A Last Visit

    Last visit from the grandkids today as they go back to school soon and will be exposed to new infections, no doubt. We had a farewell hug but I hope to see them in about a month when we celebrate Thanksgiving.

   While they were here I got Elliot to vacuum the pool so that it is ready for closing next Monday. That will be a sad day! He found a drowned mouse at the bottom of the deep end but managed to fish it out.  Also, they put away all the pool "toys" as they won't be needed again until next year. No chance of a last swim as it is a very unseasonal 16C today.

   James and I made buttertart squares but they were still too hot to cut before they left so I sent them back to their place and have no idea how they turned out. It was a new recipe and he did it almost all by himself - very little guidance required. They certainly smelled good! Judy will bring some back on her way to work tomorrow.

One of my house guests on her comfy bed.

A Last Blast of Summer

      Tomorrow is Labour Day when we traditionally get together as a family. However, the others are all doing something different so we decided to celebrate today instead. As it worked out, today was a better choice as rain is forecast for tomorrow. 

   A full house for dinner for the first time since lockdown, but we were still below the limit of 10. The wasps were bad so we had to eat indoors. Although it was cool, the grandkids and son were in the pool but I had to heat it virtually all day. It was barely above 70F this morning but I managed to get it up to 80F by late afternoon. It will probably cool off again overnight but will still be warm enough for me to have a dip after a sweaty hour of working out tomorrow morning.

   Everybody contributed to the meal - Judy and Dave brought rotisserie chicken and quinoa salad, I made potato salad and corn-on-the-cob and Steve and Alison got pre-prandial nibblies and a delicious apple pie for dessert which we had with ice cream. All stuffed and there even were leftovers!

No Rest for the Wicked

     I was out just before 8:00 a.m. for my tennis game and the weather was much more conducive to active exercise. Not too sunny, a little breeze and low 20's. We played until about 9:45. and again the result was 1 set each. The first set went to a tie-break but by the second set we were all wilting a bit.

    Cathy invited us home for coffee and treats (Susan drove me) so I didn't get home until almost 11:00 a.m. What a pleasant way to pass the morning! Time for a quick swim and a few chores before the grandkids were dropped off. They had some fun in the pool, then lunch and a couple of board games. I was watching two Canadians battling each other at the U.S. Open.

   Judy arrived from work around 4:00 p.m. to pick them up, and she and the kids had another swim. I waited until they were gone to get in again - too much splashing when they are all in together! A quiet evening with son and the pets. DIL has gone out for the evening for what might turn into a  farewell meal with friends. Their house goes on the market in a couple of weeks and they are expecting a quick sale. House prices in the GTA have gone up 20% during COVID so they are selling at an opportune time.

    So it has been a hectic but productive day!

Summer Winding Down

    Kathy brought a big bag of tomatoes from her garden to tennis this morning so I am cooking a big pot of tomato sauce for the freezer. Fortunately I am between crops - the first glut of tomatoes are all consumed in one way or the other and I have another load that are still green or just beginning to turn orange.

   I dug up another potato plant last week and got half a dozen reasonably sized potatoes, so will boil up some of them for dinner tonight to have with chicken. One last little painting job was about all I did today.

   Son and DIL are coming for a short stay tomorrow (with two cats and a dog) while their house is being renovated. Not sure how long they will be here but I'm sure we will get on fine. I hope Alison likes to cook! They are both working from home so won't be underfoot too much. I will just keep on with my usual routines and they can work around that. 

   A lovely day today but I didn't get in the pool as it has cooled off quite a bit. Only two more weeks until it is closed for the year, Boo hoo!