The Good and the Bad

   The pie was tasty and there's more for tonight (and probably tomorrow too). I can't believe it's so easy to get three meals by just rummaging in the fridge. It feels so good not to waste anything!

   Tennis this morning - we had two and a half sets and some good rallies. I started off slowly but improved considerably once I had warmed up. It was me, Carol, Hendrina and Tamara today. That's the Polish Tamara, not the Mexican one from my other tennis club. We are a very multi-cultural group! Hendrina is German and her husband was Spanish. And, of course, I'm from "across the pond".

    I dashed home to change and grab something for lunch before getting to my Bridge class. It was fun today as we had a half hour of lecture then an hour to play. I had great cards but they didn't translate into successful contracts - I went down twice! Poor play probably. Diane was at class and hopes to be able to play next Monday. She needs a root canal procedure, poor thing, but, hopefully, it won't be on Monday.

   Mild again but no sun today. A few drops of rain and a high of 7C. I checked the borders yesterday and found a few shoots, daffodils and tulips I think. I am furious with the squirrels who hang around here - they completely destroyed the bird bells I hung out just the other day. I've no idea how they reached them but they are completely gone! That's it for this winter - the birds will have to fend for themselves!

Tonight's dinner - my salad was especially tasty, lettuce, red peppers, smoked mackerel, walnuts and dried cranberries, the dressing made with a delicious extra virgin olive oil I bought in Spain. The pickled beetroot was good with a piece of the pie. A minneola to follow.

Hava Java Morning

  Met up with friends and acquaintances this morning for coffee and a pastry at Calabria Bakery, courtesy of RTO Social committee. It's free up to $3, then you pay the rest (I didn't have to). Another pleasant day, mix of sun and cloud this morning then a completely blue sky by 2:00 p.m. I sat outside for almost an hour, although well wrapped up, but the sun felt quite warm on my face.

   Bridge had to be cancelled this afternoon as we couldn't find a replacement for Diane. That's two weeks we have missed this month and Pinkie will be away for a couple of weeks later in March. Let's hope we can find someone to replace her, but at least we have more time.

    Tonight's dinner - onion and mushroom pie, using up leftover veggies - to be served with a small salad.

Back to the Cold

     As predicted, it is colder today and I saw a few flurries this morning. Back to my winter coat, hat and gloves! It was sunny later so I went for a walk but the wind was quite biting. Definitely not warm enough to sit outside but the sun coming in the windows did warm things up a bit indoors.

   That`s about it for me - watched tennis this afternoon, read my book (it`s a Ruth Rendell and I have got to the exciting part - the denoument I think it`s called) and plan to finish it before the Oscars this evening. I have only seen a couple of the movies that are up for awards but it still will be interesting to see all the celebrities.

   Waiting to hear if we have Bridge tomorrow - Diane has a toothache and is hoping to go to the dentist tomorrow morning so it will depend on when she gets an appointment. I don`t envy her, she may not feel like playing after the treatment anyway.

   Salmon for dinner with corn and green beans - a nice easy dinner.

A Day At Home

   Well, I did go out this morning for an hour - in my Spring jacket, no less, as the temp. was 10C. Did my shopping quickly and was home by 11:00 a.m. to make butternut squash soup. It has got considerably cooler since then so I think our mild spell is over.

   A big surprise this afternoon, I found some leftover Christmas cake in a cupboard. I was sure it was long gone but will try it with my tea tonight. The marzipan looks a bit dodgy.

   Just napping and reading since then, plus one tennis match from Rio. Rather one-sided so I didn't watch the whole thing. I hope tomorrow's Final is more exciting! Why they are showing this tournament when there is a Canadian in another being played in Florida, is beyond me.

   Can anyone tell me what this plant is? It's in one of the hanging baskets that is wintering indoors and is blooming like crazy - much better than it did last summer.

It has glossy leaves and has produced several clusters of flowers so far.