Too hot for tennis (30'sC even at 8:30 a.m.) but I did play a couple of sets. Departed with a very red face and jumped straight into the pool to cool off once I got home.
Judy and kids here for a swim and lunch - I managed to get rid of some of the extra food from the weekend but still have potato salad and bean casserole which will be dinner tonight, along with a chicken thigh and some sausage.
I went to a movie (air-conditioned, bliss!) this afternoon. It was "Mr. Holmes" with a very aged Ian McKellan as the title character, quite good but nothing special.
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Monday, 27 July 2015
A Few Hot Days
Quite a bit of territory to cover as I have been very remiss in posting to my blog. Let's go back to last Thursday!
Tennis in the morning - very hot - but we managed to play three sets. Bridge was cancelled in the p.m. as we were missing one person so I had a lazy afternoon at home, swimming and tidying up the garden.
Friday continued hot and, as Judy and the kids were coming over for lunch and a swim, I left tennis early. I had put the pool heater on first thing in the morning and by the time I got home around 10: 15 the water was almost 80F. The kids had a great time - James was in the deep end without his floaties, quite scary. Judy had to dive in at one point when he looked to be in difficulty but, on the whole, he managed fine. BBQ at Cathie's in the evening to celebrate John's birthday. He is turning 85 next week and still playing tennis!
Out early on Saturday to attend the Orientation meeting for the Roger's Cup. Susan drove and we were back home by 10: 30 a.m. so I had the rest of the day for chores and a bit of pre-cooking ( my signature bean casserole) for the BBQ at my house on Sunday.
Sunday started off hot and we managed one set of tennis, albeit a long one, and I was home by 10:45. I made a potato salad for the evening meal and finished off the inevitable house work and cooking. The family arrived around 4:00 p.m. and Dave very kindly manned the barbecue. It worked like a charm (this was its inauguration) and we cooked a mountain of meat - lamb chops, chicken thighs, sausages and pork ribs - which were devoured in quick order. Judy had brought a Greek salad and a pile of corn cobs which also went down well. Dessert was a selection of cheesecake (see a previous entry) and some fresh fruit brought by Steve and Alison. And, of course, the wine and beer were flowing! Everyone had a nice cooling swim before we ate and the kids were back in the pool again after the meal as it was still very warm. James got to show off his new skills before an appreciative audience and the other two had fun with Uncle Steve in the pool.
Today continued to be extremely hot (33C at one point) so I have stayed inside most of the day with the air conditioning running. I have it set to 24C so it is quite comfortable downstairs although the upper floor is still a bit on the hot side. Despite having put the dishwasher through its paces last night, there was still a bit of a clean up required this morning - I even scrubbed the grill from the barbecue! However, all was tidied away by 9:30 and I had the rest of the morning to myself. Then bridge in the afternoon (I played several hands but only made the contract on one but my partner, Sami, had a small slam!). Leftovers for dinner, including the cheesecake. Yummy!
Tennis in the morning - very hot - but we managed to play three sets. Bridge was cancelled in the p.m. as we were missing one person so I had a lazy afternoon at home, swimming and tidying up the garden.
Friday continued hot and, as Judy and the kids were coming over for lunch and a swim, I left tennis early. I had put the pool heater on first thing in the morning and by the time I got home around 10: 15 the water was almost 80F. The kids had a great time - James was in the deep end without his floaties, quite scary. Judy had to dive in at one point when he looked to be in difficulty but, on the whole, he managed fine. BBQ at Cathie's in the evening to celebrate John's birthday. He is turning 85 next week and still playing tennis!
Out early on Saturday to attend the Orientation meeting for the Roger's Cup. Susan drove and we were back home by 10: 30 a.m. so I had the rest of the day for chores and a bit of pre-cooking ( my signature bean casserole) for the BBQ at my house on Sunday.
Sunday started off hot and we managed one set of tennis, albeit a long one, and I was home by 10:45. I made a potato salad for the evening meal and finished off the inevitable house work and cooking. The family arrived around 4:00 p.m. and Dave very kindly manned the barbecue. It worked like a charm (this was its inauguration) and we cooked a mountain of meat - lamb chops, chicken thighs, sausages and pork ribs - which were devoured in quick order. Judy had brought a Greek salad and a pile of corn cobs which also went down well. Dessert was a selection of cheesecake (see a previous entry) and some fresh fruit brought by Steve and Alison. And, of course, the wine and beer were flowing! Everyone had a nice cooling swim before we ate and the kids were back in the pool again after the meal as it was still very warm. James got to show off his new skills before an appreciative audience and the other two had fun with Uncle Steve in the pool.
Today continued to be extremely hot (33C at one point) so I have stayed inside most of the day with the air conditioning running. I have it set to 24C so it is quite comfortable downstairs although the upper floor is still a bit on the hot side. Despite having put the dishwasher through its paces last night, there was still a bit of a clean up required this morning - I even scrubbed the grill from the barbecue! However, all was tidied away by 9:30 and I had the rest of the morning to myself. Then bridge in the afternoon (I played several hands but only made the contract on one but my partner, Sami, had a small slam!). Leftovers for dinner, including the cheesecake. Yummy!
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| The Grillmaster, set up on the front porch, much easier to access from the kitchen. |
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| Nice and clean again after its inaugural use. I managed to find a connector for my propane tank. |
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| Still over 30C at 7:00 p.m. |
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Usual Wednesday
Spent a chunk of time this afternoon trimming dead branches off the Mountain Ash tree in my front yard. It really should come down but it does produce a proliferation of berries that the birds like. It was quite pleasant out there, not too hot and a nice breeze, but I did work up a bit of a sweat.
I also washed the area rug from my bedroom, in the bathtub. It has never been cleaned and was pretty grubby. When wet it weighed a ton but I did manage to get it outside and up on the outdoor rotary drier. Next job will be to lug it back upstairs but I think I will leave that until tomorrow.
I was behind the coffee bar at the Senior's Centre this morning and ready to leave at 12:00 when Margaret arrived but it suddenly got really busy so I stayed on until the lunch rush was over. Margaret and I were running back and forth making tea and coffee, warming up pies and clearing dirty cups. It looks like I may have to stay later in the future as well, as there really needed to be two people on hand. I biked home and managed to squeeze in a swim before lunch and another after my stint in the garden.
Leftover stew and broccoli and cauliflower casserole for dinner, so I will be well fed. Not much on TV until 9:00 so I will practice my French and Bridge until then!
I also washed the area rug from my bedroom, in the bathtub. It has never been cleaned and was pretty grubby. When wet it weighed a ton but I did manage to get it outside and up on the outdoor rotary drier. Next job will be to lug it back upstairs but I think I will leave that until tomorrow.
I was behind the coffee bar at the Senior's Centre this morning and ready to leave at 12:00 when Margaret arrived but it suddenly got really busy so I stayed on until the lunch rush was over. Margaret and I were running back and forth making tea and coffee, warming up pies and clearing dirty cups. It looks like I may have to stay later in the future as well, as there really needed to be two people on hand. I biked home and managed to squeeze in a swim before lunch and another after my stint in the garden.
Leftover stew and broccoli and cauliflower casserole for dinner, so I will be well fed. Not much on TV until 9:00 so I will practice my French and Bridge until then!
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
An Afternoon at the Movies
I saw a great movie this afternoon - "Trainwreck" - it's a relationship movie with a cute ending. Quite the tear jerker. I stopped in at Adonis on the way home and got a few items that they had on special - some chicken samosas destined for the freezer, smoked mackerel and a tub of taramasalata which I am snacking on with a glass of wine. It never hurts to indulge in something tasty from time to time - just not every day!
The day dawned rather overcast and threatening to rain but I headed out to the tennis courts anyway. By the time I got there the skies had cleared and it was quite hot, but I did manage three sets as a cooling breeze came up later in the morning. Someone had brought a yummy caramel cake of which I had two pieces. I didn't feel too guilty as I'm sure I worked off quite a few calories on the courts.
I have a stew cooking in the crock pot but it's still a bit sticky so I will have a swim before I eat. Then it will be time to put out the garden refuse for pickup tomorrow. Busy, busy, busy!
The day dawned rather overcast and threatening to rain but I headed out to the tennis courts anyway. By the time I got there the skies had cleared and it was quite hot, but I did manage three sets as a cooling breeze came up later in the morning. Someone had brought a yummy caramel cake of which I had two pieces. I didn't feel too guilty as I'm sure I worked off quite a few calories on the courts.
I have a stew cooking in the crock pot but it's still a bit sticky so I will have a swim before I eat. Then it will be time to put out the garden refuse for pickup tomorrow. Busy, busy, busy!
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