.........Awoke very early so took advantage of it and, while Monty sat on the kitchen table waiting for his laser show, I sipped sweet tea enjoying his company. 'Very soon' I thought, 'my meditations will end and another high speed day will begin'. So for a few moments I felt calm.


Yesterday saw me dashing into town for an eye sight test then dashing back to braise some bacon then slicking on lipstick and tidying up my hair so as not to scare my guest the ever so punctual Mr Hairy Suit, whose recent pics of sunset over Southend made me gasp.

Dinner was late but excellent.
The bacon fell to bits, the carrots and parsnips tender and large, the mounds of well mashed buttery potato going down so well with heaps of Branston pickle. The boys of course wanted pud so after a quick clear away I served wedges of Carrot Cake made with muscovado sugar, full fat cream cheese and delectable hair pulling out gorgeous Organic Vanilla Bean Paste, complete with black bits. This amazing cooking ingredient was a gift from Hairy and since using it I've become a fan.. Plastic bottles of Vanilla flavourings, however pure and innocent the makers dress then up to be just don't compare to the real thing.

So yes dinner was late but cool.

And so after removing Hairy from the premises I sat with cat to watch The X Factor ( Mr H surfing) but Mother had other ideas. Namely. Listening to the semi-final of the Barclays Tennis tournament live from the O2. broadcast rather well by Radio 5 Live.
Loving The X Factor tosh as I do I thought it wiser and more beneficial to my health to give in and sit with Mother.
So there we sat, the three of us, Monty wrapped in my pink scarf, mum falling asleep surrounded by border of magazines and books and me, jotting down recipe ideas whilst listening as Federer smashed Murray. And although this wasn't the evening I'd have liked I managed to pull some good from it, namely  the numbing/relaxing effects of listening to the radio rather than the shrill heart thumping excitement of watching Nicole Shirtlifter hamming it up.

Today, this morning, hasn't been much good either. Mum doesn't feel up to going to the post office/charity shops/ chemists so in we stay, until, in a short while, I'll pop out on errands. Mostly drug related...

There's a tv prog tonight about Hitler. I'll record it and not watch it with Mother.

Cheerio!