Something Burning!

    I was doodling through entries in Facebook a few minutes ago when I became aware of an unpleasant smell emanating from the kitchen - oh, no! I had left some red peppers roasting in the toaster oven and had completely forgotten about them. They are burned to a crisp and the smell will probably linger for days. This is not the first time this has happened and my rule to myself is to set the timer for 10 minutes, which I forgot to do today.

   Other than that, this has been another fabulous day. Warm and sunny and in the low 20's, but now some cloud cover although I feel quite sunburned. We had a couple of hours of tennis at the Don Mills Thanksgiving Social, followed by a delicious lunch and prizes. I won a can of tennis balls, although I nearly missed it as I was in the kitchen, helping with the washing up. There were lots of treats left over which will be brought out tomorrow at the Kaffeeklatsch pot luck lunch. My contribution will be sausage rolls. Today I made a kale and quinoa salad which I didn't try as there were so many other nice salads on offer.

   Later this afternoon I pulled up some more plants, including the aforementioned kale (it really has overshot itself), ready for the garden refuse pick-up on Wednesday. Most of the leaves went in the composter but the stalks were too thick.

   I am still stuffed so have forgone my usual pre-dinner snacks. There are leftover ribs waiting to be heated up with corn and potatoes but I think it will be a while until I am hungry.

Gorgeous!

    Unbelievably warm today - it actually reached 24C this afternoon! I walked over to Sir John A. Macdonald C.I. to vote in the advanced poll this afternoon and I was sweating when I got home. Later, I fertilized the lawn and pulled up most of the mint, in preparation for planting next year's garlic.

   Thankfully it was still quite cool for tennis this morning and we started in sweaters but soon we were stripping off a layer or two. Susan and I started out with singles, then were joined by Stan and Cam for a quick set. By then I was done but Stan and Susan joined Kathy and Victoria for another set while I went home and Cam went to hit with Gordon. It was surprising that there were not more people there - perhaps they were home cooking their Thanksgiving turkey or had gone out of town for the long weekend.

   I used my barbecue to brown some ribs for dinner and had them with potatoes and fried onions and mushrooms. Unfortunately the meal required quite a few dishes which are still sitting in the sink! So must get cracking.

Saturday Chores

     Just the usual Saturday chores - laundry, grocery shopping and a bit of gardening. The morning was cool but brilliantly sunny. Some clouds this afternoon but still pleasant enough to sit outside for a while.

    I made my favourite breakfast today - an egg muffin. I make this in the toaster oven in a ramekin. First layer is chopped green onion, mushroom and red pepper. Then some torn up bread over which I pour a beaten egg mixture. I add a little milk to the egg, salt and pepper and a sprinkle of herbe de provence. Finally it's all covered with grated cheese. This is baked at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes and comes out looking like a muffin. Delicious! A glass of orange juice and some toast and coffee later keeps me going until lunch time.

Feeling Guilty!

   Three days since my last post but they have been busy days (or that's my excuse anyway). We had lovely fall weather on Wednesday and Thursday so I was trying to cram in lots of stuff before it goes. Today was on-and-off rain but still mild, so another busy day.

   The Athertons left for their cruise on Wednesday, not without event - car trouble, but luckily not too far from home. They should now be aboard the cruise liner in Boston harbour, or maybe even out to sea. They are headed for Bermuda where the temperature is a balmy 27C. Lucky them!

   I had my first Yoga class yesterday and managed all right until we had to stand on one leg - I just couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds and I don't think practice is going to improve that. I can do it wearing shoes but not in my bare feet, funnily enough. Still playing tennis outdoors for another week but I checked out an indoor drop-in tennis program  at another Community Centre which I might utilize if I am stuck for exercise. It was quite fun as it was a small group but it may get busier once the outdoor courts close for the winter. We shall see.

   I made some chutney this afternoon using eggplants I had grown. They weren't fully ripe but, once cooked, became quite soft. It also had tomatoes (from the garden), onions and red and yellow peppers. Even with all these vegetables it just made two small jars but I'm sure they will be tasty once the mixture has had some time to mature.

   I went down to Don Mills for tennis this morning after Fitness class and despite the rain. We got two good sets with just a few sprinkles while we were playing and I was home by 12:30. That's the last Friday tennis. Boo hoo!  Chicken drumsticks in the oven and new potatoes ready to boil. The farmer with the corn truck had his last load for sale this week so I stocked up on cobs, so that will be my other vegetable. No dessert required after a feed like that!