Fool's Breakfast

I wouldn't call these ladies fools as they seemed to be enjoying a nice breakfast in the sun, but they were braving a lot of Irritants in the form of a chilly and persistent wind and the uninvited visitors...Canada geese who are returning en masse and will soon be everywhere with their young in tow.

I really wanted to get out and do something reasonably normal today, so a trip to Spring Lake fit the bill. The path around the lake is paved and flat and lined with benches with lovely views. John took off after Spike who was hot on the trail of every dog, and there were many, who had passed recently, so I took my time analyzing my gait as I walked along, trying to extend my right leg on each step and keep the weight even on both feet. This is common sense, but can be amazingly tiring after years of favoring one knee. It was a lovely morning and felt good to watch the ducks and geese, the mums out with their babies in strollers, the joggers and cyclists and plenty of people like me strolling along, some with the aid of canes or walkers. Knowing I had to get back, I went as far as felt prudent and then sat on a bench and waited for John and Spike to circle back. I've put a picture of my favorite cluster of rocks in extras. The wind was creating some interesting ripples and reflections.

By the time we finished it was almost lunchtime, so we went to our favorite French bakery and got two of their delicious ham, brie and fig jam sandwiches with arugula and a couple of frozen bananas from the Mexican ice cream store. (Too bad I know they're there and quite conveniently located. I'm going to have to do more than 2,500 steps at a leisurely pace to get away with too many of them.)

Back home I made a Moroccan orange marinade for chicken with oranges from our tree which are really good this year. Hopefully this will give us a leg up on the dinner preparations, which have been a bit fraught at times with me trying to instruct John how to do things I never thought about much and he never did.

I rode the Kitsilano beaches (in Vancouver) on the Peloton with Blipper Booky_Goatherd in mind as I know she and her partner, K are there right now enjoying a holiday in a place they love. We have spent a fair amount of time there ourselves and we love it too. It is one of the most beautiful, civilized cities I have ever visited with its proximity to mountains and sea and a vibrant and interesting downtown. It's been awhile since we've been back there and I enjoyed the ride.

Last evening Cindy came by with Hazel who tried to play with Spike but he was having none of it, so she cased the garden from top to bottom. This prompted John to take the rain covers off our porch furniture whereupon it began to rain. The sun was still shining and looking out the window it looked like it was only raining on the house above us. I got a picture of the rain caught by the sun which I'm also putting in extras. It was most unusual.