It isn't hard to get into a bit of routine with few surprises when it comes to weekly menus; you tend to stick to what seems satisfactory; it tastes good, prepares readily and fits the bill. I was prepared to coat-and-roast chicken breasts as I've been doing lately on Fridays. The only staple that never changes is chicken soup. Usually a potato pudding and roasted cauliflower accompanies the chicken breasts. And of course some manner of baked dessert. Then, early in the day Irving suddenly mentioned that he missed the chicken dish I often made last winter.

That was an altogether different chicken dish; thighs well seasoned, briefly sauteed then immersed and slowly simmered in a mushroom-carrot sauce to be served over rice with cauliflower on the side. I'd forgotten and he reminded me, and so I went about preparing that for dinner. And it was fine. It's actually a favourite of his, while I tend to favour the roasted chicken breast. And so goes it.

The unusual cake I had prepared in the morning turned out as oddly as the recipe I'd found on the Internet. The bottom crust, yeast-raised, with a focus on buttery, held a butter-egg-flour batter that when baked became a custard. And although I had added a half-cup of ground almonds the custard tasted of lemon. I hadn't known quite what to expect, but the cake itself which we had for dessert, was quite good, the tangy custard complementing the buttery yeast-raised 'cake'. 

On this morning's news ending with the weather forecast, another warning of danger of frostbite. The nighttime low of -24C, was to rise to -14, but with the modest wind factored in it would seem like -30C. And it did, actually, when we ventured out in the early afternoon. We had considered not going out again, as we did yesterday. But remaining at home all day left us with the discontented feeling that something was missing.

Our consciences pricked, thinking of Jackie and Jillie. They should be exercised, we moaned. Of course we're missing the fresh air and the exercise too when we abstain. But the thought of the cold whipped into the interstices of winter garments on these excessively cold days can sometimes not be quite appealing. So we stayed home yesterday. Despite that it was sunny.

We had sun today, too, but also light wind; 15 to 20 kmh. Even winds that light in -14C temperature can feel pretty icy, and it doesn't take long before any exposed skin begins to tighten and feel as though it's turned to ice. Ice was what had become of the creek in the ravine; solid, thick, glittering where it was exposed; otherwise fully covered with layers of snow over the ice.

We did see some people out on the trails. Some with children, some with dogs, some with both. Fact is the landscape is irresistible. Fact is people need something to do, to distract them from the oppressiveness of COVID-concerns and -restrictions. Thing is, children need to be active and in the process if at all possible -- and it is, here -- exposed to nature. Thing is, dogs need the exercise. And so do we.