Starving

 Yesterday was a day of numerous sprints to the loo after drinking that awful liquid, no food and very little sleep.  Today, all done and duster so to speak,  so my insides are clean and no serious issues.   Now to eat, toast and marmalade and a cup of tea that I have been waiting for two days.  Who would know a cup of tea cures all ails.  I am English born and when I was living at home there was always a pot ready to make a cup of tea.   Mum liked her tea, it would be a very strong cup for her, none of this "pee quick" as she would describe a very weak cup of tea.  I still like a cup with my lunch and dinner.  My D.I.L. likes Earl Grey I prefer Tetley myself.  Also like Green tea and in the Summer a nice tall glass of iced tea.  Not fond of the flavoured teas.

Do you drink tea?  What kind, hot or iced?

Going to be a quiet day today, might even have a nap this afternoon to pull myself together as I don't have too much ambition, jobs that need to be done will still be there tomorrow.  

It was cold last night, temp down to -12*C, we do have some sunshine today which makes it feel warmer.

Having left over roast beef from Sunday, so no cooking tonight as I don't feel like cooking a meal even after a nap.   Better tomorrow.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

  

Almost a flower

Just after new year's I planted an Amaryllis bulb, it grew very quickly, now the flower is almost ready to emerge from the green coating around it.    Finally tossed the poinsettias I had in the house, the one I was trying to get to change colour did not do well,  the one of purchased looked quite sad so they both went into the compost bin.  I also have a couple of flowers showing bud on the cactus.  

We debated whether to go for a walk this morning or not, as when we were having breakfast it was raining but stopped shortly thereafter.  So all togged up we stepped out the door and it had started to rain/snow mix, off we went anyway.  It was not too bad underfoot but still used my hiking poles to avoid any slipping on the snow covered ice.   Then it started to snow big flakes, by the time we got home our clothes had to be put in the drier to dry them as they were so wet.   It was not cold, so it was a nice walk just the same.

Hubby is out in the garage fixing the snow blower still, the part that directs the snow which is being picked up with the rotating blades is not working.  

I will soon get into the sewing room and finish a quilt top, then should prepare the roast of beef we are having for dinner tonight.   I took the last two portions of the cheese cake we had at Christmas out of the freezer for our dessert.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

  

Meeting

 The first quilting guild meeting of 2023 was held last night, it was great to meet with everyone again.   We do not have meetings in December, so November seemed a long time ago.   The group will be making quilts for the chemo patients at a local hospital again this year.  Such a worthy cause, unfortunately, all the quilts we donate are all given away much too quickly to those who have cancer.  One just wishes we need not make them anymore as they are no longer needed.

Another member and I live in the same city and we drive together as it is a 25 km trip and in this Winter weather it just makes sense to keep each other company during the trip, never know when the snow could cause a mishap of some kind.   

Usually, we have some in depth conversations,  my companion is a writer of novels and she told me she goes to old cemeteries to see if she can see any different or old names to use in her books.  Of course, that subject was discussed during our travel.   Last night we discussed if we still had any memorabilia from our childhood still in our possession.  When we came to Canada, we could only bring so much personal stuff with us, so my sister and I had to choose.  What does a 12 and 10 old choose to keep or leave behind forever.  

I chose my books about the Royal family, butterflies, birds and flowers of the UK books.  All of which are in my cedar chest.  Also, carried with me an autograph book, which contains sayings and signatures from school friends some forgotten but two still write.  I also have signatures of some of the crew from the ship we sailed on and some local TV personalities, who have now all passed.

Do you have anything from your childhood?  If so, what and if not, why.

Went for our walk this morning after I dug out my hiking poles, they gave me a bit of confidence walking on the street and sidewalks today as some areas were a bit slick.   Will use it every day during the Winter when it looks a bit slippery.

Dinner tonight leftovers,  no cooking for me tonight, thank goodness for the microwave.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

Snow, snow and more snow

It was a wise decision to set out early for our walk, as it snowed all day long, sometimes big flakes, small flakes then a misty type snow which felt more like rain.  This all due to the temperature hovering around the zero mark.  Thank goodness there was no wind or we would have been in the middle of a blizzard, blowing all of this snow around into huge drifts.

All seems quite calm this morning, so far.   Still cloudy but, sure there will be some additional snow as per the forecast.  We have a table outside on our patio, the snow piled on that is a good indication of how much we have received.  Measuring it this morning, 6 3/4 inches of snow and Hubby's snow blower has broken down.   

Just to give you an idea of have big our our driveway is, it is double wide which is big enough for two cars to park side by side, it is also long enough to have four cars behind one another, a total of eight cars can be in our driveway.  The snow blower not working..     UM...a lot of snow to be removed, certainly not by me. I don't do snow removal, been there done that, not any more.

Got my puzzle finished yesterday, now I want to put it in a frame for my sewing room.   Also, did some sewing on my old machine, it is a clunker but is working fine.   Made many clothes on it for my two girls when they were young, also dresses for me and numerous other garments over the years.  Don't make clothes any more.  Can't wait for my machine to come back from its cleaning which will not be until next week sometime.

Going to my quilting guild meeting this evening, so hope the weather stay fine so the roads will be cleared.   

Hope you have a great day.

Cheers. 

Didn't have soup

 Dinner last night was a nice piece of salmon, some mushrooms that needed to be used up, also some mixed veg.  Rice pudding for dessert.

This morning we stocked up the cupboard, fridge and freezer for another week.  Prices don't seem to be making any change, higher if anything.   We do buy non perishable things which we use when they on sale, saving quite a bit doing that.  I only have a problem with the storage, not much in this house, we even have some packaged goods in one of the bedroom closets.  Hey, it works and who goes into the closets, only us.

We have sunshine this morning which is carrying on into the afternoon, I like this, however, it is not suppose to last as snow is coming our way.  The newspaper this morning indicated our area had the warmest January on record, OK Mother Nature lets work on February being the warmest on record. 

The son of our next door neighbour who passed away last year came knocking on our door today, asking us if he could take us out for dinner tonight.  He is such a nice young man, and it appears to me he is missing is Father a lot, what son wouldn't, so he sees Hubby as a substitute.  This young man is an airline pilot, so we don't see very often.

At 5:00 p.m. on the nose he picked us up and we went to a new Italian restaurant, nothing fancy, the food was nice, we may end up going back another day on our own.  We talked for a long while after our meal, an enjoyable evening was had by all.

January 25th. Wednesday.

This post is a combination of yesterday's that did not get published so finished it off today.

Today, we have snow and there is forecast of at least five inches to fall during the next few hours.  An early walk this morning right after breakfast, so we did not have to walk in piles of snow later in the day.  It was not too bad underfoot, not slippery yet,  with the temp on the zero mark it was not cold either.  

Today is a grand daughters 25th birthday, it seems just a few days ago her Mum, Dad and I were on a plane picking her up.  I won't get to see her for awhile as she is busy with her studies and in this Winter weather I would not attempt to drive the 8 hours to see her.  She lives in the capital city of Canada, which is a long distance north of me.  When the weather breaks for Spring I might make the trip.

Dinner tonight is the chicken I was planning to have last night, so not much thought required. 

Beautiful

 Yesterday I mentioned the fall of snow, it was a wet snow with no wind to blow it around, so it landed on all of the branches of the trees and bushes.   It was still there this morning, we had a brief interval of sunshine just as the sun was rising, when it reached the tree tops the snow turned golden , the trees looked as if they were glowing.  Unfortunately,  was not dressed and wandering around in my nightwear outside in -4*C with several inches of snow on the ground, was not something I was going to do to get a photo.  

Ho hum around here, no exciting things happening to write about.  This time of the year is a bit depressing even though the weather has been co-operating.  

We went for our walk this morning, it was a bit slippery under foot, we both made it home safe and sound.   Hubby still needs to stop a couple of times due to the pain in his leg.  Dr. advised it could take at least six months of walking to feel any improvement.  That seems like a very long time but Hubby must remember it has taken a lot of years to get to this point, a month is not going to fix it.

The two poinsettia's I had for Christmas are going in the compost, the one I bought is loosing it's leaves and the one I have been nurturing for months is not looking much better.  Have I lost my green thumb?  The amaryllis is growing, the stem holding the big bud of a flower is getting taller, and the geraniums are doing well, so must be doing something right.

Dinner?  will have to go and look, I would be happy with a hearty soup.

Have a great day.

Cheers.  

We were snow people

 After shower and breakfast this morning we started out for our walk,  it was a lovely morning for the last week of January.  Temp right on the one degree mark, no ice, rain, or snow, so off we went.  We are always wearing clothing which keeps us warm, a good thing it was today, as just a short distance from home we saw some snow flakes, then some more and even more were falling.  We walk for just a little over half and hour, when we arrived home you couldn't see the colour of our clothes as they were white with snow and very wet.  We have been home now for an hour and it is still coming down, big soft flakes settling on the branches etc.  now about an inch has fallen.  If this keeps up all day we will have to do some digging, well! not me, I don't do that any more.

We had a lovely visit with friends last night, good laughs, wine and nibbles so a good time was had by all.  It's a shame we don't do this more often, as that is a big miss for me.

Hubby will be watching an American football game this afternoon, I will be doing some of my puzzle and some sewing, I need to get a block finished for my quilt guild meeting on Thursday.   My sewing machine is making a bit of a noise every once in awhile, so I have oiled and cleaned my old one so it can be used while my good quilting machine is getting a tune up.

Not sure what we are going to have for dinner, will have to decide soon.

Have a wonderful day,

Cheers.

Pulled muscle

 A couple of weeks ago I was cleaning out our cupboard that stores our canned goods, it is in the unit under the counter, so I had to sit on the floor to do this job.   In the process I turned the wrong way too far and too quickly and pulled a muscle on my right side.  It is  taking it's time to  get better.

Went for our daily walk this morning, it is so nice to get out without having to worry about falling on the ice or snow.   We are suppose to get some in the coming days though, the month of January has been all but free of snow in our area, hope this will be an indication of what February may bring.

Three loads of laundry done this morning, no more now until next week.  Cleaning service came yesterday so we are all spic and span for awhile. 

We are having company come over for a visit tonight, just wine and cheese and I have some fruit cake which I gave a drink to last night.  Nothing fancy just something to nibble while chatting.

Going to do a bit of my puzzle and some sewing this afternoon.

Dinner tonight left over pork tenderloin from last night,  will do some more veg and potato.  Cheese cake from Christmas for dessert.

Forgot

Busy yesterday, so did not remember to post until it was too late in the day.

Had an appointment to have my hearing aids checked, all good after a couple of adjustments.  The audiologist who was taking care of me is a lovely girl, knows her job very well and does it well.  However, I know staff at every company, service etc. are encouraged to sell you something, and usually it costs an arm and a leg.  "I would hear a lot better if I had custom fitted domes that went into my ears".  She said.  Of course, they are not free,  so asked her the cost.   Thank you very much, but I can hear just fine at the present time with what I have, will think about it for the future.

Lunch and a walk, before you know it time to get some dinner as we were going to the movie theatre to see a filmed version of Andre Rieu's concert from Dublin.  Have you ever been to one of his filmed concerts?  I love going and listening to his orchestra and the talented tenor's and soprano's who sing the most beautiful music.  How those sounds come out of a human body  is amazing.  This was the first performance we have seen which was filmed at this time of the year, usually we go in August to see the one he films in Maastricht (Sp) Holland.  

Day done, no post.

We have a wet blustery day today, the weather this January is such a change from what we usually get.  No snow on the ground, bulbs getting taller as they peek out of the soil.   There can't been too much frost in the ground.  Days are getting longer which is nice, only minutes a day, over a week it is 15 - 20 minutes.

Received a letter yesterday which indicates I have an appointment for a good clean out and a scope just to make sure nothing is amiss.   Not had this procedure before so thought it was time and even way past due to have it done.  So in a few days will be practicing for a marathon or maybe a sprint, I think that is the better description.

Should decide what we will have for dinner, so will get moving.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

Foggy again

Mild temps, some rain a recipe for fog this morning, much better than the forecast  of freezing rain.  These milder temps and no snow cover on the ground and my snow drops are  up and a couple have flowers.   They better beware and the cold temps we will eventually get will freeze them if no snow is insulating them.  It always amazes me, how bulbs such as snowdrop, daffodils and tulips can survive with the freezing cold temps, but have an onion freeze and it all turned to mush.  Nature does some fantastic miracles.

Grocery day again today, prices still climbing but, we have to eat.

Went for our morning walk and did not get rained on, actually it was a very pleasant day to be walking.  Hubby has a blocked artery in his leg which causes him pain while walking, however, Dr. told  him to walk as it will make other blood vessels in his leg do more work, thus limiting the amount of pain.  So the reason for walking every day, Dr. indicated it could take six months or more, so don't know if he will be able to keep at it for that long.   Another reason as to why he is walking, we are going on a vacation at the end of July and walking will be necessary.

Hubby as to fend for himself to night as I am going out for dinner and theatre with a couple friends, the three of us worked together years ago.  Looking forward to the night out and some catching up.   We did not purchase the full subscription of plays this year as three of them were not to our liking, so this one will be the last until next year.  But, we are still planning on having either lunch or dinner together on a regular basis.  

Still working on my jig saw and my sewing, keeps me busy and out of trouble.

Have a great day,

Cheers.

Two days in a row.

 Oh! my word, we have sunshine again today, temp went down to -10C last night, but climbed to -4C when we went for our walk this morning at 10:30 a.m.  There was no wind, very pleasant. 

And, for the second day in a row, we have been receiving telephone scam calls from Amazon.  Several charges are waiting for me to pay, Yeh, right, I don't buy anything on Amazon, yesterday we had fifteen (15) calls that went to our answering machine, so far today we have had two.  Nothing but a pain in you know where.

Started a new project in the sewing room yesterday, pleased with the colours I have chosen for this baby quilt.  Also, pulling fabric together to make the kits, where did all these small scraps of fabric come from?  I don't throw anything away, that's the problem,  fabric is pricey, that is why I hate to throw them away, frugal me!!

I swear the Amaryllis I was given at Christmas, grows at least a half inch every day, now it has some sun maybe a little faster.  I have all but given up on getting the poinsettia to change red, but will continue to water and care for it just the same, maybe it will do better for next Christmas.  It will go outside for the Summer and will be brought in earlier that I did this time.

I am getting help with dinner, so should ask Hubby what he wants to help prepare for our meal this evening.  Last night we had chili, toast and a salad, strawberries for dessert.   It was all good, so will have that again in the future.

I am off

Have a great day

Cheers.

 

Ice

When we went to bed on Thursday night,  it had rained then the temp plunge below the zero mark causing all of the rain now to become freezing rain.   During the night we had a light fall of snow., not as much as predicted thank goodness, which was more than I wanted to see.

After the usual routine of early morning, I had some errands to do, first, however, needed to scrape the ice off the windows of my car.  This job to 20 minutes, I hate driving with even a small amount of snow on my windows.  The streets in the subdivision were quite slippery, main streets were clear from all the traffic, home, everything taken care of.

Puzzle coming along nicely, only do a few minutes each day or nothing else would getne.

I going into the sewing room this afternoon cutting up fabric for the next couple of days to make up my own kits, so when I feel like going in there and closing the door, I can just sew, no prep of fabric needed. 

Yesterday, was cloudy and bitter wind blowing, along with the slippery streets we did not get a walk done.  Today, it is still cold but, we have sunshine and a few white fluffy clouds.  Once the laundry is done we will bundle up and get our 1.4 mile walk taken care of.

I want to lose a few pounds, no, more than a few, by the time the Summer comes, as all being well, we are going to be off on a vacation.  It has been three long years since we had a vacation, looking forward to, saying no more just in case I jinx it.

Well, bell just rang dryer done it's job, folding clothes and off outside.

Have a great day.

Cheeers.

Pea Soup

 Not the creamy soup you eat, the kind which envelopes the country side in a white blanket.   As a result of the mild temps the fog was very thick when we got up.  The area we live in is somewhat sheltered so certainly not as thick as it would be out in the country.  I had an appointment in a neighboring city, so know first hand how difficult it was to see as I travelled into the country where there were open fields.   I made sure my lights were all on, and thank goodness, all the other vehicles I met had theirs on also, so no worrying if there was someone in front of you or coming towards you.   By the time I was ready to return home it had lifted somewhat, getting ready for the rain which is forecast for later in the day.

Yes, we are suppose to get some substantial rain later today, snow tomorrow and Saturday with colder temps and then by Monday milder weather again.   It seems as if the whole world's weather is very mixed up at the present time.  The only good thing with the mild weather, we are not experiencing high heating bills and we have not had to remove a lot of snow from the driveway.  Famous last words.

Hubby has a Dr. appointment this afternoon, he wants a follow up appointment for his health problem he had just to make sure all is OK.

Not sure what we will have dinner tonight, must get my thinking cap on.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

Golden Globes

We have one in the sky and we watched the award show for the Golden Globes on TV last night.

First the one shining, it is a little muted today but we could still see our shadows  when we went for a walk this morning.  Plus 2*C with a brisk wind from the East, those winds usually bring us rain and/or freezing rain at this time of the year.  Rain for most of tomorrow is the forecast with plus 5*C.   We don't need to shovel rain, so I will take it any time.

The award show, I watch it mostly to see the fashions the rich and famous are wearing.   Certainly glad I am not rich and famous as some of the clothes I would not be caught dead in.  What ever possess a woman to wear a dress she cannot walk in as it is so tight, those shoes do not help in any way either.  One "star" had to keep hauling up the top of her dress as her boobs were pulling it down just a little more than she was comfortable with.  My advise to her, don't wear a strapless dress when you are so well endowed as she was. 

Oh my goodness.. that reminds me of me a lot of years ago.   I was going to a dinner/dance with late hubby and several couple friends.  This is at a time when everyone would buy a new outfit for a special function as this was.   Went shopping with one of the other women, both of us were wanting a strapless dress, found the ones we liked, picked up a bra and off we went to the dressing rooms, she in hers and me in mine..  Appropriate undergarment in place, then the dress, all set for the test.  The test, to see if this dress stayed up where I wanted it.   Jumping up and down, twisting, bending and stretching....it passed.   We looked quite fashionable and had a great time.  OK, back to the fashions of today.

Men, those styles range from shirts hanging out of the pants, tuxedoes, red dresses and everything else in between.

I am just an old fuddy duddy,  who has a difficult time to accept these fashions which are more than likely not the ones these people would want to wear in the first place.  They have an image to keep up for us the movie goers and TV watchers.  Fashion designers want their clothing to be seen and what better place than an award show.  

Some of the movies which received awards I have seen, plus a couple which I would like to see, if an when they come to the big screen.

Dinner tonight chicken, steamed cabbage, mushrooms and maybe some rice.  Not sure if we will even have dessert tonight, but may get out some of the goodies I made for the holidays.  

Have a great day.

Cheers.

 

A lovely time was had by all

The sunshine didn't last as we have clouds again today, plus 5 *C no snow or bitter winds, I will take this weather any day.

Groceries again this morning along with a couple of errands then lunch, morning gone.

Went for a walk, our usual route gives us some inclines, some level ground and then down hill again to home.   Hubby has to stop a couple of times due to the pain.

I had a lovely evening with the quilting guild last night.  I opted for salmon which came with a lovely sauce, carrots, asparagus and mashed potatoes.  A glass of wine and a coffee topped off the meal.

While we had waited for our meals to arrive at the table we were offered a baguette with a garlic spread, delicious it was, however, when the bill arrived, along with the meal and beverages everyone was charged for 1/13 of the baguette, never heard of such a thing.   Also 10% gratuity was added to the bill, so my Visa took a hit.  Never mind it's only money and I don't do it often.

The price of grocery items are going up for everyone, even restaurants.  Are you finding price increases when you eat out?

Our regular meeting, the first one of the year will be at the end of the month.

Dinner tonight leftover roast beef, baked potato, asparagus, gravy and vanilla mousse for dessert.

Have a great day.

Cheers.  

Out to dinner tonight

 Guess what!!!   We have sunshine, our weather network on the web wrote, "It has been a MONTH since we saw any sunshine" and I believe it, so many dark dreary days.  Just so nice to see some blue sky for a change.   The temps for the upcoming week indicate no major cold snap or snow, my kind of Winter.   Hope we don't end up paying for it in Feb. March or even April.  Do you have sunshine today?

We went for another walk this morning, Hubby's leg does not seem to be improving much, he is expecting too much too soon, as the Dr. did indicate at least six months for any improvement.

We saw two deer this morning, first time we have seen them for several weeks, they must like this weather as no snow is covering the food they get on the ground.

Cut fabric for the baby quilt yesterday, did not do anything on the jig saw puzzle.

Tonight I am going out for dinner with my quilting guild, at this time every year we celebrate with a holiday dinner at an Italian restaurant.  Later this month is our regular meeting and we also have a day scheduled for a sewing day.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

Dull and dreary

 Both the weather and me, I do need the sunshine to perk me up, does not look as if they will happen any time soon.  

At least we have no snow, ice or bitter cold winds to contend with so should not complain, although, we are never happy with the weather are we?  either too hot, too cold, or wet, or dry and on and on.

Went for another walk today, no wind, quite pleasant.

In the sewing room this afternoon, started a baby quit for my great grand nephew, who will be entering the world in February.

Cooked a roast beef for dinner tonight, it was really good, and if I say so myself, I make the most delicious gravy.  Reminder to me get some horse radish when grocery shopping on Tuesday.

Not much else happening, as usual, these days, going to have to do some shaking up around here.  The days just meld into a week, a  routine that never wavers, nothing changes.   I know the weather does not allow to be done but..............

All I seem to do each day is moan and groan, you all must be getting quite tired of it.  Sorry.

Have a great day

Cheers

Sun? is that sun

The sky is full of clouds, but once in awhile there is a little opening, a little ray of sunshine can peek through, not very strong but it is sun just the same.

Laundry on, only two loads today.

Went for my walk again yesterday, planning on another today.

Worked on my jig saw puzzle.

Cleaning ladies did a nice job yesterday, two new ones, going to call their office to enquire about having them come every time, as they did such a through job.

Not much else going on here today.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

Slow and steady

 Dull dreary days here, might see some sun tomorrow, I need some sun.

Potted up my amaryllis and started my puzzle, slow going on that, have the outside done and also some pieces here and there.  So many colours and shapes within the pieces so it is going to take a while.

Cleaners here today, it has been three weeks since they were here last due to some bad weather before Christmas.  Two new ladies, they did a good job today, going to request I get them next and every time.

I have a grand niece who became engaged last week, getting married in October if all their plans work out as they hope they do.  Two quilts need to be made, a baby for a grand nephew and now one for the bride and groom.  Better get my rear in gear so they say.

Went for a walk again today, so far so good, hope I can keep it up in the snowy slippery weather.  Feel a lot better for it.

Not much else happening here at the moment.

Have a great day,

Cheers.

Wet and cold

 Today is one of those days where the wet weather just seems to seep into your body and makes you cold.  The temp is 7*C, certainly not feeling like that at all.  We are forecast a lot of rain, so glad it is not coming down as snow or there would be a lot on the ground.

Rivers are swollen over their banks due to the snow thawing and the rain.   At this time of the year, the area we live in has a January thaw, a reprieve from all the snow and cold temps for a short period of time.  

Not sure what day it has been for the past week, now all the stores are open and everything back to a normal routine, finally I know today is Tuesday.    

Put the Christmas decorations away yesterday, the outside of the house looks very dark in the evening now because those lights are down and put away too for another year.

We did get some groceries this morning, also a trip to the pharmacy to pick up some toothpaste etc. I have a terrible headache today, so not sure what else is on the agenda, think it will be an afternoon of not doing much.

I want to pot up my Amaryllis and start the jig saw puzzle that are both Christmas gifts given to me, also want to start a baby quilt for a little boy who is due to arrive in February.   Those things will be done tomorrow.

Dinner tonight, chicken not sure what else at the present time.

Have a great day,

Cheers.

 

New calendar

 Put up the new calendar for 2023 which used a photo I had taken which is on the month of May.

Cloudy, no rain today, temp above the zero mark by three degrees, so a walk is on  the list of things to do this afternoon.  Hubby will be watching either football, not the soccer kind, or hockey, a bit tired of both of those.

May start my jig saw puzzle, really not in a very good mood today to do much of anything.

Happy New Year to all who read my blog.

Cheers