Shovelling Out

   Except for 2 hours (give or take) on the indoor tennis court, I have spent the day with a shovel in my hand. The snow is still coming down but I will now leave it until tomorrow as rain (or freezing rain) is forecast. The temperature has hovered around -3C all day so not too uncomfortable and the car is tucked away in the garage so that it`s not covered with a layer of ice when I want to go out tomorrow morning.

   The drive to Carol and Hendrina`s condo building this morning was rather sloppy but everyone was driving quite cautiously so I got there safely and on time. We had three good sets and I was able, with my partners` help, to be on the winning side in two of them. I had shovelled out the front path and a space for the car before I left so I continued with the rest of the driveway and the sidewalk when I got home. I had a big bowl of chicken soup (from the freezer) for lunch then a long nap - it was 3:45 when I woke up!

   More shovelling was called for - the rest of the driveway plus the part I had already shovelled which was covered with a fresh couple of centimetres. There was a lot of moisture in the air making the snow quite damp and heavy so my back has had a good workout. I should sleep well tonight despite my long nap.

First Day Back

   After a two week break the Senior's Centre opened today. I went there for bridge this afternoon and had some great hands. I will definitely choose the same seat in the future! Christine had some chocolates open on the sign-in desk - as if we didn't indulge enough over the holidays!

   A busy morning - step exercise video in my basement (almost an hour of exercise), some light chores and a trip to the library to pick up a new book and print off a couple of documents. Now I need just a quick meal (probably soup) before heading out for dance group around 7:00 p.m. We are expecting a dump of snow overnight so boots are called for. Not too cold today (around -5C) but quite a cold wind.

Short Days

    Still very chilly (didn`t get up past -8C) so the fire is on and I am home for the night beside it. I have been keeping track of the sunrise and sunset times and finally there has been some movement - we now have 5 extra minutes of daylight! It has been stuck at 9 hours since the winter solstice but, when I checked today, I found it is now 9 hours and 5 minutes (7:51 to 4:56). How does this compare to your part of the world.

   A few chores this morning and demo practice this afternoon. We are working on the dances for the Burn`s Night demos which are coming up in a couple of weeks. I`m looking forward to some delicious haggis! In fact I have to go and order one for the Monday night group as our noble leader is out of commission for the rest of the month.

   Chicken and broccoli casserole tonight and I found a good recipe on the internet, so must away and get it started.

Still Cold

    The cold start to the day didn't stop me from my usual Saturday activities. It got up to -5C this afternoon but was back down to -8C when I came home around 5:00 p.m. and is still dropping - could be down in the minus double digits again tonight. I'm presently watching a Peruvian cooking a guinea pig on the food channel. Yuk!! I had it when I was in Cuzco but wasn't told what I was eating until afterwards. It was very bony and didn't taste of much but it is a delicacy there.

    I had a ticket for the Verdi opera, "Nabucco", this afternoon - what a great production! It was part of the "Live at the Met" series and the best I've seen so far this season. The chorus of the Hebrew Slaves got an encore. Very moving - check it out on You Tube.

   I defrosted a few shrimp for dinner - I had them in a cheese sauce with vegetables left from last night. It was the easiest dinner I could think of at the last moment and it was very tasty!