First Tomatoes

   I picked the first cherry tomatoes today to have with my lunch. There are several (still green) on the other plants so I should have a good crop this year. I hope they don't all ripen at the same time!

 I had an early start this morning - around 7:45 - as I was in charge of the board (and coffee and cake) at tennis this morning. It went quite well and I did manage one set. My rhubarb cake was popular - none left! The only bad note was the roadworks on Don Mills on the way home. It was down to one lane and moving rather slowly, so it was almost 1:00 p.m. before I got home, a long morning! I think I will take Leslie Street next time.

   Although the morning was mostly sunny and warm, the afternoon was cooler and overcast so I got some weeding done. Then a quick trip up to the mall to pick up library books and milk. I will do the rest of the grocery shopping tomorrow.

   I made my own tartar sauce to have with a piece of fish left over from yesterday, and wrapped it in a spinach wrap with half a roasted red pepper that was needing eaten up. It was a tasty combination. Now the fridge is really bare. Breakfast tomorrow will have to be a banana smoothie; lucky I picked up the milk!

One of the plants on my deck has finally flowered!

Finally Some Rain

    We had a violent thunderstorm over night but it didn't keep me awake despite flashes of lightning. I dozed off thinking how badly the grass and garden needed rain. Another shower this morning around 7:30 so no tennis, although I took a walk over to the courts to see just how wet they were - definitely too wet to play. It was sprinkling as I walked over but that was the last of it.

    I spent the morning doing a few chores - the dust bunnies under my bed were the first to go - and intermittently watching the tennis from Hamburg. No big names playing but some interesting matches. Just before lunch I cut the back grass - it really didn't need much of a cut as it has largely gone dormant with the hot weather, but it does look neater now. I also pulled some weeds which had loosened up as a result of the rain.

   I had an early lunch (cauliflower soup and half an apple) and set off for my Zumba class on foot as it was still quite cool. It was quite a workout but I stayed for a coffee and cookies after. However, coming home all sweaty and tired, it was much warmer and by the time I got home I needed a rest. I was met at the door by the guy who was here to replace my gas meter (I wasn't expecting him today but knew it was to happen soon). He needed to get into the house to start up the furnace and water heater again. Immediately after he left I realized that he hadn't started up the pool heater, but he was just next door so came back to get that done.

My shiny new gas meter - free of charge from the gas company

    Finally I was able to take a nap (after a cooling swim) and felt quite refreshed after that. The rest of the afternoon was spent reading and now it's time to fix fried fish and peas for dinner.

The Heat Continues

   A scorcher today, 35C at one point this afternoon. I spent most of the day at the senior's centre which is nicely air conditioned, but even the short drive home had me sweating so it was straight into the pool (which, incidentally, is 82F). Since then I have been entrenched indoors, enjoying the cool.

    I had an innovative dinner last night - left over chicken, roasted red peppers and half an avocado in a spinach wrap - super easy and delicious. Some mayo spread on the wrap kept it quite moist and juicy. Tonight I made a dip with the rest of the avocado and some salsa and will grill a salmon fillet and fry some mushrooms later. That should be tasty. I also have to make cauliflower soup for tomorrow's lunch but that shouldn't take too long. Today my lunch was just half an apple and some sliced cucumber and red pepper.  Of course, being behind the counter at the coffee bar gave me free access to coffee and cookies and I have to admit I did indulge!

Not Much Excitement

   Very pleasant today. I think it got up to 28C this afternoon with a nice breeze. I walked to my Bridge game at the senior's centre, about 20 minutes there and back (4,000 steps total). Diane brought a plum kuchen (cake) which we had in our coffee break - delicious! I had two great hands, one a small slam and one where I got 11 tricks, so it was a highly successful afternoon for me.

    The rest of the day was spent by the pool, reading, followed by a dip. I didn't sit out too long after my swim but watered the garden before coming in.

  Nothing much on TV tonight but I am at the denoument of my book so may just finish it after dinner. Chicken legs in the oven, corn on the cob and some broccoli ready to go and I opened a bottle of red wine to go with it, just for a bit of an indulgence.