March Comes in Like a Lion

   Quite a change in the weather, yesterday was sunny but cold - I was back to my winter coat and an extra sweater - and today was not only colder (-8C) but we had a significant amount of snow, enough to make the roads quite slick as I drove to Hendrina's for tennis. More is forecast for overnight so I will plug in the battery for the snowblower before I go to bed.

   Tennis was fun - we had lots of good rallies and were running all over the court - so I was tired by the time I headed home. Nevertheless, a quick change later and with my lunch in my bag, I was off to Bridge lessons. This was the last of the winter classes so I didn't want to miss it. There were only 12 of us there and Frank made sure we were going to sign up for the Spring session so the class won't be cancelled due to lack of numbers.

   I used a new recipe for my fish meal for dinner. I cooked the fish in a cheese sauce with green onions and roasted red pepper and popped it under the broiler to brown the breadcrumbs on top. It got a bit charred but still tasted good. The Basa fillet I used cost $1.50 and will do me another meal - not too shabby!

Busy in the Kitchen

   Gorgeous day today with the temperature in the double digits by the afternoon. The morning was sunny, although breezy, but it clouded over in the afternoon. I took a walk around the garden and saw lots of shoots pushing up but the shaded areas are still very wet so I wasn't tempted to start preparing the beds. Amazing for February!

   After dealing with the laundry this morning I went up to Bridlewood Mall for a couple of things I forgot to pick up yesterday. There's another restaurant opening up there soon. That will make 5, not counting the bubble tea shop and  the juice bar. I don't know how they will all survive as they never seem very busy, although I'm usually not there at meal times.

   After lunch I put a loaf in the bread maker and later I made a beef stew with loads of vegetables, including my favourite - brussell sprouts! It cooked away in the oven for 4 hours and came out quite delicious. Lots of leftovers for the rest of the week. I will slice the loaf later on and test a slice with jam, then store the slices in the freezer. That should last me a couple of weeks.

A Day At Home

    Much milder today, starting at -4C and sunny this morning. By noon it had clouded over but got up to 5C, so feeling a bit more like the coming of Spring.

   Just the usual Saturday chores - a load of laundry washed and hung to dry, grocery shopping and, on the way home, a stop at the drug store to pick up my prescription. Since then it has been a relaxing day, including a nap.

   I had an interesting meal this evening. I baked some chicken drumsticks in a sticky sauce, took the meat off the bones and wrapped them in tacos with lettuce and half an avocado. It was delicious and filling and so easy! I had bought the avocado in the morning ($1.29, ridiculous price!) and had a feeling it was a little over ripe and about to spoil. I had to trim a few soft spots but, other than that, it was perfect. By tomorrow it would have been spoiled, this has happened to me often. It's so hard to tell what they are like inside.

   I have the fire on tonight even though it's not very cold. It just looks more cheerful. I have a good book on the go, "The Hired Girl", and some good shows on TV, so I will be cozy and entertained!

  

A New "Do"

   Minus 10C when I got up this morning and, although it was sunny, I don't think we made it above zero all day. Presently it's -6C so winter is still hanging around.

   I managed to get myself organized enough to get out for the 9:00 a.m. fitness class despite having a veritable mountain of dirty dishes to sort in the kitchen sink. I had a good workout but didn't hang around very long after - just enough to gulp down a coffee and munch on a cookie - I had to be at the hairdresser by 10:30. She gave me a nice short cut and thinned my hair so I should be good for a few weeks.

   Back for Progressive Bridge by 11:45 and got a spot at the last table. No free soup this week as the staff are "working to rule" pending the renewal of their contract. So no perks in the meantime. I had some good hands and some not so good but, overall, I don't think I played too badly.

   Just a light supper tonight - I just wasn't hungry as I ate the last piece of yesterday's falafel sandwich when I got home from Bridge. So I just baked an egg on toasted cheese with some mushrooms that needed eating up. I need to clear the fridge ready for grocery shopping tomorrow.