Out of the Chill

   The Internet went down yesterday just as I was about to write my daily entry so here is a capsulated version of the last two days.

   After the snow and bitter cold on Tuesday the weather has gradually returned to more seasonal levels. In fact today was almost Spring like with just -3C and sun melting the snow and ice. The next few days are supposed to be in positive values but rainy - all good news as far as I'm concerned!

   Probus this morning and a very entertaining speaker. I picked up several books which will keep me going for the next month, although I also have to reread next month's book club selection. Bridge this afternoon with Bonnie, Pauline and Margaret. I did not have good cards but did have one hand that was playable and, just barely, winnable.

   Yesterday at the Senior's Centre I was offered some pasta left over from the lunch on Tuesday so that will be dinner tonight, baked up with some sausages and extra vegetables and parmesan cheese, and a salad. A nice easy dinner.

Valentine's Day

    I know I'm a bit late for this but I have an excuse - I had unexpected overnight guests on Sunday so didn't get a chance to get online. Judy and Dave had house guests for "The Great Chili Cookoff", an annual event, and James was sick, coughing and snuffling. So Judy brought him over before heading back for the party. He was an extremely easy guest - ate some supper, watched some TV, had a bath and went straight to bed and to sleep. Judy came back later in case he had a restless night, but we all slept through to morning. It was nice to have company and they left shortly after breakfast. Luckily Monday was a holiday so no rush to get out for school.

    Sunday was still extremely cold, setting several low temperature records for Feb. 14th around the province and even here in Toronto. It has warmed up considerably since then and today we had our first substantial snowfall of the winter - about 5cms. so fairly easy to shovel. I will finish shovelling it tomorrow but the temperature is supposed to be + 6C by the weekend so it will probably be all melted by then.

   Lunch out today with RWTO; it was a delicious piece of salmon in a mustard sauce with vegetables and rice, Greek salad for starters and chocolate coated ice cream with coffee for afters. I had only had half a banana with peanut butter and some yogurt for breakfast so I was good and hungry. Just a frittata for dinner tonight.

   The speaker at lunch was Sergeant Gomez of the Toronto Police who was very funny while teaching us how not to be a victim and other safety tips. He even had us screaming in preparation for a possible purse snatcher - great fun!

Freezing!!

    The furnace is chugging away and the fire is lit so I am cozy and warm but it never really warmed up outside all day. The morning temperature was -23C, quite the coldest day so far this winter,  and when I went out to the store for some fresh fruit and veg, it was only slightly warmer, -19C. However, the sun shone brightly all day and is just now setting. Tomorrow shouldn't be quite so cold and I may venture out for some fresh air.

    I had a hearty breakfast to start me off today - poached egg on toast and grapefruit juice followed by more toast and coffee. Cauliflower soup and crackers and cheese for lunch with an apple have kept me going but soon I will have a glass of White Zinfandel with some nibblies - I bought a Boursin cheese this morning and can't wait to try it! Dinner is more leftovers but I will make a salad to complement the rest of the meal. And I think there's still a mincemeat tart in the freezer so I won't lack for something sweet.

    I picked up a DVD at the Senior's Centre yesterday which I plan to watch this evening. It's "Sliding Doors" with Gwyneth Paltrow and, although I've seen it a couple of times already, it has some interesting twists that I always enjoy.

A New Format for Bridge

    As predicted, the temperature is dropping - we will have -16C tomorrow. Today wasn't too bad but the wind was from the north and decidedly chilling. Still no snow (hope I'm not tempting Providence) and Monday is expected to be back into positive degrees again. We had sun this afternoon for a while.

    I had horrible hands at Bridge on Thursday  - almost decided to give up the game - but the cards were kinder today and I managed to play (and win) a couple of hands. I'm quite enjoying Progressive Bridge and meeting lots of new people as we change partners and tables after four hands. I brought home a pasta dish from the free giveaway so will have that for dinner tonight. I have been eating a fish pie for the last two days and, although it was good and full of vegetables, I feel like a change. I hope it's tasty! I also got a carton of soup which is now in the freezer for next week.

   I got the movie "Wild" from the library this week and watched it last night. It's based on a true story about a woman walking the Pacific Coast Trail under horrendously difficult conditions. I had read the book a few months ago - it was a selection for my book club - and the movie kept well to the story line.

   I am all set for an indoor weekend while the temperature drops - lots of books and a new jigsaw puzzle. I hope there's some good TV tomorrow night!