No Heat!

   I woke up this morning to a rather chilly house - just 13C and outside is hovering on zero so it's likely to get even colder. It is rather uncomfortable "chez moi" at the moment.

   The technician is here tinkering with the furnace but doesn't seem to be having much success although I did hear it run for a few moments. So she (yes it's a young woman!) must be making some progress. The furnace is in the basement right under my office and I can hear her on her phone, probably asking for advice from her supervisor.  I don't relish another cold night!

    I have the gas fire on in the family room so at least I have a little heat. And I have an electric blanket which will keep me comfortable in bed. However, I would much rather just be able to have the furnace keeping me cozy in any room in the house!

Another Outing

    I don't usually eat out a lot, maybe once a month if that, but it seems to be never ending at this time of year.

   Friday was the Seniors Christmas Party at the Mandarin Buffet restaurant for which I had been able to snag a ticket last week.  I don't know how many people belong to the seniors centre but they sold 120 tickets in a matter of hours and many people were left out, unfortunately.

   The Mandarin is not a cheap place to eat giving that it is unlimited food but the cost was quite heavily subsidized by the Executive at the Centre, so we only paid $15. I have to be very careful not to overindulge at this type of eatery as my eyes are always bigger than my stomach (as my mother used to tell me). After the meal there were lucky prizes (I didn't win anything) and a sing-a-long of Christmas carols. All very jolly but by then I was so full all I wanted was to go home for a nap. 

    For some reason Blogger loaded my photos from back to front, but you get the idea - four trips the food counters. Does that count as exercise?

   

My friend Carol was the only one at our table who won a prize.

This was the judging for the "Ugly Christmas Sweater" competition which was the theme of the party.

Delicious desserts but by that time I was too stuffed. I just had a creme caramel and chocolate ice cream cake.

The salad bar - I just went for the seafood and a Caesar salad.

The hot tables - so many choices. My favourite was sweet and sour battered fish. I'm afraid I chose too many non-healthy items!

The sushi bar - I went there first and tried one of each type but forgot to get any of the hot wasabi mustard. Next time!

   Needless to say I didn't eat again until very late in the evening and only to prevent waking up hungry in the middle of the night. It was just a bowl of soup and a small sandwich. Today I feel able to eat normally again.

'Tis the Season..... for over-eating!

    A couple of busy days this week. On Tuesday the ladies who lunch (AKA RODEO - Retired Old Dames Eating Out ) had their pre-Christmas outing to Gerhard's Cafe for afternoon tea. Except for having to wait until 2:00 p.m. (I skipped lunch) which is seemingly the appropriate time for afternoon tea, it was a lovely treat, served in a very decadent fashion with all the trimmings. Some of the group even went home with additional purchases of Christmas stollen and gingerbread cookies. The cafe is truly a haven of delicious treats!

Christmas crackers and paper hats as we are into December.

I chose Earl Grey tea and drank a gallon of it as the pot was frequently replenished.

We each got a mammoth slice of this chocolate cake which was truly decadent!

   I managed to refrain from buying anything else but was truly tempted. However, I have all my Christmas baking in the freezer to nibble on for the rest of the month.

    Today was Book Club and Clara and I were presenting the book and supplying the refreshments. We did go a bit overboard on the food but, what the hey! It's almost Christmas. The book, "The Hidden Child" by Louise Fein, was well received and proved very popular - lots of meaningful discussion. Tomorrow brings another special event but more on that later. I will need the weekend to recover from all the excessive eating!

On the Go

    A snow squall this morning but no accumulation on the ground which is still not frozen. However, it is a sign of what's in store for us soon. Some years we can get through December without snow which is a definite bonus!

    I had an early start as the tickets for the Seniors Christmas lunch at the Mandarin buffet restaurant went on sale this morning. I was there by 8:30 as I had another place to be later and managed to snag one of the first tickets. They sell out really fast as they are subsidized by the Executive of the Centre and are a really good deal. More on that later. 

    Then it was off to Hava Java for coffee and a muffin. We had a good turnout and much good conversation. We won't be meeting again until January as people are so busy or on vacation in December so there were lots of Christmas wishes despite still being November.

   On my way back I stopped at the other community centre to pick up an application for the room we use for the Knitters group. Our current rental agreement runs out next month so, hopefully, we will get the room from January to June of next year. We just use it once a month but it has lots of cupboard space to stow our supplies in between meetings. 

    Next stop was back to the seniors centre (and, yes, the tickets were almost all gone as we suspected) for an afternoon of Bridge. My partner and I had terrible cards (or played really badly) as the other pair won all three rubbers. Luckily no money changed hands!