In the midst of such nerve-racking unpredictability, any reminders of mild days ahead offer welcome respite. Enjoying well-chilled, crisp midwinter whites with delicious dishes does the trick nicely.

Mario Balotelli netted a stoppage-time penalty as Manchester City recorded a sensational 3-2 victory over Tottenham on Sunday.

Football: Before this match Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill said he admired Swansea’s passing style of play yet it was two delightful pieces of individual brilliance from Sunderland which separated the teams in the end.

In a delightful bit of programming, the Chattanooga Symphony offered a complete concert of music by a single composer on Saturday evening at the Tivoli Theatre.

Salad Girl, slipping through along the rail turning for home, opened a daylight lead with a furlong remaining, and then had enough left to turn back the late challenge of favored Delightful Magic and come away with a hard-earned neck victory in the $100,000 Gasparilla Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs.

Sunday, two horses finished in a dead heat in the Ocala Stakes at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. Both won.

Mario Balotelli netted a stoppage-time penalty as Manchester City recorded a sensational 3-2 victory over Tottenham on Sunday.

Warm days, nighttime showers and a few near misses added up to a splendid 2011 weather year for Vineyarders and their visitors. They enjoyed plenty of sunshine, with most of the Island’s rain falling at night. They also dodged some of the region’s most dramatic weather, including the remnants of a large hurricane and heavy snowstorms that landed elsewhere in New England.

Arsene Wenger has been rightly questioned after a shocking substitution contributed to Arsenal’s capitulation and 2-1 loss to Manchester United.

Mario Balotelli netted a stoppage-time penalty as Manchester City recorded a sensational 3-2 victory over Tottenham on Sunday.