Free Food!

   It was quite Spring like today, 7C this morning with some light rain, then a sunny afternoon and I'm sure the temperature got into the double digits. I went for a walk around 3:00 p.m. and although it was quite windy, I didn't need gloves or boots. The snow is pretty much all gone here in the city although the ski areas are still operating. It has been a poor season for them this year. 

   I cashed in $20 worth of PC Points on my shopping trip this morning - it feels so good to get free food! I stocked up on coffee and marmalade and indulged myself with a couple of avocados, a red pepper and a giant cauliflower - they have all been so expensive this winter.

    Judy dropped by with the grandkids this afternoon - they had been shopping at Fairview Mall for a Lego kit Elliot had saved up for. It has been out of stock since Christmas so it has been a long wait but he managed to keep his money intact. He's not a big spender. I had done some baking before they arrived so they left with a chunk of cake just out of the oven in their hot little hands. It was a fruit cake made with mixed peel and glace cherries left over from the Christmas plum pudding and it turned out quite well. I sliced the rest and stored it in the freezer to have with coffee another day.

   My other culinary attempt today was a lamb shoulder chop (also bought with PC Points) cooked on a bed of vegetables with a liberal dose of Marsala wine mixed with tomato paste. I cooked it in the oven until it was falling-off-the-bone tender and the vegetables were getting slightly crispy. A yummy, one pot, meal! Now there's just the dishes to wash then I can relax for the evening.

Some Home Cooking

   There were a few blinks of sun this afternoon but, for the most part, it was dull and quite mild. We had a high of 5C and it should continue like that for the next few days. Maybe some rain and the snow will disappear. It's certainly beginning to feel more like Spring.

   I spent the day at home today and made soup this morning. I have been surviving on the "free" soups from the Senior's Centre but they are all gone from the freezer and I didn't go in today for more, so - home made it was, carrot and lentil, and it was very tasty and probably healthier!

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!