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Carm and I are exceptionally good at some things, and perhaps what we are best at is project avoidance. There are countless little and big things that need doing around the house that have been around for so long they are now invisible... oh yes... we are good.

I won't name the big, obvious ones that need a paint can (or 10) to complete... those jobs are still in the someday category.

Christina, her daughter, and two young kids that she is babysitting were over for a swim last week. After the swim we gathered around the table to have a little snack. There weren't enough places to sit, and I had to stop people from sitting on the benches which have totally rotted out seats. Shame is a good motivator.

Okay. No more putting off this task so we started the work of finding the right sized wood - 2 places didn't have what we needed, the third place had something we could make work.

It's not unusual for us to get this far in a project and then meander off into some other distraction, but not this time! Carm bought the wood. Got out the measuring tape. Got out the chop saw. And got to work. I stood on the fringe and stacked slats and handed screws.

It was brutally hot on the back deck. Sweat was running everywhere and my head was starting to wobble. Thankfully we ran out of screws so had to take a break after one bench was done. POOL time! Oh the delight of cool water on a hot day! Is there any other feeling so heavenly?

Carm dashed to the store for screws and before you could blink we were done! That's one checkmark on a list of many items.

I heated up the leftover ribs last night, and threw a few baby potatoes into the actifry. It didn't take me long to whip up a batch of spicy oil dressing and of course the olives and arugula for a re-do of those scrumptious potatoes. Oh yeah. They are a dieters nightmare as the memory of them tickles the back of the brain with a chorus of 'more, more'.

This morning I made another batch of the dressing to have on hand... in case the roasted zucchini that we are having tonight prove to be too boring ;-)

Do you like your food really hot? As in temperature hot? I prefer most things room temp or slightly warm - I think the flavours are more pronounced.

A few nights ago I had it in my mind to make black beans - not black bean soup, but thick beans with only a little broth. This is one area that I have not mastered with the instant pot. I always put too much broth and end up with a soupy mess. So we had soup... on a 31C day... not summer food :-/ And of course there are leftovers for two more nights. Soup anyone?

"Spring flew swiftly by, and summer came; and if the village had been beautiful at first, it was now in the full glow and luxuriance of its richness. The great trees, which had looked shrunken and bare in the earlier months, had now burst into strong life and health; and stretching forth their green arms over the thirsty ground, converted open and naked spots into choice nooks, where was a deep and pleasant shade from which to look upon the wide prospect, steeped in sunshine, which lay stretched out beyond. The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green; and shed her richest perfumes abroad. It was the prime and vigour of the year; all things were glad and flourishing."
~Charles Dickens