Family over here on Sunday for swimming and a meal. I decided to go with my version of Swiss Chalet's Festive Special since we are half way between last Christmas and the next.
It was warm enough to swim without the heater on, amazingly. Everyone was in the pool, even Steve and James who were both rather reluctant initially. Natalie is a little fish, diving and bobbing all over, and Elliot had lots of fun on the inflatable rocket.
Dinner was a great success. Alison had brought a delicious roasted corn and avocado salad with a hint of cilantro. Judy's salad was crunchy and exotic too. The only mistake was the potatoes which I cooked - they didn't crisp up and, although cooked, were a bit soggy - too many pieces in the roasting pan! I had picked up a couple of rotisserie chickens from Metro and we had stuffing and Chalet sauce (which Elliot prepared). A few sausages rounded out the feast, although I forgot to serve the cranberry sauce - it will be saved for next Christmas.
Once everyone had digested their meal, we had strawberries, blueberries and cream for dessert. Then it was back in the pool (even me!) as it was still warm and pleasant.
Today Judy and the kids were back for another dip as it continues to be very hot. James was in for the longest time, not even wanting to come out to eat his lunch. He is becoming quite the water baby!
Wimbledon party at Don Mills TC this morning and James and I baked sausage rolls to contribute to the feast. Lots of sandwiches and salads, and strawberries and cream for dessert. Needless to say, James bypassed the nutritious stuff and headed straight for the sweet stuff. Luckily there was also lots of other fresh fruit which he devoured too.
As a special treat for behaving himself (i.e. stayed off the court while I played one set of tennis), on the way home we stopped at the subway station and rode the subway for half-an-hour. He was quite thrilled by the long train and the dark tunnel! It was a really cheap thrill - just 75 cents for him.
Home for a swim, although I couldn't get him in the pool, other than his feet. I had two dips as it has been really hot today, up in the high 20's. The water has been warming up nicely. I may not need to put the heater on when the family come over on Sunday.
I had a brain wave yesterday - take James to the beach! We do have one, even though it is just on the lake but there was lots of sand and the water was relatively clean. The sky was overcast but the temperature was quite comfortable. There were a few spots of rain but nothing to really get us wet. He played with his bucket and spade for a while, collecting water from the lake and making moats and tunnels. He had fun chasing the seagulls and we saw some redwing blackbirds that were very friendly. Then we had a picnic lunch before heading home.
Today was extremely hot, even at 9:00 a.m. when we went to play tennis. I only lasted for about 50 minutes before having to head home for a swim. Luckily there were some interesting matches on at Wimbledon which is how I spent the rest of the morning. Two of the Canadians made it through to the next round. The high today was 28C and with the humidex, around 30C, our hottest day so far this summer. I am testing out my new air conditioning so it is quite comfortable inside, although the upper floor is still a bit on the hot side. I hope I can sleep well tonight. I cut the front grass this afternoon, requiring another swim and will go out after the sun goes down to trim off the borders. Everything is growing quite rapidly after all the rain we have had this week.
Yesterday was my garage sale so I was up early to set up and get the signs up for 8:00 a.m. Lots of browsers (and lots of drive bys) but not too many people willing to part with their money! I did sell some big items but most of the purchases were from the $1 table or the 50 cent bin. Tons of stuff left over and now piled in the garage. I think I will need to have another sale in the Fall. At least I managed to get back the money I spent on signs and a bit more for my effort. Closed up around 1:00 p.m. and spent the rest of the day packing up and recovering!
Played two long sets of tennis this morning with Susan, Kathy and Iona. I much prefer Ladies doubles to hitting aimlessly with the guys. By the time we stopped it was getting very hot and I was in the pool as soon as I got home. Once I had dried off sufficiently, I made some carrot and lentil soup for lunch to have with a croissant, roasted red pepper and cheese sandwich.
Some gardening this afternoon once the shade had crept around a bit. Still, it was hot work and another dip was called for. I finished the tidying up in my wet swimsuit which was much more comfortable. Spent half an hour stretched out on the lounger with a book to recover from the effort.
A light dinner tonight - roasted vegetables with an as-yet-to-be-determined sauce or gravy - no meat. Not much on TV tonight, all my favourite shows are still being pre-empted by the soccer. However, Wimbledon starts tomorrow and I will be following that avidly. Poor James will just have to watch it with me.
