Miserable Day

   Everything coated with ice when I got up this morning although the freezing rain had been replaced by rain. The temperature never did get much above 1C all day. I went out in my jammies (covered with a warm coat) to put down some salt and had to hang onto the bushes to keep my feet! I made it to the garage and back again without falling and by the time I had to go out I was able to get the car out of the garage and get on my way without mishap.

    I left for the RWTO lunch just before 10:00 a.m. and once I got on the main roads the driving was OK as they had been well salted. I drove very carefully and was at "The Estates" by 10:30. I had to get the name tags laid out and stock the book sale table and the hardest part was lugging bags and boxes of books from the car in pouring rain. The next worst thing was getting everything back in the car after, in what felt like a gale!

    Book sales went well although quite a few people had decided to give the lunch a pass. A delicious salmon lunch with salad, potatoes and several vegetables followed by ice cream crepes and coffee - my first coffee of the day and I was really ready for it. The speaker was interesting and entertaining   despite the rather morbid topic - having someone reliable to speak for you if (or when) you become incapacitated. There were lots of questions so, obviously, it was a topic of importance to his audience!

   Still stuffed from lunch so will just have a light supper later on.

Blue Monday

.......and we had blue skies and above zero temperatures for most of the day so not depressing at all. This is supposed to be the saddest day of the year, a result of cold and overcast skies, weight gain due to overeating and the arrival of all the Christmas bills. However, none of the above are bothering me, so I am feeling quite chipper.

   I had some good hands at Bridge this afternoon and managed to make a few contracts. That's about it for today. I will be going out in about an hour so better get some dinner in me. Freezing rain forecast overnight so shall tuck the car away in the garage when I get home.

Light on the Food

    Still no sun but it did get above zero for a few hours. This week is supposed to be milder and not much in the way of snow. We are having a very easy January.

   I had a very light breakfast - half a banana, yogurt, coffee and a muffin - and just a bowl of my minestrone soup for lunch. In listing the ingredients for it yesterday I forgot to mention that I had fried up a couple of rashers of bacon and tossed that in at the last minute. It really enhanced the taste.

  Demo practice this after and I had to trail down to Grace Church on the Hill (yes, that really is its name!), a thirty minute drive. Usually it is 10 minutes. The practice was shorter today but I still felt exhausted when we were done. I think this may be my last year in the demo pool. Three demos this week and I really am not looking forward to them - another reason to give it up, but we will see.

   I have concocted a new recipe to use up the beans and tomatoes left over from yesterday's soup. I mixed them together, added some cheese and put some panko and parmesan on top. It's baking right now - I'll let you know how it turns out.

A Quiet Day at Home

   I've just checked all the blogs I follow and only a couple have new entries. I guess they are all busy with their lives. I like to keep up with my entries in case I have to go back and check what I have been up to.

   It was -7C this morning and, although it got up to -2 this afternoon, it was rather chilly and miserable. We haven't seen the sun for a few days which is depressing. However, I have managed to keep busy with errands and chores - my grocery bill today was almost $50, my first big shop since before Christmas. I really needed to restock! I got a lovely piece of salmon for 30% off which is now sliced into three fillets and in the freezer. Also chicken thighs were "on special" so that was another three cheap meals. Now the freezer is full again and should keep me going (apart from fresh fruit and veg) until the end of the month.

   I made a humungous pot of minestrone soup for lunch - it was very tasty with lots of veg (carrots, onion, celery, green beans and tomatoes), pasta and beans. After it was cooked I blended about a cupful to thicken it a bit. I used a can of mixed beans for the soup and picked out all the chickpeas to make hummus which I had with red pepper slices and naan. Very garlicky and lemony, just the way I like it.

   I decided not to go to the monthly dance tonight as demo practice is tomorrow afternoon and that would be too much dancing! So it's a night in front of the fire with the TV to keep me company - hope there's something decent to watch!