A Quiet Weekend

    Nothing on the agenda for the last two days so I am feeling quite rested and ready for another busy week. The weather continues to be unseasonably mild, still above zero - I even got outside for a bit of garden cleanup this afternoon, sweeping up the cones and needles under my big spruce tree. I also emptied the recycling and compost bins so the house is clutter and odour free once more!

   I made a batch of cauliflower soup for lunch as I found a cauliflower for $1.99 last week (it was $5 earlier). It was delicious with a sandwich of home made bread. No meat but lots of fresh vegetables. Still eating the spinach quiche and tonight I will  have it with Caesar salad and pickled beets. I also  fished out some mini eclairs from the freezer for a tasty dessert. With eating up leftovers, there's a minimum of cleanup afterwards.

Interesting Conversations

   The thermometer registered 1C this morning and barely budged all day. There was some sun this morning and a few little flurries later on but it continues to be quite unseasonably mild this winter. Long may it continue!

    Another good workout this morning followed by our usual chat over coffee. One reason I tend to linger with "the girls"  after fitness class is because our conversation ranges through several  interesting topics. Today we started with hearing Hazel's efforts to get out of Jury Duty which naturally led to everyone's contribution on past experiences getting to, hanging around and traipsing into court rooms at the University Ave. location. Next topic was renting versus owning, property tax increases and condo fees. Soon we morphed this topic into the sad state of our investments created by the state of the global economy and changes to our RRIF payments. Pretty heady topics! 

    Progressive Bridge was fun this afternoon and I managed a couple of respectable hands. I also picked up a couple of free soups which are now in the freezer for lunches next week. Around 4:00 p.m. I had a sudden burst of energy and cleaned all three bathrooms while I waited for a pot of beets to cook. After a short break I finished pickling the beets and followed that up with mixing up a batch of pastry (from a mix) for a spinach and sun dried tomato quiche with lots of cheese. It is just out of the oven and looks very appetizing. I also got a couple of mincemeat tarts out of the pastry trimmings - dessert sorted!

Out and About All Day

    As I predicted, we are back to more seasonal temperatures today - only 3C  although it was sunny and the wind had died down. I had quite a busy day, starting with yoga at 9:00 a.m. then a short break at home, just enough time to wash up the breakfast (and last night's dinner) dishes and fix myself a packed lunch. This was to take with me to Bridge and eat in between hands or when I was "dummy".

   The bridge was fun - we had some interesting hands on both sides. I bid and made a five hearts contract at one point which was quite thrilling! We played until 3:00 p.m. when I left for a swim, sauna and soak in the hot tub to get rid of the aches from yoga. The sauna is a new endeavour and I am finding it quite relaxing - it's not as hot as I imagined it might be - a dry heat and quite bearable for about 5 minutes.

   Dinner tonight was Tuscan chicken from the freezer. I had made it last week but didn't feel up to eating it after the first day so packaged into individual portions which I will dip into over the next few days.

   My new favourite TV show is on tonight at 10:00 p.m. - "Shetland" - a detective show set in the Shetland Islands north of the Scottish mainland. The scenery is very bleak but much as I imagined it must be that far north. Can't wait!

Just Like Spring

    It was Groundhog Day yesterday and, although Wiarton Willie predicted 6 more weeks of winter, today was windy but a balmy 14C! However, the temperature will be dropping again tonight so our early taste of Spring will be short-lived. All the snow is gone and there are a few shoots poking up in the garden - a couple of tulips and some early garlic sprouts - but they will likely suffer from some frost damage in the coming days.

   Last Saturday was another Robbie Burns lunch, this one very tasty, followed by some Scottish songs and dancing. A great time was had by all but I was pretty wiped by the time I got home. Sunday was a quiet day and Monday only Bridge in the afternoon and more dancing in the evening. Our social group has had to relocate but our new home is familiar to most of us as we used it for another group last year.

    Tennis on Tuesday followed by Bridge lessons but I was home by 3:00 p.m. Usual fitness class this morning and back to the Senior's Centre for 11:15 as Maria had a doctor's appointment and asked me to come in early to cover for her. So it was a long afternoon behind the counter!

    Fish in a cheese sauce with peas and fries for dinner tonight - a fairly healthy meal so I may indulge in something sweet later!