Pool Finished for this Year

    The pool guys were here bright and early today and drained and covered the pool. I asked them about the bubbles coming out of the return which I figured meant air was getting into the system. They agreed that was probably the case and a repair will be required when they re-open the pool next Spring. So I will have to budget for an added expense then!

    Some catchup to do - Thursday was lunch with the Probus ladies at Nova Restaurant. I had lasagna and Caesar salad and a glass of wine. With the tip it was $25 but quite worth it. Friday was the Don Mills Banquet which was lots of fun. It was held at Donalda Club - very posh! The buffet was delicious and we were seated right by the dessert table so, of course, I over-indulged. We left after the prizes and awards so it wasn't too late a night.

   On Saturday I was out at Lehman Crescent to babysit the grandkids. We had a delicious Shepherd's Pie with salad so I was well fed again. So it was Sunday before I had to cook again.

First Day of Fall

  Another beautiful day with clear blue skies and a cooling breeze. Slept in this morning until 9:15 and, after a light breakfast, pottered until it was time to leave for the Senior's Centre. It was "Volunteer Appreciation" Day and as I had put in a few shifts in the coffee bar, I was invited for lunch. There were almost 100 folk there and the lunch was superb, so no dinner (except a salad) for me tonight!

    We also had prize draws (I didn't win anything) and entertainment (very spiffy ballroom dancers), then the floor was cleared and the music jacked up. I left at that point for a well-earned nap before cutting both the front and back lawns. All nice and tidy again although there are still some brown patches. Off to fix my salad and then my nightly walk before retiring to the couch to watch TV. A very busy day for the first day of Fall!

A New Recipe Using My Home Grown Kale

     I was busy in the kitchen this afternoon and now have a mountain of dishes to clean! First step was to pick some of the large leaves on the kale plants and rinse and blanch them. While they were cooling, I got some bread started in the bread machine. I used the "dough" setting as I wanted to make baguettes which need to rise and then bake in the oven. While that was happening I cooked some rice and defrosted four breakfast sausages. This was in preparation for making kale rolls (along the lines of cabbage rolls).

   Once the kale had cooled and drained, I mixed the sausage meat, rice and some chopped onion and mushrooms. I added some chopped sage from the garden and a sprinkle of garlic powder. I then spooned this onto the kale leaves, rolled them up and packed them into a baking dish. I covered it all with tomato sauce and topped the whole thing with grated parmesan. Once the bread was out of the oven, I baked the casserole for about 40 minutes and ate it with a few slices of the bread. It was very tasty  (and, I hope, healthy!) and will do me a couple of more meals.

    It was an excellent morning for tennis, sunny but comfortably cool. I didn't rush over, arriving around 9:30, but stayed until 11:45, and played three good sets. There was quite a crowd but I had only a short wait between sets. I also managed a good walk after dinner tonight so have certainly had enough exercise for one day!

  

Finally Back on Line

    I have been unable to get on the internet in the last couple of days but now it seems fine so I will try to get caught up. Cool but sunny over the weekend - went with Judy and the kids to a Fun Fair and Tennis coaching event on Saturday. Natalie and Elliot were good sports and stuck it out for nearly two hours. James not so much although he did try it for a while. They got to use more appropriate equipment than when I took them to the courts, so it was easier for them to handle. They also had burgers, corn and cake beforehand, and a mooch around the booths and jumble sale.

    Not long after they departed for home there was a heavy storm so we were lucky to be home before that occurred. Since then the weather has been pleasant, sunny but cool. I had great fun at tennis on Sunday morning with Kathy, Susan and Ben. We played two exciting sets - won one and lost one. In the afternoon I attended the first demo practice of the season so my legs were aching by night time. I had a soak in the tub before bed. 

   Today I had a slow start, cleaning up the pile of dishes in the sink, getting a loaf started in the bread maker and just generally pottering around in the garden. At Bridge this afternoon, Pinky and I were partners and had some unbelievable hands. We came out on top by quite a margin. Dancing tonight so I think another soak in the tub is in the cards!