A Seriously Busy Day!

The cat wakes me at 5:00 am. He is hungry. I get up to feed him and then can't go back to sleep. I get up and answer a few emails. I bathe, tidy the apartment and finish reading a memoir by dear friend, Beth.

Then I clean both aquaria and change the water. Several of my females are about to burst with babies. Then I make a corn salad that I love to eat but hate to make. Arthritis makes gripping the corn cob hurt whilst I carve away the blanched kernels for the salad. Then I wash all the floors. I do this now regularly to minimize dust and coughing.

Then I make a shopping list and go to Granville Island. I do my shopping and then I meet my friend, Mog, for coffee. Then home in a lightning storm to eat. Then I measure and prep all the ingredients I need to baste the halibut and risotto in the morning.

I clean up and then start on the tart. My first tarte aux pêches: cooking the pastry shell, making a peach glaze for after making an almond paste and then more arthritic food gripping to slice all the peaches. But the end result looks good.

What I hate about my new hobby of baking is that so often you can't taste what you have made until you serve it. Also, I improvise on recipes and so that robs me of confidence as well. My courage to go on comes from asking myself: "How can you go wrong with butter, sugar and almond flous?" This is for friends coming tomorrow night so I am making it tonight in case if flops. The peaches are very juicy and that can make things challenging.

It's now 10:00 pm and I haven't been still all day except for my coffee with Mog. But the tarte aux pêches is looking good!