This was the view on Sunday evening as I headed out to do some late night grocery shopping and make a stop at a pharmacy a bit further afield. I was a bit tired since I have a cold so I got a late start. I'm glad I did get out because I needed the air and the walk. It was a bit chilly and the first time I've needed to wrap a scarf around my neck. It's been especially cold here over the past several days, especially at night. The temperature is down to 3 or 4 degrees Celsius at night and around 7 during the day. By the end of the week it should go back up to around 12 Celsius.
When I'm tired, I certainly don't feel like making dinner so I'm always proud of myself when I manage to get dinner ready. I usually try to keep my menu very simple. On Sunday night I sliced up some potatoes, onions, yellow bell peppers and sirloin tip steak, seasoned with a bit of pepper and a few splashes of soy sauce, put it all in the dutch oven and roasted it for about 45 minutes. I ate mine with a scoop of my favourite chili oil. Delicious.
On Sunday I was also able to declutter and recycle several large metal coffee cans and lots of plastic containers that fresh berries come in. I really wish they would package berries in paper containers like they used to. I guess because most of the berries are imported the juices would soak through the paper. Sunday afternoon a woman came by to pick up a couple pair of shoes I gave away.
I also washed this small star quilt I gifted to my mom many years ago and which now belongs to me. The dowel holding the quilt and the wall also needed a good cleaning from all the dust that accumulates. All the walls need a good washing but that is a large job so I just do some cleaning here and there. It's better to do a little at a time than to do nothing at all. Another of the many jobs I have to do around my home is to remove the one wall sconce (I gave the other one to a friend) and put up two new ones that I purchased some time ago. The sconces I bought are black as that was the only colour available. I'd prefer to have 2 white ones so I've been holding out until I can find them. If I can find white ones, the black ones will be put up in my living room area and I will then get rid of the floor lamps.
When I went shopping last night I picked up some wild salmon on a really good sale. I marinated it overnight in honey garlic sauce and baked it for Monday's dinner along with roasted, caramelized cauliflower and steamed brown rice.
I can see in my photos that the last two dinners look quite bland and colourless. Usually I try to make them more colourful because one eats with the eyes first. But they were delicious anyway and nothing was wasted. If I can get to the grocery store again before Thursday's sale ends, I will buy 2 more heads of cauliflower. At $3.00 a head, it is a bargain.
In January 2019 I travelled to Paris with my nephew. We had a great time and both of us would like to return some day, maybe during the Fall or Spring seasons. This year I've read a number of books set in Paris. The most recent one was written by Kate Betts, an American fashion journalist who began her career at Fairfield Publications European office in Paris. I found the book very interesting because she met the top fashion designers of the day: Karl Lagerfeld, Yves St. Laurent, Christian Lacroix, Christian Louboutin, Thierry Mugler and others. I am not a fashionista and I do not follow the fashion trends but I found it interesting to have a peek into the world of Parisian fashion through the eyes of an American expat.
Unfortunately, Canada's Covid numbers have been escalating since our Thanksgiving weekend a few weeks ago. New and various restrictions are being brought in in various provinces including British Columbia where I live in an effort to contain the virus. I continue to keep as isolated as possible and wear my mask whenever I have to go out and do business. Otherwise there is not a lot of excitement around here in day to day life. That is fine by me because it allows me to get the tedious jobs done.
If all goes well, I'm hoping to have different scenery and photos for you over the coming weeks and months. Just bare with me for a while longer.
What about your dear reader? What is keeping you busy and occupied during these Covid times?
Until I read from you, please stay safe and take care.
24 comments:
Well, we had lows of minus 20 C this week. Okay, I know you'll say don't complain , just get out of there!
Wow, that's pretty cold for October. I wouldn't say 'get out of there' because everywhere else in Canada is pretty much the same except here on the West Coast. I hope it doesn't get much colder there before Christmas.
It's still been really mild here...but it looks really nice where you are...
~Have a lovely day!-
Your dinners look and sound delicious. I always love to see what you are cooking. They give me some new ideas. I am sorry to hear you have had a cold. I hope you will feel better soon. Also sorry to hear about the covid numbers going up since Thanksgiving. Of course, we haven't had ours yet, and they expect the numbers to go up when we do...but I don't think that will keep people from having Thanksgiving. Maybe just be more careful about how many and what all we do. Still haven't made any specific plans here, but I expect we will have a nice gathering no matter who or how many feel like they can come. I love that quilted wall hanging! It is so pretty. Did you make it? It certainly brightens up your wall and looks so nice there. Have a wonderful week and please take care.
That quilt is a gorgeous piece of art. And a lot of work. I like where it is and hope it goes back there.
Thank you Teresa. Have a wonderful week.
It's cold here too. We had a bible study tonight and I wore my winter coat for the first time.
Your steak meal looks yummy! I'm not a salmon person so that one isn't for me. :(
I love the quilt!
Hi Pamela, I'm glad my dinner menus give you some good ideas for your dinners. I'm not sure how often you use the oven in Florida but where I live I can use it during all but perhaps 2 months in the summer. In the province where I live a health directive has come in that limits gatherings going forward to 6 outside people but if the family you live with already consists of 6 people, we are discouraged from inviting others in. I don't worry about all the numbers as such because I am self isolating as are all my loved ones near and far. I purchased the quilt for my mom many years ago and now I have it. I'm taking it easy this week. Have yourself a lovely week.
Thank you Joanne. The quilt is one of my favourite items in the house and it will remain where it is. I noticed in a photo from a few months ago that the quilt was off center. Now I think I've corrected that problem but have one side lower than the other. I'll have to fix that.
Hi Mari, so far I haven't had to wear my winter coat. When the temperature dips more I have some ankle length coats that I wear to keep my lower extremities from getting chilled. I'm glad you like the steak meal. I understand if you don't like salmon. We all have different tastes. Enjoy your week ahead.
Glad to say that our weather here is not too hold. It is a mixture of sunny and rainy days.
I like it best when there is a mix of sunny and rainy days. That way it doesn't get too monotonous and everything stays nice and green.
Fabulous blog
Hello Penny,
Your dinners looks delicious, I love Salmon. Your hanging star quilt is pretty. The COVID numbers seem to be going up all around the world. COVID never went away in the USA, it went down and kept spiking back up. Take care, enjoy your day!
Thank you.
Thank you Eileen. I like salmon too but only in small amounts because it so rich. Please stay safe as you go out and about on your walks.
You've been very busy and productive. Well done! I love that quilt and how you hung it above the bed. I have a passion for vintage quilts -- this one shines. And that opening photo of the city street with the lights -- lovely. You remind me I must get back to my clean and purge project!
Thank you Jeanie. I've not been able to do a lot or at least it doesn't seem like I have been but it all adds up to something at the end of each week. Thank you for the kind words on the quilt which I use for a wall hanging. I love it and like that it greets me whenever I go to the bedroom. All the best with the clean and purge. I have big plans to put 2 gardens to bed for the winter and to wash my carpets before I put up my Christmas stuff. Always something to do.
Your dinners look scrumptious.
Thank you Diane. I appreciate your visit and comment.
love rice, fish and cauliflower... healthy and delicious...yummy.
Have a wonderful day
How is the street view lit?
It was yummy. Thank you Tanza.
The street view is lit by street lamps and store lights. I very seldom ever use a flash. I don't like how the photos turn out.
Post a Comment