It Feels Like Spring

   Out without a jacket for  a few hours this afternoon. I also saw some robins (a sure sign of approaching Spring) and, unbelievably, a woodpecker looking for bugs in my Mountain Ash tree! It was sunny until late afternoon when the temperature started to drop. I walked down to the corner store for a battery for the gas fire remote, and it was getting quite chilly. I had a tour of the garden before the sun went down and there are now lots of shoots appearing.

   Tennis this morning with Hendrina, Swan and Lillian and we had two good sets but ran out of time to finish the third set. I went straight from there to progressive bridge with the RTO group - six tables of very welcoming players and free coffee and cookies!  There were quite a few people there who also play at the senior's centre I attend so it was helpful to have a few familiar faces. I was once again, probably, the weakest player but no one complained and I managed to make a few contracts.

   Nothing exciting for dinner - just some leftover macaroni to which I added onion, a mushroom, some cheese sauce and some peas and, on top, panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan - very tasty. However, I had some camembert on crackers with grapes before dinner - my special treat!

Baba Ganoush

   Well, the Baba Ganoush was excellent - I won't need to eat for a couple of hours and there's still some left for tomorrow. I'm having liver and onions for dinner tonight so will wait until around 7:00p.m. to eat. It doesn't take long to cook.

   The sun was shining most of the day and the temperature was above zero for a while this afternoon. I sat out getting some of "the D" for about half an hour but it got a bit chilly. The wind was from the south-west but still a bit cool.

   I had an early start today as I had to be on the computer by 7:00a.m. to sign up for the Spring and summer fitness classes. I almost forgot to get up in time but I even managed to get into the Zumba class! It's usually so popular there's a huge waiting list. I didn't sign up for yoga as I found it a bit too hard. I might try it again in the fall.

   I tried to load some photos but for some reason couldn't find where they went - maybe they will turn up in a file somewhere. I wanted to show the snow that will probably be gone by next weekend as the temperatures are forecast to rise in the next day or two with rain.

Two Eggplant Recipes

   Snow again this morning - it didn't lie on the paved areas but the grass and borders are well covered. It will be some time until we see anything green. It's strange how we had virtually no snow cover in January and February and have had as much snow in the first week of March as in the rest of the winter months combined.

    I fancied an eggplant when I was shopping this morning and when I got home with it I had a look through my cook books and on the Internet for some recipes, keeping in mind the pasta I brought home yesterday. My first job was to roast the eggplant, some of it sliced and the rest whole. I used the slices to jazz up the pasta with some fried onion and garlic and a tomato. With  a thick covering of cheese it was returned to the oven to bake until brown and crisp on top. It made a hearty dinner and there's enough for another day.

   When the whole piece of the eggplant had cooled, I scraped out the pulp and processed it with sesame paste (tahini), garlic and lemon juice to make baba ganoush. It turned out really well and I will have it with pita or tostitos tomorrow. I can't wait!

Still More Snow

   I woke up to more snow, several cms. but light and fluffy. I cleared a bit before leaving for fitness class but it had almost all melted when I got home, thanks to a bright sun and warmer temperatures. It stayed around zero for most of the day but it felt much warmer. Definitely a sign of Spring!

    I had to call the water heater company this morning as the hot water pressure was almost nil. I only got a trickle of hot water for my shower - thoroughly unpleasant! They will send a technician tomorrow so let's hope he manages to fix it. The water is hot enough, just barely there.

   Bridge again this afternoon but I don't seem to be getting any better. Most people don't mind though I had one complaint about my lack of bidding knowhow. I really must learn some of the conventions. Progressive Bridge, which we play on Fridays, is tricky as we change partners after four hands and everyone has different systems. I play the same way with everyone so I guess they will just have to get used to that.

   I jazzed up my leftovers tonight by cutting up the chicken and putting it in a taco with lettuce and roasted red pepper. It was healthier and quite good that way though tricky to eat. I have trouble folding the wraps. We got a delivery of free food again today as the staff at the Senior's Centre have managed to get their contract settled so were no longer working to rule. I got a pasta dish and two soups - not my favourite, Italian Wedding soup, but tasty nevertheless. I will jazz up the pasta for tomorrow's dinner with more vegetables and extra cheese. It will make for an easy meal!

   I am reading a good book at the moment - "Even Dogs in the Wild" by Ian Rankin. It's a John Rebus detective story set in Edinburgh and from reading his previous adventures I know I'm going to be sorry when it is finished. It's not one of the books for my book club which makes a nice change - I don't have to be thinking about its merits or flaws, I can just enjoy the story.