So Hot!!

   I had a great night out yesterday - a good meal and then danced every dance -  but I came home with aching feet and tired legs. As a result it took me forever to get to sleep. I had planned to get to tennis early because of the heat but just got there about 10 minutes ahead of my usual 9:00 a.m. start time.

   Kathy and Susan were there shortly after and we got a court at 9:00 but had to give it up at the next changeover. By that time we were all quite hot and sweaty and glad to stop. Susan and I headed home but I think Kathy stayed for another set - brave girl!

  I was in the pool within minutes of getting home and that cooled me off sufficiently. Next on the agenda was the final of the men's tournament at Queen's (London). I was very torn as to who to support - Andy Murray (Scottish) or Milos Raonic (Canada). Milos won the first set in a tiebreak and was up a break in the second set before Andy upped his game and was the ultimate winner. It was an excellent match with some amazing shots - very enjoyable!

    Another swim this afternoon and am now sitting in a nicely cooled house. It's 33C out there! Salmon, quinoa and corn for dinner tonight, a nice change after the heave meal of cabbage rolls, beef remoulade and chicken schnitzel last night. I'm scared to weigh myself!

A Big Night Out

   I'm doing an early blog today as I will be leaving for the White Heather Ball in a couple of hours. It's held just north of Oshawa in the General Sikorski Hall and the food is very Polish. I'm expecting to pig out on cabbage rolls and Weiner Schnitzel!

    Luckily the Hall is air conditioned as it is another scorcher today. I noticed the temperature was 33C when I logged in today. The pool is warming up nicely and I had a dip just before lunch after doing a (very) little gardening. Since then I have been hiding out indoors where it is still cool and have just finished practicing the dances for tonight. None are too hard but did need to be reviewed.

    I was woken up at 6:00 a.m. this morning by the little dog down the street barking his head off. For some reason his owners let him go at it for about 20 minutes and as I had all the windows open I kept waking up with each renewed chorus. I did manage to get back to sleep eventually and woke again at 7:30. Still, I didn't feel completely rested so hope this does not turn into a regular occurrence.

In My Garden

   Here`s a photo of the kale in my vegetable garden. It is only three weeks since I bought the plants from the garden centre and already I am picking it and using it in recipes. It really is a `wonder food`! Yesterday I put it in an omelet. I wonder if I could make Kale soup. Maybe I will try that tomorrow.

I picked these peonies last week and they have lasted several days indoors. They really are better picked early as they don`t last long in the garden, especially if we have heavy rain.

    It was all go today as I was on the road to Don Mills by 7:45 a.m. I got there by 8:00, had everything ready for Kaffeeklatsch by 8:20 and hit for a bit with Maria until some more people showed up. It was not very busy today which made for a stress free time. Lots of treats as I had brought my Rhubarb cake, Kathy brought chocolate wafers and Hendrina brought cherries. Then, just as we were ready to go (it was very hot) Margaret showed up with yummy lemon cake. I just played two sets - I was hot even sitting in the shade! Needless to say I used the pool a couple of times to cool off once I got home.

    I had a productive afternoon, after a nap. First I set up a plumber to come on Monday to fix my two dripping taps. Then I sorted out some debris in the garage and got the outdoor tap there turned on so I could water the front border. Finally I tidied the front porch and got the propane tank hooked up to my barbecue. Finally I marinated some chicken wings and later barbecued them. They got a bit charred on the outside as I forgot to turn down the flame but were tasty nevertheless. I am just glad the barbecue has survived the winter

Out With the Ladies Who Lunch

    A special treat today - I had lunch out with Donna, Bonnie and Diane. We went to Diane's Seafood after this morning's Probus meeting. We all had lobster and crab rolls with carrot and ginger soup and coleslaw. Everything was delicious! Donna and Diane also split an order of oysters and gave me one to try. They were rather expensive - $15 for a dozen - but I may try them next time we go there. It's a favourite haunt for the three of them and I was honoured to be invited to join them.

    The Probus meeting went well - I got some free paperbacks, schmoozed over coffee and then we had an interesting speaker telling us about the writing process and her most recent novel. I buttonholed Gloria at the coffee break and persuaded her to be available as a substitute for our Monday afternoon bridge foursome. I also signed up for next Thursday's RODEO lunch as it's at one of my favourite spots, Bluffer's Restaurant down by the lake.

    After the big lunch I just had a light dinner tonight - an egg and vegetable omelet with some kale from the garden. it's amazing how quickly it is ready to pick. I also made a rhubarb cake to take to Kaffeeklatsch tomorrow. The rhubarb in the garden has been very prolific this year and I plan to make some rhubarb and ginger jam soon.