. We all did the meal justice but I'm sure there were tons of leftovers. Dessert was a pumpkin cheesecake with cream and pumpkin pie and ice cream - you could have one, both or a mixture of all. By this time full capacity was being reached and only room for a coffee and some relaxed conversation on the back patio. The kids vegged out in front of the TV so the adults were able to enjoy the outdoors peacefully.

   Today started out, and remained, rainy though still mild. Nothing much on the agenda other than a few chores and grocery shopping. A light dinner is indicated tonight after all the food consumed yesterday!