Break In The Weather

    It was extremely hot and humid again this morning, getting up to 31C, but some cooler weather rolled in this afternoon along with some rain. It's now 23C but still quite humid. Much more bearable, however. I should be able to sleep well tonight.

    I was in the pool twice today for a much needed cooling off, once after tennis and again after doing a bit of gardening. I don't think I could work in the garden without being able to take a dip afterwards. The flowers are doing well but the weeds are going crazy!

My clematis has finally decided to bloom. It had no flowers last year at all as it had to be moved when the back fence was rebuilt so I wasn't sure I would get anything this year again. However, some fresh compost and some TLC seem to have done the trick.

    

After spending the winter indoors, it always takes a while for this plant to get going. I counted five more buds on the way. It gets full sun for the afternoon and early evening.

Temperatures Rising

 Too hot today (32C) to sit outside or work in the garden. I tried this afternoon after my second swim but was very quickly scorched. So all I did was give the plants a good soaking and fill the bird bath before retiring indoors. I have less shade in the back yard since the Blue Spruce came down last summer so it can be blisteringly hot.

    My first swim was after tennis, around 11:00 a.m. and it was SO refreshing! The water was just under 80F and gained a couple of degrees by the afternoon. No need for the heater today. So I spent the afternoon indoors reading and working on my latest jigsaw puzzle with the AC humming away. This is just the second really hot humid spell we have had here this summer so we can count ourselves lucky to have avoided the extremes that have afflicted other parts of the continent.

Canada Day

     I was a little late putting up the flag today but, never mind, I was out all morning at the tennis courts for a round robin and lunch. It was very hot and humid and I only managed one set. In fact I felt quite nauseous after I came off the court and had to sit in the air conditioned lounge to recover, maybe a combination of the heat and the smoky conditions. I was amazed that people managed to stay out there for over an hour!

     We were served a lovely lunch of BBQ chicken and pork kebabs, potato and green salad and a special Canada Day cake. We all dressed in some combination of red and white, our national colours, and there were drills for those energetic enough to prolong their stay outdoors. Finally, some lucky draws but I didn't win anything this time.

    There was thunder rumbling around by the time I got home and a spattering of rain but not enough to soak the garden. At least it stayed away until after the festivities were over! I expect there will be fireworks this evening but I hope not too many as it would only add to the poor air quality. Our new normal, I guess.

A Summer Cruise

     Yesterday's weather was a huge improvement with a nice cool breeze and clear(er) skies. We could actually see the sun! Still a bit of smoke in the air but the wind has changed direction so it should dissipate in a day or two.

   This was very fortunate as it was the day of the Toronto Harbour Cruise to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the retired teachers group I belong to. We departed by bus right on time at 10:00 a.m. for downtown and were deposited at Harbourfront in plenty of time for the cruise. A stroll along the waterfront gave us a chance to stretch our legs before boarding the ship.

   Once we were well underway a delightful lunch was served followed by a celebratory cake. As we had the ship all to ourselves we could roam between decks, ogle all the extravagant water craft (how the "other half" live) and check out people enjoying the beaches and swimming spots on the islands. However, I imagine the water was still pretty cool.

   Back in dock and then another bus ride home. I had a nap so it seemed no time until we were ending the day back where we started!