Change in the Weather

   Boy, it was chilly this morning! I was well wrapped up in layers when I headed out to tennis but managed to warm up, hitting with Susan for half-an-hour then a rather one-sided set against Kathy and her daughter Victoria. They won 5-2 but our excuse was that we were already tired before we even started playing in earnest. I came home quite chilled and made some cauliflower soup for lunch; that warmed me up.

    The temperature only got up to 13C this afternoon and the wind was from the north. There is a frost warning for tonight so the rest of my day was spent bringing in my indoors plants that have been out on the porch and patio enjoying the summer sun. They all look great but certainly would not withstand any freezing. I even brought in half-a-dozen green tomatoes which I hope will ripen indoors. I also put away the barbecue as I won't use it again this year.

   Also this afternoon I made some lavender shortbread cookies to replace those I took to dance group last week. Having the oven on warmed up the house a bit but I may have the heat on overnight. They turned out well but I will keep them in the freezer so I'm not tempted to gobble them indiscriminately.

   I went to see "Tristan Und Isolde" yesterday at the local Cineplex - not my usual fare! It's an opera by Wagner and a bit dark and morose and was 5 hours long. It was too late to make supper last night  when I got home so I just fried up a couple of sausages with a tomato and had them in a sandwich. Tonight I am baking a piece of fish with kale and red peppers. I will have it with peas, a light meal, as I will probably be overeating tomorrow at Judy's for Thanksgiving.

Lunch on the Patio

   What an amazing day for October - wall-to-wall sun, a high of 23C and a very gentle breeze. I could take this kind of weather right through until November! Unfortunately the weekend is forecast to be quite a bit cooler but still pleasant.

   I am so happy that I left my patio furniture out for another few days as I was able to have lunch outdoors today.

    There may not be too many more days when I can do this but I certainly enjoyed being out there.

   Predictably, it was very busy at the tennis courts today - we checked in about 40 people, quite different from yesterday's turnout at the other courts. Of course, the offer of free coffee and cake was a big part of the attraction!

   A quiet afternoon - I went up the lab to see if I could get some tests done but it transpired that I had to fast for 14 hours beforehand so I will have an early dinner tonight and go back tomorrow morning before I have any breakfast.

   I did a little gardening but have mostly been reading this afternoon. I am almost finished an excellent tale of the German occupation of France during WW11. After reading of the persecution of the French during that time I don't know how any Frenchman can possibly tolerate a German, even though they are of a different generation. I have a hard time with that myself (though those of German descent I know are perfectly nice people) but the UK wasn't occupied in this brutal manner. The book is called "The Nightingale" (the code name for a girl in the French resistance, the heroine of the book) and it's by Kristin Hannah. If you have a strong stomach, I highly recommend it.

    I will leave you with a photo of the last blooming Cone flowers in my garden. I hope they come back next year. Enjoy!

  

Electrical Problem

   Just a wonderful Fall day today and I was out to the tennis courts before 9:00. Susan and Kathy came too and we were the only ones until after 10:00 when Tamara and Washington arrived. It was perfect tennis weather (20C and no wind) so I have no ideas where everyone else was. They sure missed a great day and there won't be many more. I had a doctor's appointment later so left at 10:15 but by then I had had enough anyway.

   Big scare half-an-hour ago. I plugged in the computer and it wasn't charging. Everything seemed to be attached but then I tried it in other outlets in the family room - nothing! Soon I realized that none of the outlets were working. It finally dawned on me - it was a blown fuse! Now the problem was to find the correct fuse and a new one with which to replace it. By trial and error I was finally able to make the replacement and get back on line. Reminder to self: buy some more fuses.

   Since I didn't get into the Thursday Zumba Gold class I was available to fill in at Sheila's Bridge table this afternoon. I had a couple of great hands and Sheila had a small slam but Pinkie and Mary-Lee still came out ahead! Perhaps they will invite me to play with them again.

   I came home and sat in the sun for a while then cut the back grass - it was overdue for a clipping and the garden looks much tidier. Just leftover chicken for dinner but I found two rather over ripe tomatoes in the vegetable patch (one with some mushy spots) so I will see how much of them I can use and make a tomato sauce for the chicken. I am starting to use up stuff in the fridge in preparation for my trip so it will be carrots tonight.

   No afternoon nap today so I should sleep well tonight.

Nasturtiums

   The nasturtiums have done really well this year but I must make a note to myself to plant the seeds indoors before winter is over in order to have them flower earlier. Usually I plant the seeds directly into the garden as soon as the soil warms up but I was a little late this year. They are just now at the height of their blooming and it won't be long until I have to pull them up. I wonder if they will last until I get home from my trip on November 4th? It depends on whether we have frost. I will take a chance and leave them until then.

This is the display by my front door - quite spectacular!

Climbing the front steps. They really are gorgeous!

    First fitness class this morning, followed by coffee and a chat with the other fitness addicts as we hashed over the problems of the world (mostly the upcoming election in the States). I am happy to say I also got enrolled in the Friday class but am on the waitlist for Zumba Gold. It is very popular.

   Don Mills AGM this evening and I have to give a report on the Kaffeeklatsch socials. I have a couple of questions for the Executive regarding the program as I would like to make some improvements next year ( if they ask me to run it again!). I feel it has been one of the more successful programs run by the club, but that's my biased opinion!

   No dinner tonight as they sometimes have refreshments after the meeting. If not I will have a chicken sandwich when I get home.