Company

  Had visitors today! My daughter and grandaughter came by with lunch (sushi) which we shared and ate at arm's length on the back deck. We have been told to stay a "hockey stick apart" - this is an ice hockey stick which is much longer than the field hockey variety. 

   It was lovely to chat face-to-face with two of my favourite people and share a joke or two. My granddaughter is quite funny when away from her two brothers. I really appreciated her handling of this strange situation we are all in. They didn't come into the house although all surfaces were clean since I haven't had anyone here for at least two weeks. Just super cautious.

   I sent them home with a "care package" (4 jars of my homemade strawberry jam and two jigsaw puzzles for Elliot) which I am sure they will fumigate before they take into the house. Strange how these extra precautions are becoming second nature. I have become anxious about the mail delivery and the daily newspaper which I retrieve from my front porch each morning. How safe is that? I thought of popping it in a warm oven to kill any potential bugs but decided that was a bit paranoid. Also, a fire hazard!

   The last puzzle is finished and now I will have to resort to my hoard (I have at least a dozen). I still have several books to read and a supply of favourite titles on the bookshelves so I won't be bored.

   My morning routine starts with an hour of exercise - 20 minutes cardio, lower body conditioning, abdominals, upper body conditioning (this includes weights) and cool down and stretching. Here is where I work out along with a step video. I am always sweating well before it is finished!

   

Starting Week 3 of Isolation

Another uneventful day. It rained quite heavily this morning but, after working out for an hour and finishing the newspaper, I had a burst of energy (must have been the endorphins) and got several household chores completed. 

   The rain started to peter off around noon so I took the opportunity to walk down to the drug store although it was still spitting. I checked my P.O. Box. This is the one I use for the monthly lunch cheques - nothing in it because the April lunch has been cancelled but, you never know. 

   Before leaving the drug store I checked my blood pressure - systolic, high normal (I did a second check and it was down a bit), not surprising considering how stressful things are presently; diastolic, in the normal range.

   The rest of the day went as usual. Lunch followed by a nap, read a bit, worked on my puzzle, read some more, had a look to see if anything else has appeared in the garden (nope) but the rhubarb is showing some signs of life.

   Fixed dinner then checked my e-mails - and that's it for my day!

Dinner of fried fish and brussel sprouts. This was too much food so I saved some for another day.

Didn't spend so much time on my puzzle today but it is getting easier.

A Quiet Sunday

   This will be a very boring post today. Quite heavy rain this morning but dry by noon and sunny for most of the afternoon. It actually got quite hot while I was out for my walk - I had to discard my jacket. A first for this year.

  Eating leftovers tonight - a bit of salmon, some brussell sprouts, the last of Friday's rib steak and a salad. Also the rice pudding which was seriously delicious. Who knew?

Don't know what these are called but they virtually sprang up overnight in a sunny spot and there are more to come.

The puzzle progresses!

Filling the Days

   A very quiet day today chez moi and a bit drizzly but not cold. I managed a walk down the ravine between showers and did a bit of housework. Other than that it has been reading or working on my puzzle. Still plenty of food in the house and I have been scouring the backs of cupboards for any neglected items that need eating up. I found some rice that I used to use to make sushi, and made a rice pudding with it. A first attempt and the recipe was rather fussy, but the final product was quite delicious.

   Yesterday was a brilliant day and I spent most of it outdoors, walking, gardening and just sitting on my deck. In fact I may have overdone it somewhat as my face was really hot by the evening. I don't usually sit out in the sun, especially in summer, preferring to sit in the shade, but I hadn't realized the sun was quite so strong at this time of the year.

   While setting out for my walk today I had a long distance chat with a neighbour. She is almost over a bout of the virus, contracted on a recent cruise (or more likely on the plane home). She has another week of self isolation at home but was quite cheerful. Yesterday a friend phoned and we chatted for almost an hour so I am managing to keep up social contacts while physically distancing. 

The first stage of the puzzle. The border is almost complete and all the pieces turned right way up.