Still Chilly

   It was -13C when I got up this morning and warmed up to -8C by the afternoon - positively balmy! However, according to the radio, the wind chill made it feel like -24C and there was still a bitterly cold wind. Everyone I saw outdoors today had their hoods up to protect their faces and I don't blame them, I did too!

   I went to the golf clinic this morning and hit about 90 balls, which is the equivalent of a whole round of golf. Of course I wasn't walking between hits so didn't get the exercise you would get on a golf course. After that I popped in to the yoga class for which I am wait listed but I don't think I have a chance of getting in to it  as it was pretty full.

   Bridge this afternoon and Dianne was able to get a fourth for our table (her sister who is an experienced player and gave us some tips on bidding and "play of the hand"). Dianne and I went down badly, mostly due to the terrible hands we were dealt, but hope for better luck next time.

   Leftover chicken pot pie for dinner tonight but I had a bowl of guacamole and salsa with tostitos and several glasses of sherry. I read on Facebook that moderate drinkers live longer than non-drinkers but I guess the operative word is "moderate". Hope I qualify for that designation. The glasses were small!

   Here's the guacamole recipe:

1/2 avocado, peeled and mashed
squirt of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce
Mix lightly.
2 tbsps. salsa placed in centre of avocado mixture
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese to garnish

A New Activity

   If yesterday was a tad chilly, today was positively frigid!  Temperature was -18C when I first checked this morning. It did rise a few degrees during the day as the sun was shining but the wind chill made it feel like -28C (so they said on the radio).It was certainly a day to stay indoors. The only advantage was that it was too cold to snow.

   This afternoon I tried out a clogging class. I loved the music, country and western, but the steps were complicated and I didn't have the right kind of shoes. I will go back next week and try it again as it's free and at my local Rec. Centre. I had a very pleasing phone call this evening - a spot has opened up in the Gentle Fit class at the Senior's Centre on Fridays and I was next on the waiting list. Hooray!!

   I have to bake for Dance group on Friday and managed to make a batch of shortbread  after I got home from clogging but will need something else as well, maybe a gingercake. I used the chicken from the freezer in a chicken pot pie for dinner tonight. I only ate 1/4 of it so it will do me another 3 days by which time I will be well and truly tired of chicken. Plus I didn't use all the chicken so will be having it as chicken salad for lunches until it is finally all gone. Then I will indulge myself with something I haven't eaten recently - maybe pork or lamb!

Brrr!

   A chilly one today although sunny for a change. The thermometer didn't register above -10C all day and there was a bitter wind out of the north. I heard the wind chill was minus 20 something so I didn't stay outdoors too long - just a quick trip in the car to the mall to pick up a library book.

   I spent the afternoon reading - it's "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova, about to come out in the theatres any time now with Julianne Moore in the title role as a woman who develops Early-onset Alzheimer's. Quite a harrowing account of the devastation of the disease.

   Gas 95 cents a litre today. However, the advantages of cheaper gas are outweighed by a huge drop in the stock market today. It lost 2.5% of its total value by the end of the day. Hope it goes back up tomorrow.

    Dancing tonight at Scarborough and I'm the "tea lady", but I don't think I will stay to the end as I want to see the last episode of "Midsomer Murders" - or the last episode I will see until dancing stops in May. The new season of "Downton Abbey" started last night and was well worth the wait as several new plots, both upstairs and downstairs, were revealed. That's my Sunday evenings set for the next few weeks!

  

First Demo Class of the Year

    Keith put us through our paces for two hours this afternoon - no new dances but brushing up the ones we will be doing at the upcoming Burns' demos. There was a good turnout - 24 of us - and we worked hard with only a short break. We have one more practice next Sunday so we should be well prepared. The demos I am taking part in (4) go from Jan 17 to Feb. 4 so I will be busy for the next few weeks.

    It was surprisingly mild today  (high of 4C) and I spent an hour this morning scraping a layer of icy snow off the driveway and clearing a path for the water to reach the drain. It was raining slightly which helped but dried up a bit in the afternoon. The temperature is supposed to plummet tonight so I bought some salt in case ice forms on any damp spots. Last year, when we had the ice storm, I was caught without salt and couldn't find it anywhere as there was a high demand for it. This year I'm prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws our way!