Another 'wonderful' week...

Well, school is closed for the Easter holidays.  This has thrown me actually - didn't they just go back to school after half term?  It feels like it anyway?

Had a bit of a horrid week.  If I was an animal I think I'd have been put down.  The lower half of my body has been in so much pain that I genuinely haven't known what to do with myself, but carry on.  Which sounds mad to a lot of people but, it's the truth.  If you feel the same way sitting down or lying down then, you may as well feel that way upright and getting something done, right?  Aided by heat spray, heat pads, freeze spray, freeze gel, analgesic gels and shedloads of strong painkillers.  The pain has exhausted me this week, and when I saw Dr B with Caitlin, I told her that I was going to have to admit defeat and come in and see her next week.  However, if she mentions the word 'surgery' to me, I'll be leaving dust clouds in my wake lol.  So... very little has been done this week, as Mr G has also had a bad one.  I hope this letter comes quickly for his ultrasound, because I feel so helpless and I don't like seeing anyone hurting.  He had to go to the out of hours Doctors again yesterday morning and has been given another double course of antibiotics and, wait for it, *drum roll*... Pethidine!  He came back and handed me the tablets.  I looked at them.  I looked at him.  And I laughed.  At the irony.  I gave birth thrice on Entonox alone.  After his quip about the pain being worse than childbirth?  He is given a painkiller that women in labour are offered.  He looked a bit worried as to what Netty would make of that, and was sure she'd have something to comment...?

Yesterday was spent battling a hangover.  I'm knocking on 40, I should know by now.  My friend Denise turned up as I was dishing my tea up.  I offered her a glass of wine.  I joined her.  We sat outside putting the world to rights.  Opened a second bottle of wine.  I still hadn't eaten.  All day.  Except a packet of Quavers.  And of course, I was absolutely MULLERED.  For the first time since last October.  I am ashamed to say I vomited into a Disney Planes waste paper bin...  Yes.  Yes I did.  I hurled into Disney merchandise.  My bad.

My daughter has had to take a course of steroids and antibiotics for her bad chest, then to round her week off she and her boyfriend split up.  She took it in her stride, with a semi-foul mouthed rant about him, then disappeared into her room with a jar of Nutella and a spoon.  I feel helpless there too, because teen heartache is something that wasn't all that long ago for me - ok, admittedly I know it's long enough, but not so far back that I don't remember how awful it feels.  At the time.  I know I'm not helping by telling her that one day she'll look back at it, and him and laugh.  I'm also not helping by telling her that when she's really in love and gets her heart broken it will be a million times worse and she'll look back at break ups like this and wish it could all be so simple.  Not helping but it is the truth.  It's funny the things you realise for the first time as an adult, or as a parent I should say.  As to why our own parents might have told us that we're too young for boys and girls.  It's because the life span of these 'relationships' are short and sweet but devastating and we shouldn't be experiencing such heartache so early on.  She's sworn off boys until she's 'at least 29'.  Bless her.  I'll give her a week.

This week I have done a bit of cooking and baking, and will hopefully crack on with those posts after I publish this.  I'd been thinking about trying to make my life a bit easier, especially on days weeks like I've had this week, where the temptation to hit Just-Eat for a takeaway is a risk.  A few years back I would mass cook and freeze ahead, but back then I had a huuuuge kitchen, so it was a lot easier.  Now I have a few feet of floor space.  I was also thinking about what kinds of goodies I could freeze for when friends turn up.  I'm not the sort of person who always has a cake in a tin to offer someone a slice of.  I don't like 'bought' cake.  But if I make a cake in this house, it's gone.  Also, that sort of behaviour isn't good for the old diet.  I figured if I made a double batch of brownies, then they could be sliced, wrapped individually and then microwaved if someone wanted one.  Also, my Sticky Toffee Pudding is a firm favourite with my friends and family, but if I make a big loaf tin of it... yes, I eat it.  So I remembered that when I worked in the pub, we served them individually, one of the girls used to make them in a muffin tin.  I'd never tried this at home, and I managed to get 15 muffins out of the mixture that would make one loaf size.  The toffee sauce is so easy to whip up, literally 2 minutes in a saucepan, so if you call for a coffee over Easter, then I have something sweet to offer you ;-)

Triple Chocolate Brownies.  Yes.  TRIPLE!

I found my recipe for Triple Chocolate Brownies which had been awol for a good couple of years.  I made the Sticky Toffee Pudding Muffins which turned out brilliantly.  And Friday night it was Round 2 of the Fakeaway Chicken Kebab.  I found it was better than the first one, still didn't taste the same but a success in it's own right.  I also made homemade chilli sauce to go with this with chillies from my garden!  It was a burner, shall we say.  Little chillies are deceptive. 

Very little done in the garden this week, apart from Mr G making a new planter to go on the decking for his passionflowers.  We had a little giggle about this too.  Anyone remember the film adaptation of 'Dennis'?  Poor Mr Wilson, and the plant that only blooms once every 40 years and then dies almost instantly?  Well, in the old house we had a passionflower.  It was full of buds.  And at times I would catch him outside, just staring at it.  Willing the blooms to open.  He would go in the house, make a coffee and go back outside and I'd hear 'Bloody unbelievable!'.  It was almost like they were mocking him, waiting for him to go before opening.  Then came the point that there was one unopened bud left on the plant.  And we both stood.  Looking.  Watching.  Waiting.  He turned to go in to the loo, joking that if he came back out and it was open he would put weedkiller on it, and literally as he turned, side on, one of the petals 'pinged' open.  'Don't move!' I shouted.  'Turn back!'  And as he did, the other petals popped open, one by one.  It was a lovely thing to witness, actually. 


Oh Mr Wilson...

Mr G did another cracking job with his planter.  This cost £12.50 to make, he used planks of decking and a piece of 2 by 2.  We had the lining, nails and woodstain already.  After looking at the prices on them in B&Q the other week, it was definitely a bargain! 

We may have visitors for Easter, my husband's sister and brother in law and maybe my great-nephew Mason.  He's 2.  My house is not childproof any more?  My 'baby' is nearly 8!  We're going to need eyes in our backsides.  And I'm going to need a Turkey from somewhere... 

The Big Wheel is back in Beaumaris, and Adam is debating (stressing over) whether he wants to go on it.  Flat out refused to go on the one in Liverpool.  Nearly had a nervous breakdown merely looking at the one in Torquay.  And has just informed me that the one in Beaumaris is 'bigger than a T-Rex, which stands at 6 metres tall'.  Right... not holding my breath there then. 

Weather reports are being their usual contrary selves.  One minute we're looking at sleet, snow, high winds.  By today we're in for a 6 week long heatwave in April and May?  That's put camping firmly on my mind!  This week I'll be getting everything prepped for a last minute camping trip :-)  I'm not asking Siri for his input on the weather, Siri and I have fallen out.  The other night, I remembered I had left washing on the line.  I opened the back door and it was raining.  So I asked Siri 'Is it going to rain?'  Siri said 'I don't think it's going to rain'.  I said 'I think you're wrong'.  Siri told me 'You are certainly entitled to your opinion.'  Pffffffft.  Stick to flirting Siri, because you're no Michael Fish, love...

M x

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