Frost on the Pumpkin

     Another frosty morning but thankfully it was sunny and warmed up considerably as the day progressed. I had dressed in kayers but managed to get out of most of them after playing two sets. It managed to get up to 15C and made our special tennis/lunch quite spectacular. Lots of people showed up and brought a ton of food, all varieties. We played until 11:30, then feasted until we were stuffed. Then there was a major clean up as the courts had to be made ready for the winter tennis bubble which goes up in a day or two.

   I think half the reason for this end-of-season bash is to round up enough people to take down and store the nets and windscreens, clear the club house and lock up all the supplies until next year. When I left many people were still working but I felt I had done my bit as I had co-ordinated the lunch and done most of the dish washing.

   I started a new book later today - A Wallender detective story by Henning Mankell. It's called "The Fifth Woman" and is turning out to be quite gripping. So after my tiring morning I spent most of the afternoon in bed, napping and reading. I didn't need much to eat this evening, just a bowl of soup, a hard boiled egg and a few crackers and cheese. Maybe a little (chocolate) snack before bed!

Thanksgiving Day

    There was frost on the pumpkin this morning so thank goodness I brought in all the fragile plants last night. Sunny skies but only 3C, going up to 13C later on.

    After a slow start I got my act together and made both roasted and mashed potatoes, my contribution to the Thanksgiving lunch at Judy and Dave's. The traffic was light, the kids were in fine fettle, the turkey was tasty and moist and all the fixings (stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce) were on tap. Finally there were mini tarts, both cheesecake and pumpkin, with whipped cream. Yum! James made me a decaf coffee and Natalie sold me some Girl Guide cookies so I was well looked after!

Natalie, 8, James ,6, Elliot, 10

    I stayed until 4:00 p.m. and, after a fast drive home, had a nap. Up by 5:00 and made some sausage rolls for the Pot Luck lunch at the tennis courts. This is our farewell to the courts at Don Mills but the Bridlewood courts will be open for another couple of weeks.

   I didn't need much dinner tonight but I had some leftovers, including the mashed potatoes I brought home. I haven't eaten potatoes all week so this is a nice treat!

Change in the Weather

   Boy, it was chilly this morning! I was well wrapped up in layers when I headed out to tennis but managed to warm up, hitting with Susan for half-an-hour then a rather one-sided set against Kathy and her daughter Victoria. They won 5-2 but our excuse was that we were already tired before we even started playing in earnest. I came home quite chilled and made some cauliflower soup for lunch; that warmed me up.

    The temperature only got up to 13C this afternoon and the wind was from the north. There is a frost warning for tonight so the rest of my day was spent bringing in my indoors plants that have been out on the porch and patio enjoying the summer sun. They all look great but certainly would not withstand any freezing. I even brought in half-a-dozen green tomatoes which I hope will ripen indoors. I also put away the barbecue as I won't use it again this year.

   Also this afternoon I made some lavender shortbread cookies to replace those I took to dance group last week. Having the oven on warmed up the house a bit but I may have the heat on overnight. They turned out well but I will keep them in the freezer so I'm not tempted to gobble them indiscriminately.

   I went to see "Tristan Und Isolde" yesterday at the local Cineplex - not my usual fare! It's an opera by Wagner and a bit dark and morose and was 5 hours long. It was too late to make supper last night  when I got home so I just fried up a couple of sausages with a tomato and had them in a sandwich. Tonight I am baking a piece of fish with kale and red peppers. I will have it with peas, a light meal, as I will probably be overeating tomorrow at Judy's for Thanksgiving.

Lunch on the Patio

   What an amazing day for October - wall-to-wall sun, a high of 23C and a very gentle breeze. I could take this kind of weather right through until November! Unfortunately the weekend is forecast to be quite a bit cooler but still pleasant.

   I am so happy that I left my patio furniture out for another few days as I was able to have lunch outdoors today.

    There may not be too many more days when I can do this but I certainly enjoyed being out there.

   Predictably, it was very busy at the tennis courts today - we checked in about 40 people, quite different from yesterday's turnout at the other courts. Of course, the offer of free coffee and cake was a big part of the attraction!

   A quiet afternoon - I went up the lab to see if I could get some tests done but it transpired that I had to fast for 14 hours beforehand so I will have an early dinner tonight and go back tomorrow morning before I have any breakfast.

   I did a little gardening but have mostly been reading this afternoon. I am almost finished an excellent tale of the German occupation of France during WW11. After reading of the persecution of the French during that time I don't know how any Frenchman can possibly tolerate a German, even though they are of a different generation. I have a hard time with that myself (though those of German descent I know are perfectly nice people) but the UK wasn't occupied in this brutal manner. The book is called "The Nightingale" (the code name for a girl in the French resistance, the heroine of the book) and it's by Kristin Hannah. If you have a strong stomach, I highly recommend it.

    I will leave you with a photo of the last blooming Cone flowers in my garden. I hope they come back next year. Enjoy!