Unusually Busy

    I thought this would be a quiet day as my fitness class is over until next month, but it  turned out to be quite hectic. The pool guys were here first thing and solved the chlorinator problem but I am still getting lots of air in the system and expect the suction will still be poor when I go to clean the pool.

   Next was the puddle in the basement! I discovered it last night and I suspect the water is coming from the A/C unit. I called to arrange for a technician and he will be here Friday afternoon. It's only a month since I had the annual checkup. I hope it's nothing serious.

   After dealing with all that I cut the back grass and generally tidied the yard. It is looking much better. That took me until 11:15 so a quick shower before walking over to the senior's centre for my duty in the coffee bar. It was very quiet there today (I only sold 4 cups of coffee) so I closed up around 2:00 p.m. and walked home. I got my 4,000 steps and also 4 chocolate brownies which were going for free. So each cancels the other out!

    A bit more gardening when I got home - there's always something to do there - then a quiet time with my book on the lounger. Today I started "The Light of Heaven" by Edna O'Brien, a novel describing the immigrant experience in the early 20th century. It's very good so far.

   Yesterday I had Natalie over for dinner before we went to DITP so I had the leftovers from that meal tonight . She did really well at the dancing - learned how to do a reel and practiced the setting step. We did 5 or 6 dances but she fell asleep on the way home. She'd had a busy day!

The Plumber Cometh

   There was thunder rumbling in the distance but no rain materialized which is a shame as the garden needs a good soaking. So I have been out with my hose, front and back. It hit 34C this afternoon so I had two dips in the pool which is already 79F without having to resort to the heater.

   The plumber came this morning and I no longer have any leaking taps - all covered by my Maintenance plan. The tap in the basement was going to be an additional cost so I decided just to forgo that repair. It really is hardly dripping at all. I had to be up and dressed by 8:00 a.m. but he didn't come until nearly 10:00. At least I got some much needed housework done while I waited.

   Bridge this afternoon and I had one amazing hand - a small slam but unfortunately we had only bid at the 4 level. Other than that pretty ho-hum cards but better than the last few weeks.

   Liver, mushrooms and onions for dinner tonight with a small salad with olives and blue cheese. Tasty!

Blue Cheese and Avocado salad. It also had tomato, roasted red pepper and olives with lemon balsamic dressing.

So Hot!!

   I had a great night out yesterday - a good meal and then danced every dance -  but I came home with aching feet and tired legs. As a result it took me forever to get to sleep. I had planned to get to tennis early because of the heat but just got there about 10 minutes ahead of my usual 9:00 a.m. start time.

   Kathy and Susan were there shortly after and we got a court at 9:00 but had to give it up at the next changeover. By that time we were all quite hot and sweaty and glad to stop. Susan and I headed home but I think Kathy stayed for another set - brave girl!

  I was in the pool within minutes of getting home and that cooled me off sufficiently. Next on the agenda was the final of the men's tournament at Queen's (London). I was very torn as to who to support - Andy Murray (Scottish) or Milos Raonic (Canada). Milos won the first set in a tiebreak and was up a break in the second set before Andy upped his game and was the ultimate winner. It was an excellent match with some amazing shots - very enjoyable!

    Another swim this afternoon and am now sitting in a nicely cooled house. It's 33C out there! Salmon, quinoa and corn for dinner tonight, a nice change after the heave meal of cabbage rolls, beef remoulade and chicken schnitzel last night. I'm scared to weigh myself!

A Big Night Out

   I'm doing an early blog today as I will be leaving for the White Heather Ball in a couple of hours. It's held just north of Oshawa in the General Sikorski Hall and the food is very Polish. I'm expecting to pig out on cabbage rolls and Weiner Schnitzel!

    Luckily the Hall is air conditioned as it is another scorcher today. I noticed the temperature was 33C when I logged in today. The pool is warming up nicely and I had a dip just before lunch after doing a (very) little gardening. Since then I have been hiding out indoors where it is still cool and have just finished practicing the dances for tonight. None are too hard but did need to be reviewed.

    I was woken up at 6:00 a.m. this morning by the little dog down the street barking his head off. For some reason his owners let him go at it for about 20 minutes and as I had all the windows open I kept waking up with each renewed chorus. I did manage to get back to sleep eventually and woke again at 7:30. Still, I didn't feel completely rested so hope this does not turn into a regular occurrence.