Keeping Busy

   I don`t feel like writing today so will keep it short and sweet. After two mild but rainy days we are back in the ice box. -6C all day but now dropping fast into the minus double digits and very windy. I don`t feel like going outdoors but had to venture out with the recycling as it was overflowing.

   I finished my paint project this afternoon and now have to get bundled up to attend my Wednesday dance group. We are learning the dances for Burn`s night so I must get going. At least we haven`t had any more snow so it won`t be hazardous driving. Talk again soon!

Drizzling

    It was 4C, foggy and raining when I got up this morning and it stayed that way all day. It will cool off overnight with a strong wind so hopefully it won't be an icy start to the morning. I don't have anywhere I have to be until the evening so will just hunker down at home until the roads are safe to drive.

   Tennis this morning and I managed three sets and was on the winning side for two. But now I am quite stiff and sore so may have overdone it. I resolve to pace myself better next time.

   I went to a movie in the afternoon, "La La Land", very good, great music and dancing. I would highly recommend it. A much better experience than last week but still very busy as the schools are still out. The movie theater was almost full but I went a bit early and got a good seat. People were still streaming in even after the movie started. Now it's just an evening in front of the TV.

  

A Fresh Start

  Sunny again this morning and the snowbanks are receding. Water is running down the gutter so it is almost like Spring. It clouded aver around noon but I had already had my walk and had sat outside for half-an-hour. The sun really had some warmth to it.

   I spent the afternoon painting the baseboard in the basement. First the sanding, then a wipe with a damp cloth and finally the paint. I ran out of steam before I was finished (my knees were getting stiff and sore) but I will get the paint out again later in the week. There is another little job I need to do down there. I always feel the need to do something extra around the house as we enter the New Year. I think this is a holdover from my childhood when my mother would compulsively clean the house from top to bottom before the last day of the year so as to have a fresh start.

   Last night's brussell sprouts turned out well and the leftovers will go in tonight's chicken pot pie. This is an attempt to use up the last of the stuffing before it becomes too potent to eat. I have to be careful with leftovers as I tend to let them hang around too long. I've had a few tummy upsets as a result - not very pleasant!

Finally, Sun!

  Glorious sun today! I finally got the last of the ice chipped off the driveway and even sat out in the sun for half-an-hour. I also covered the outdoor air conditioning unit, a chore I should have done several months ago but...better late than never! It`s now protected from the elements for the rest of the winter.

   Apart from a trip to the grocery store yesterday and a half-hour walk around the neighbourhood today, I have barely been out of the house all weekend. Luckily I have a really good book on the go - `Òther People`s Children`by Joanna Trollope. I found it on my basement bookshelf the other day and hadn`t realize I hadn't read it. I probably picked it up at the Probus book exchange.

   Another surprise yesterday - I thought I had eaten up all the leftovers from the Christmas meal but found a container full of stuffing at the back of the fridge. Yesterday I fried some of it up with half an onion and today I will eat some more with a piece of salmon. I am also roasting some brussell sprouts in oil, cider vinegar and maple syrup, a recipe I found on the internet. It also called for bacon bits but I think they will still taste great without it.