Feeling Guilty!

   Three days since my last post but they have been busy days (or that's my excuse anyway). We had lovely fall weather on Wednesday and Thursday so I was trying to cram in lots of stuff before it goes. Today was on-and-off rain but still mild, so another busy day.

   The Athertons left for their cruise on Wednesday, not without event - car trouble, but luckily not too far from home. They should now be aboard the cruise liner in Boston harbour, or maybe even out to sea. They are headed for Bermuda where the temperature is a balmy 27C. Lucky them!

   I had my first Yoga class yesterday and managed all right until we had to stand on one leg - I just couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds and I don't think practice is going to improve that. I can do it wearing shoes but not in my bare feet, funnily enough. Still playing tennis outdoors for another week but I checked out an indoor drop-in tennis program  at another Community Centre which I might utilize if I am stuck for exercise. It was quite fun as it was a small group but it may get busier once the outdoor courts close for the winter. We shall see.

   I made some chutney this afternoon using eggplants I had grown. They weren't fully ripe but, once cooked, became quite soft. It also had tomatoes (from the garden), onions and red and yellow peppers. Even with all these vegetables it just made two small jars but I'm sure they will be tasty once the mixture has had some time to mature.

   I went down to Don Mills for tennis this morning after Fitness class and despite the rain. We got two good sets with just a few sprinkles while we were playing and I was home by 12:30. That's the last Friday tennis. Boo hoo!  Chicken drumsticks in the oven and new potatoes ready to boil. The farmer with the corn truck had his last load for sale this week so I stocked up on cobs, so that will be my other vegetable. No dessert required after a feed like that!

Getting Ready for Winter

    A stay-at-home day yesterday, just a little gardening, until the evening when I went to dancing group. I was on tea duty so got there earlier than usual to set up. Just a small group but we had some fun dances.

    Tennis this morning - next week is our last week outdoors - and it was very nice , no wind and quite mild. I stayed until 11:30 then a quick stop at home to change and pick up some lunch. Next stop bridge lessons and I got in quite a nice group. I played a couple of good hands, much to the disgust of the opponents. They went down on their contracts.

    After such a busy morning I didn't feel like doing anything else for the rest of the day - I didn't even go out for a run after dinner. By the time I had eaten it was already dark.

   The robins have been madly stripping the berries from my Mountain Ash trees. They swallow the berries whole in a couple of gulps - it's fun to watch. They must be stocking up before their flight south.

Technology

   The furnace was working when I got home from the monthly dance last night so I was able to cancel the service call. Who knows what the problem was but it seems to have fixed itself. I wish I could say the same for my printer!

   Steve came over today ostensibly to take me out for my birthday lunch, but I got him to take a look at the problem. He worked on it for over an hour with no success, except for a message that said the ink cartridges were low. Just to remove that possibility we went out to get new ones. We stopped at Eggsmart for brunch first as we were both hungry by then. I had a Mediterranean omelette with fresh OJ and he had the "Big Breakfast" (eggs, bacon, sausages, ham and pancakes).

   Our next stop was Walmart for the ink cartridges but, guess what, when we got home and installed them, the printer was still not responding. The next step is to try the printer with another laptop so he will stop by next week some time to give it a try with his. If that fails I guess I will have to invest in a new printer!

   Still stuffed from brunch so I think a salad will suffice for dinner tonight.

Is Winter Here Already?

   Very chilly again today and a cold wind coming right from the Arctic. I hope this isn't the end of the pleasantly warm Fall weather - it's too soon for winter!

    We had an outdoors demo this afternoon - a Street Fest - but it really was too cold for dancing in our shirts. We kept our jackets handy to pull on after each number. There was quite a crowd so we were able to cajole some into trying out the easy dances. We were done by 2:30, just in time to turn the mike over to "Elvis" while we headed for the coffee shop to warm up.

    My furnace didn't turn on this morning (indoors it was 13C) so I have a call in to a technician to fix it tomorrow. Meanwhile I am well wrapped up in several layers and extra socks. I'm sure I will survive another night. I will be out at the monthly dance tonight so will just jump into bed with extra covers when I get home. Off to make some egg salad sandwiches for the tea break!