Plan

I had a lazy day today, self care to the max. Lazy self care, I hasten to add. No threat of shower gel, nor serum, nor lotion, nor potion touched my body today. I smell like a cross between a wet dog, a pack of Cheetos and a meerkat enclosure, it's not a good aroma tbh (but verra, verra interesting!). So, what I mean is that I sat on my arse all day, did zero housework (I do enough on the other days). Fleecy pyjamas didn't come off (which aided and abetted the slightly less fresh scent), tea was a batch cooked affair (but still lush!) and I am now sat enjoying a bottle of chilled chardonnay in peace, plotting the perfect Father's Day for Mr G while he is at work.

Shredded Beef Chilli courtesy of RecipeTin Eats. Look at how rich and lush that looks? One of us says it every time I make this, but this knocks regular mince chilli out of the park. It's also really, really good with pork (specifically a fattier cut such as shoulder steaks, trimmed of any visible fat), just sub any beef stock for chicken/pork stock and you're good to go. We do usually use pork for this because cost wise, it works out better than using steak if shopping at the supermarket. We had lovely large braising steaks to make this from a local meat wholesaler this time.

I didn't really get very far with my plotting while he was still at home, trying to get gift ideas for him. He's currently trying to buy me a laptop with his bonus from work, and I won't let him. I would love one, don't get me wrong, it would mean that I could do away with the desktop, I could take it to bed with me, or down to the shedpub if I wanted to write in peace. And I get the underlying care behind the gesture because I know him inside out. He knows that if I need peace, which I have done more than ever lately, I can just take it and go. Such a sweet, sweet, unselfish gesture from an absolute gem of a human.

Why doesn't he just bloody buy the laptop for me and be done with it, I hear you ask? Because Boomer. That's all I can say. Because Boomer. The amount of computer work and logging on to different systems he does at work astounds me, because he can't use Amazon, or send an email, or apply an iTunes voucher, or apply a system update, or remember one single password of his at home, yet he has about six different passwords at work and knows them off by heart. Go figure. But I wouldn't feel right spending money on myself, especially now, and especially when it's his. I get that it's up to him how he spends his money, but I'm not one for spending on myself (apart from the seventy tarot and oracle decks that are on their way from China from Wish - it's like waiting to DIE, honestly, we're into mid July for delivery ffs, but they were a bargain... I will never, ever call Hermes or DPD again, seriously!). He told me that I deserved it because everything he wants, I always manage to source for him...

... apart from his crocodile. Oh, and his vulture. I didn't tell you about the vulture yet, did I? He wants some sort of bone crushing vulture that he saw on National Geographic the other night when I was in bed. Bone eating bearded vulture. That's it. Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about. It looks like a bad tempered punk rocker seagull that has taken part in a colour run. Is that what they're called, those things where you get covered in that paint powder? One of those, anyway. Naughty looking buggers.

He doesn't read my blog any more, not since he went over to his phone from his tablet, so I'm pretty safe to tell you my plans so far. I've been trying to think of all the things that he loves, it's his day, after all. He loves me - which is good because he gets to spend all 24 hours with me! And yes, that was sarcasm... He loves music, unfortunately not the same music as I do, not all the time anyway, but he really has a penchant for Phil Collins, who I irrationally hate. Don't know why, just do. Genesis. See above. Thin Lizzy - I can get behind that, though. He loves Maltesers, and Crunchies. So, there's some sort of honeycomb theme going on there. He likes to look good and feel and smell good. He loves my cooking. He loves his rugby league. I've got a semblance of a plan, anyhoo... ;-)