Keeping On Top of Things

   Still  in the minus temperatures and only a couple of glimpses of sun, but no cold wind which is welcome. There's been a few snow showers, not amounting to much, but I put the car in the garage in case there is more overnight.

   Tennis this morning - Joan, Hendrina and Brian - we had two good sets and some fairly decent rallies. I felt I had a good workout. Home for just a few minutes before heading out with my packed lunch for Bridge class. That was over by 2:30 but I cleaned up the kitchen at the centre before leaving - it was in a bit of a mess so obviously someone had to leave in a hurry. At least it will be tidy when I am in there tomorrow afternoon. Picked up a new jigsaw puzzle and can't wait to get started on it, but I have another one on the go that I have to finish first.

   I have made an interesting version of one of my favourite dinners tonight. Tuscan chicken, but I skipped the chickpeas and artichokes and added green lentils to give it some substance. I was able to use  up some ingredients that had been lingering in the fridge which always feels good. Despite my small shopping last weekend I still have a very full freezer and shouldn't have to buy much again this week. My pension came today so I am feeling quite flush, but that will fade as the month progresses. I am saving up to pay for my river cruise in the Spring - more on that later!

More Like Winter

     Sunny all day but very cold. I think it was probably no higher than -5C but the sun did make it feel cheerier. I slept really well last night, not waking until 7:45. I had stayed up until after 11:00 p.m. watching a new episode of "Father Brown", so it was almost midnight before I put my head down. Right now I have the fire on and am sitting as close to it as possible - too cheap to turn up the heat as I was out most of the day and am going out again in an hour.

   Started off the day with my step workout tape - that warmed me up! Then a quick shower, packed myself a lunch and left for the Hava Java social at Calabria Bakery. I had a large cappuccino and a pastry, courtesy of RTO, and chatted with fellow members for an hour. Next stop was my Bridge group - one really good hand but most were not so great. Pinkie brought us each a slice of rice cake she had made for Chinese New Year, so generous of her. We all like treats. I had my lunch there and another coffee to drink with the rice cake. I think I will just have a bowl of soup for dinner but there will be tea and cookies after dancing tonight.

    Judy is taking the kids skiing at Brimacombe on Friday, a P.A. day for them and has invited me to join them. I am watching the weather  -if it's to be as cold as today I will give it a miss.

What I Ate Today

   A nice, easy day today - no rushing around, just a bit of kitchen clean-up and some ironing then a quick run to the store for fresh croissants where I also got some lemon ginger tea. Can`t wait to try it!

    Lighter on the food today - breakfast was a cheese and mushroom omelet, orange juice, toast and coffee. Later in the morning I put on a pot of vegetable soup for lunch. It had lots of chopped veggies (carrot, onion, potato and cabbage) and chicken stock, which I blended when cooked - no salt added! I ate that with a slice of cheese and a couple pf crackers. There will be enough to last me for lunches all week.

    During the afternoon I roasted a red pepper (they were really cheap this week) for my croissant lunches. I also used up a tub of sour cream (low fat, of course) to make an onion and chive dip which I had with celery and red pepper sticks and half a naan bread. Then dinner was a piece of salmon which I flavoured with honey and lemon - really tasty - with which I had corn and peas. No dessert but I might have a clementine later. I still have some chocolates left for a secret indulgence before bed!

More Busy, Busy

   I have been neglecting my blog mainly because I have been out for the past three nights at various Rabbie Burns events. Thursday was a demo at a retirement home and Friday was a roast beef dinner, complete with the `Address to the Haggis`, dancers, a sing-a-long of Scottish songs and a marvellous performer - a tenor with the most amazing voice who sang show tunes. I saw lots of old acquaintances and had a great time!

   Today I needed a rest from all that activity and also from overeating. I won a door prize at the Friday dinner - a box of chocolates, just the last thing I need after indulging all week, but I will eat them nevertheless!

   On Friday I had a meeting with Angela, the President of the Don Mills Tennis Club. I should have twigged I was being ambushed but didn`t have a clue until we had been talking for 10 minutes. Then it hit me that the executive of the club had decided to reduce the number of courts for Kaffeeklatsch, the program that I run. I protested vehemently but to no avail. It seems to be a done deal. Now I will have to cope with all the complaints from aggrieved members when they have to wait for a court! It`s a drop-in program and we usually have 6 courts. In the two summer months the Junior coach usually gets one court for his summer programs but now they have allocated him two courts. The Kaffeeklatsch members will not be pleased! When they complain (and they will) I will just refer them to Angela and let her deal with the flack.

   Just my usual Saturday activities (laundry, grocery shopping) plus a couple of household chores - I have really been neglecting things recently. My grocery bill was only $15 today, mostly fresh fruit and veg. I plan to eat parsimoniously this week and maybe lose a few pounds.