Snow And More Snow

    It started yesterday so I shoveled that. Then more overnight and I was out at 8:30 as I had somewhere to go and needed a path for my car, but it was still snowing. Got home around 1:00 p.m. and after lunch and a nap I was out again to clear off enough room on my driveway to park the car. I will finish the rest of the driveway after I post this. Snow is forecast several times over the next few days so this is far from the last of the shoveling for December. Some years we hardly get any snow until after New Year! And then there are still three more months of the darn stuff. The only positive aspect was that it wasn't very cold, around the freezing mark, but it is forecast to be -12C overnight tonight which is why I want to get it done now.

  I had some help, one of the neighbour's kids, which made a big difference but she (yes, it was a girl) has her own driveway to keep clear, so I can't count on her always showing up. Now I am in a quandary whether to pay her as she is still in High School so is probably saving for further education. I will wait and see how often she helps me then give her something although she very well might refuse it.

    Friends from the Seniors' Centre had planned a meal out today but, sensibly, we cancelled as the roads were really quite slippery. We'll reschedule at a later date although it's always hard to find a day when everyone is available. In any case we all had a huge feast last Friday at the Mandarin buffet so can do with skipping the overeating for a few more days!

The RODEO Ladies Eat Spanish

    After a quiet week of eating at home I have two meals out this week. Today the ladies who lunch ate at Tapagria Restaurant in Markham, just a short drive from our base. It was a very quiet room, not particularly Spanish in decor but charming nonetheless. We ordered Tapas to share - our group of four chose Jambon Croquets, beef empinadas and Scallops Rothschild. It wasn't a great amount of food but very tasty. The other group had similar but also battered squid rings. They looked delicious and we wished we had ordered them too! The most interesting event was the table of 8 next to us ordered a paella which arrived at the table in a huge pan into which they all delved with gusto. Next time that will be our choice!

    Tomorrow (doesn't that always happen, two in a row) the Seniors will be at The Mandarin buffet for the Christmas lunch. I must be careful not to overdo it so I will wear a snug pair of pants to remind me to watch the portions. There will be much jollity, loads of prizes and a sing-a-long, so it will be a fun afternoon.

   It has been really cold this week (I believe tonight it may go down to -12C) with a bitter wind and some snow but not too much. We will soldier on regardless and just keep well wrapped up. 

Looking Back Over a Busy Week

    It's been a busy week and I had to go back to my social calendar to make sure I didn't miss anything.

   We had a new player join us at Bridge on Monday and she's coming again tomorrow , so far, so good. But she does normally play at another table so we will just have to see how long that lasts. Tuesday was the monthly meeting of RWTO and it was a Christmas lunch of turkey, stuffing etc. with Carolers for the entertainment. We don't meet in December.

   Wednesday was my usual stint in the kitchen at the Seniors' Centre and it was quieter than usual as the fitness classes were cancelled. But it was also the first day of the Christmas Bazaar which brought in a few extra people. I didn't bring any money so avoided buying anything - trying to declutter! 

   Thursday was another lunch and Craft sale. Only bought some home made marmalade but there were some lovely crafts so it was fun to look around. The meal was good, too - roast beef and a mound of vegetables, all beautifully cooked.

   On Friday I had a ticket for the theatre and was supposed to meet friends for dinner beforehand but I wasn't feeling great so arranged to meet them at the theatre. Unfortunately, I lay down for a short nap and promptly fell asleep and nearly missed the show. Had a horrendous rush to get there and had to sit at the back for the first act, then got my (front row) seat after the intermission. The play was "so-so".

   Friday was also my granddaughters' 18th birthday but we put off getting together as we were both busy. So we went out for brunch today instead. It was nice to get her on her own as her brothers tend to take centre stage at family gatherings.

    Phew! That was one busy week and, truth be told, too much over eating. I will have to cut back from now until  the lead up to Christmas! 

Wine Tasting

   Yesterday I hosted the November meeting of the Wine tasting group. It was lots of fun with 9 of us trying out 5 wines and voting on their merits using a chart to check different attributes. This was only the second meeting of our group but was definitely the most fun-filled as you can imagine after tasting all the wines. There's quite a bit of wine left over so I will be enjoying it for the next few days.

   The theme I had chosen was "Wines from the southern hemisphere" and someone did guess correctly. The most popular wine was an Australian Shiraz, Jacob's Creek Double Barrel 2022, and the most expensive (which actually came in third most popular) was a Pinot Grigio from New Zealand, Oyster Bay. There were also wines from South Africa, Argentina and Chile. Our next meeting will be in January. Looking forward to that. 

   Today has been chilly with a few flurries so I have had a quiet day at home. I have started soaking the fruit for the Christmas plum pudding which I will start next Sunday. Funny to be already thinking about Christmas but the days and weeks will fill up quickly with seasonal activities, no doubt.