April (Snow) Showers

   We have had a few very unusual days, weatherwise, recently. Saturday and Sunday were beautifully warm and sunny. In fact Sunday reached 20C and I was finally able to discard all the winter clothing. Monday also was very warm, another record high, this time 21C, but extremely windy - almost gale force. While shopping I witnessed a light standard coming down in the plaza parking lot. Luckily no one was passing at the time so no serious damage. James and I went to the park but only stayed a few minutes as the wind was rattling the trees something fierce and blowing leaves and dust in all directions. The wise thing seemed to be to head for home which we did.

   Then, in the afternoon, we had a rain storm which lasted for an hour, battering against the windows. By the evening the temperature was dropping. It was 7C when I came home although the wind had subsided a bit. This morning we awoke to snow on the ground and the temperature has remained just below 0C all day. This had to be the day I had booked to get my "summer cut" so now I have short hair and a cold head!  All told the temperature dropped 21 degrees in about 18 hours so I am back to winter coat, boots and gloves. Too big an adjustment for the body to cope with!

   I am getting my furnace and air conditioning replaced in May and had the guys in today to check where it will go. Last summer the air conditioning was "on the blink" and it was quite unbearably hot on occasion. But, since it is located in the attic, it s very difficult to get at; in fact the technician told me that it would be well nigh impossible to get anyone to go up there to fix it. So now it will be part of the heating system, thus the need for a new furnace. There may have to be some reconfiguring of the vents so I will have to discuss it with Steve when he's over on the weekend, as he will have to help with the work. Hopefully, Dave will help too. I am looking forward to a big crowd (well, 9 of us) on Sunday for Easter dinner - roast lamb and all the fixings.

Crocuses

   Saw some crocuses while out on my walk today and when I got home, found I had a couple in my front border too. Also noticed someone has put up the nets at the tennis courts so it won't be long before we get a game going. Can't wait!

   I am making butter chicken for dinner today. The sauce, which has all sorts of interesting spices in it,  has to cook for a couple of hours then you blend it, add the chicken and cook until tender. Then serve it over rice. It's an easy meal and there should be lots of leftovers. It's supposed to be cooked in the slow cooker but, as I just make a half quantity, my pot is really too big so I just cook it in a casserole.

Elliot's Plunge

 The Landing

  Here are the photos from Elliot's big adventure at Brimacombe's "Puddle Jump" competition.  Well, he made it down the hill but not far into the "Puddle". Thankfully there were spotters on hand as he literally went in face first and did a somersault. But he was so proud of himself (after he regained his composure) that I'm sure he felt it was all justified. Plus he got a neat hat for participating. I wonder if he will attempt the jump next year.

   I went to quite a funny (hilarious, actually) movie yesterday - "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - with cameos featuring some big names. Ralph Fiennes had the main role and Jude Law, Adrian Brody, Jeff Goldblum and Tilda Swinton also appeared. It's worth a visit.

 Dried out and triumphant and having a well-deserved snack.



   We had another nice Spring day today. James and I were outdoors quite a bit,  at the park (our first visit of this year) after play group and again in the backyard in the afternoon. There was a bit of a cold wind but we didn't need gloves or hats. Although there is still quite a bit of snow lying in shaded areas, the majority of it has gone. The grass, seeing the light of day for the first time since early December, is looking very dead but it is amazing how quickly it recovers and starts to grow again. The ground is very soft and soggy so we really shouldn't be walking on it but I couldn't resist doing a bit of clean up as there is so much debris from the ice storm we had in December.


 



Last Day on the Hills

   Great day skiing with the grandkids . Elliot decided he wanted to try the "Puddle Jump" but I left before he got his turn so I don't know yet how wet he got!

  I hadn't seen the kids skiing at all this year so surprised them by showing up at Brimacombe. I was there quite early and had several runs before they got there. James has come along amazingly for his first year on skis. He is quite independent on the easy hills. Natalie is beginning to line up her skis in parallel position, progress from last year. We had an amazing blue sky all day and my face feels quite hot. After a hearty lunch I only took a couple more runs as the snow was getting quite slushy. So I left the young folks to their own pursuits and headed home for a nap and a soak in the tub. That will be the last day, for me at least, as I will pack away my skis and boots until next winter.

   Dinner tonight is one of my favourites - Tuscan Chicken. The recipe is from Frances Mayes memoir "Under the Tuscan Sun", and contains artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and chick peas as well as chicken legs, a one-pot meal which makes for easy clean up. Yesterday I made Impossible Pie - not an outstanding success but tasty enough. The pie crust is actually created on top from coconut and you invert it after letting it cool slightly - quite ingenious!