My Weekend in Collingwood

Heated outdoor pool at Georgian Manor resort in Collingwood

On Friday, I busied myself at home preparing for a getaway weekend in Collingwood. My Dad and "Dee" had rented a timeshare for the week and asked my husband and I if we would join them for a couple of days. I got all my seeds planted in the garden and mowed the back lawn. I did up two loads of wash to dry in the sun, folded them up and put them away, and packed up my small suitcase. It was supposed to pour rain overnight, which prompted me to make sure the planting was done. We left at 8:30 Saturday morning after the worst of the rain was done. By the time we arrived at Georgian Manor, it was almost 1 PM and the sun was out. It was a gorgeous afternoon, so after lunch we spent the afternoon in the pool seen above. We also enjoyed a wee nap before a dinner  of barbecued steaks and corn on the cob, followed by a night of cards. 

The following day, after another rousing game of Skip-Bo, "Dee" and I did a little shopping in town. I was mostly window shopping until we got to the Dollar Tree.  I carry a notepad in my purse with a list of items that I would like to pick up the next time I am in the store. I found those items....and more.

While in Collingwood on the weekend, I went to the Dollar Tree 

I picked up a degreaser spray, Jergens hand soap, a 2 liter plastic container for storing pantry items, 2 plastic containers for storing leftovers or freezer meals, microwave popcorn (for the evening's card games), a new potato peeler that I desperately needed, AA batteries, 2-way tape for my card making, more hair elastics and sale stickers for our upcoming yard sale. 

Sunday evening, my dad treated us to a lovely meal at a nearby restaurant. The servings were so large that I ended up bringing most of my schnitzel home with me. After playing some more card games we were ready for some tea and rhubarb pie for dessert. (NO. I didn't have any). We had such a great relaxing time this weekend, that we didn't leave until after lunch on Monday. We got home at 5 PM, just in time to make dinner. 

Tuesday morning I drove into Kingston to see my friend who is recovering from abdominal surgery. She is doing much better. While two other friends of hers were there, we decided to pull up her carpet and rearrange her living room furniture. The carpet was going to be picked up later in the week for a cleaning, and the furniture was moved so that she was not sitting directly in front of the A/C unit in the window. We also took down her draperies and replaced them with new sun blocking drapes. Many hands made light work. I stayed behind after the other ladies left, to do up a load of laundry for her. I sorted and took her recycling with me to drop into the bins at the back door of the apartment. When I got home later in the afternoon, I helped my Sweetie replace a shelf in the kitchen before I fell into bed exhausted. I slept two hours. 

Yesterday I  weeded the front garden bed for two hours in the hot sun. I washed a large load of whites and lights to hang outdoors. I cleaned the cats' litter box again and put the garbage and recycling down to the curb for pickup this morning. I cooked mince and gravy over boiled potatoes with carrots and broccoli for supper. I read some blogs and made some comments. My Sweetie and I watched the last two episodes of the third season of "The 100" on Netflix. Now we need to find another series to watch until the 4th season comes out. 

I cashed in Pinecone Rewards for another $30 cheque

After posting my blog yesterday about my recent efforts to stay frugal, I remembered that a couple of weeks ago I cashed in my points for completing Pinecone Surveys. I received a $30 cheque in the mail. About the same time, I received a notice from Ontario Hydro that compared my electricity usage with others in my community. I am doing better than my most energy-efficient neighbours, according to them. I don't know if that is true, but my last hydro bill is the lowest it has been in a year. Woo-hoo.