A Colourful Autumn Weekend

Even though Summer is officially my favourite season of year, there is something to be said about the beautiful fall colours, bountiful selection of fresh produce and hours of weekend football games that Autumn brings.

D is on call this whole weekend so I’ve been filling my calendar with all sorts of activities to keep myself busy too… and I must say it has been nothing short of great*.

Record temperatures brought a beautiful sunny Saturday to our city. I spent the entire morning getting a good start on the necessary weekend chores that need to be done (cleaning, bills, laundry etc) so that I could spend the rest of the weekend doing Whatever-I-Wanted! After dancing with my old friend, the vacuum cleaner, I met with a great friend  (who doesn’t require an electrical outlet) and we walked all along the riverbank taking in the beautiful colours and wonderful smells that nature brings. We stopped for some sushi and then met with a third friend for a couple drinks on a sunny patio a few blocks south. Flowers were readily available at the local grocery store so I picked up a couple bunches along with the usual grocery fare. There are very few days of the year that we can comfortably sit outside at night so when D got off work shortly after 9pm, we decided to forego dinner at home and sat on a patio in a quaint neighborhood just across the river. It was glorious.

One of my favourite ways to spend a Sunday is to hit the local farmer’s market. We’re fortunate to have one near by so I gathered my things and set off. The market did not disappoint. I picked up some fresh corn on the cob, ambrosia apples, a jar of homemade borscht (to satisfy my Ukrainian tastebuds) and some organic beef. I’ve never bought meat at a farmer’s market before, so I’m looking forward to seeing/tasting the difference. Here’s hoping I don’t over-cook it – I’ve been known to ‘forget’ things on the stove only to come back to a smoking mess. 

One of the treasures I’m most excited about is a lemon tart I grabbed from a popular bakery stand. Apparently the crust is made from shortbread and the filling, a delicate balance of sweet and citrus. Here’s hoping I can resist until D gets home in four or so hours. Thank goodness my football team is playing on TV so I can focus on cheering them on instead of drooling over the lemony-goodness.

Oh, who am I kidding, I’m still gonna drool!

* Of course I wish I could share this weekend's festivities with D but such is life with his busy schedule. Here's hoping for great weather next weekend too!