Groundhog Day

      Wiarton Willie, the local groundhog, saw his shadow today so we will have another six weeks of winter!  This really is no surprise as we regularly have snow and freezing temperatures well into March.  

   I have had no Internet since Tuesday so, once it came back on today I have been busy catching up on e-mails and blogs. I contacted the service provider on Wednesday and arranged for a technician to come today but, wouldn't you know, a half hour before he was to arrive, reception was back! He checked everything anyway and pronounced it "good to go". No explanation of the problem, however. I hope it doesn't re-occur.

   We had a mild day yesterday but today was bitterly cold again. All the snow that had melted into puddles yesterday was frozen and treacherous. I made it to fitness class this morning and went for a walk to the mall in the afternoon. My face was frozen by the time I got there as I was walking directly into the north wind. Coming home wasn't so bad and at least I was facing the sun. 

   I had opened a can of mixed beans for a pot of minestrone the other day and only used half. So today I picked out all the chickpeas and made a batch of hummus - lots of lemon juice and garlic. It was very tasty!

Back To Winter Weather

   As predicted, the Spring-like weather was short-lived and we have a smattering of snow today. I am going out this evening so am hoping it won't amount to much. The temperature is just a bit below freezing.

   Quite a busy day with "Hava Java" in the morning. It was fun to get together with erstwhile colleagues and friends, and the coffee at Calabria Bakery is good (and free!). Then Bridge this afternoon with some good and some not-so-good hands, but the company, again, was great. Tomorrow's Bridge lesson is cancelled because the teacher is sick, which is a shame as I had declined to play tennis this week. But I'm sure I will survive the disappointment!

   Nothing else to report so I will close now. Wish me luck when out driving tonight!

Gardening in January?

   Yes, that is what I was doing this morning - well, just pulling up some errant mint that I had missed in the fall. The earth, which is usually totally frozen until late March, was ready to be cultivated. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of my garlic sprouting if this mild weather continues.  No doubt we will have more seasonal temperatures in the next couple of months but it was lovely to be outside enjoying the sun with my jacket unbuttoned. I even sat outside for half an hour before the clouds came over around noon.

   Earlier I had a long walk culminating at Tim Horton's for a breakfast sandwich and coffee. I have to admit I also bought some Timbits but only ate a couple. I will definitely ration myself over the next few days.

I am currently watching Lidia (on TV) preparing chicken parmigiana using chicken thighs. I know I have some thighs in the freezer so that may be a meal later in the week. She is putting sliced plum tomatoes and  Fontina cheese on them before she bakes them. They look very good! Now she is making Zabaglione and Tiramisu.

Big Disappointment

     I have been waiting all day to watch the Women's Final at the Australian Tennis Open only to find it has been pre-empted by curling. Grrr! It is now to be shown at 3:00 a.m - well, I won't be getting up to watch it so will just have to read about it in tomorrow's newspaper.

   We had another Burns' lunch today (free, because we were dancing) and it was very good. I had seconds and then thirds of haggis. Luckily we didn't have to do too many dances (I was so full) and they were mostly Ceilidh dances with the audience participating, which makes it easy for us. Just a couple more next week.

   After the big lunch it will be something light for dinner - at the moment I'm thinking some shrimp in a lemon sauce and broccoli. With a glass of white wine, that would hit the spot!