Summer, where are you?

May was a month that seemed to be full of discord and distress in our house… although it carried over into June, I worked hard to ensure it didn’t affect our lives more than it needed to, especially since my brother was visiting.

July has been a busy month, yet at the same time I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished very much. I would sum this up to the fact that I was feeling low with my chest infection, which I’m happy to report is now behind me. I went back to the gym on Saturday morning and have promised myself that I will work out at 3-4 times a week. If I don’t make it to the gym, I will take Molly out for an extra long walk, or go on a bike ride.

Andy and I have been using tennis rackets to bat a ball back and forth on the field for Molly on fine evenings – it’s great exercise for her, and not bad for me either, as I often race Molly for the ball if I miss (which I do more often than I like to admit. I won’t be making it to Wimbledon next year that’s for sure.)

I think I’m fed up because we aren’t having much of a summer here; I know most of my Canadian friends and family are (finally) experiencing a proper summer and Ontario is actually having a heat wave (nothing new there); I don’t feel sorry for those who are complaining, as I would love to feel some good, proper heat. When it gets too hot here (a very rare event), I don’t have a beautiful beach like Crystal Crescent to go to,

but what we have is good enough.  At the moment it's sunny and about a comfortable 20c but that will probably change in 30 minutes.

(I can only day dream of this place until next summer)

I haven’t been trying out very many new recipes lately as I’m trying not to overeat. Last night, after working out I did make a summer strawberry and almond crumble for Andy. My plan was to not have any at all, but then how can I deny myself a wee taste of something that I have made? So I did. And it was scrumptious if I say so myself. I only had a small bowl and wasn’t too hard on myself regarding the extra calorie intake as I haven’t had a glass (or bottle) of wine since the 3rd July. That’s 24 days. 24 Days... I don’t know why I’ve gone off wine. Not a bad thing I guess, as I was drinking too much of it. I’m sure most of you are aware of this, but for those of you who aren’t, wine has a lot of calories. Calories I don’t need.

In other exciting news, I’m now sleeping a bit better as I have finally booked myself an appointment with a  dentist. I have been a bit picky since moving to England in relation to finding a dentist – the few I have seen have suggested pulling a tooth rather than fixing it (not the answer) and as the dentist my husband and his children go to is definitely not up to my standard, I had been opting to visit the dentist on my trips back to Nova Scotia. However I haven’t seen that dentist in forever (I’m not telling you how long it’s been because of the shame) and I’ve decided that not seeing a dentist at all is worse than seeing a mediocre one. After looking around I have found a reputable, good dentist and have an appointment in a few weeks; And I will try my damnedest to not compare. I know they likely won’t have a hygienist clean my teeth and definitely won’t have a TV in the ceiling (mine back home didn't either, so that's ok) but if the cleaning last’s longer than ten minutes, I will not complain.

I was also delighted to stumble across two great blogs whilst searching for something completely unrelated: Ea-pea Dave's Terra Nova and Better After

The first appeals to me because of my Canadian roots, the 2nd because I can only ever dream of accomplishing the wonderful feats that are displayed over there and I might just get a little inkling of inspiration.