Update from this mornings post...

Talking in advert breaks isn't exactly the way to make plans for life.
But we discussed and came quietly to a half-cocked agreement.
She'd do the sensible thing and open her mouth to her GP and I would continue to fume:)
Not really fume. Just get slightly warm over her recent unwillingness to make a legitimate fuss over health issues.
Got to speak up Mother. If you don't bother, who will?
So tomorrow we will go back to London to do blood tests and chat informally with doc about pencil thin legs and vomit.

My beef casserole is coming along nicely.

And so, with fingers crossed that Mr H. gets home at a decent time (arrived last night an hour late) I'll cheerily natter whilst serving beef soaked dumplings and grape jelly:)

A quick after thought...Jeremy Clarkson is not my cup of tea. His juvenile antics leave me wishing he'd feel the force of poverty or better still, a run in with a decent bout of depression.

Cheerio.

Today's Special

Beef Casserole chock full with sliced carrot, diced potato, onion wedges and nipped swede... then after a few hours topped with eight small dumplings. I've added some dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and plenty of black pepper. Salt kept to a minimum on account of using two oxo cubes. Taste and check along the way you might find you need to add a little extra. Each his own.

For sweet...Eastern Rice Pudding.
This is exotic warm and spicy. Add a little cinnamon, ground cloves, light brown sugar and creamed coconut to the rice and milk then top with shavings of butter and bake as normal. I didn't have any creamed coconut this morning so I improvised by dropping in some dessicated coconut. Haven't used the dried stuff before but I think it should turn out alright.

Also being made today is a Banana Loaf. Mary Berry recipe using simple storecupboard ingredients and two over ripe nanas lounging at the bottom of the fruit bowl.
This is smashing!

A quick word about last night's X Factor.

Dull.

Be interested to see who gets the boot. Girl group Little Muffins exchanged woeful stories about overweightedness and becoming strong through experience. Joy boy Marcus cruised, dotty Irish girl Janet forgot her lyrics. This child has no place in the world of entertainment. Meanwhile Misha has. She rocked. But despite that and her new found tears I still don't dig her.

I'm A Woman!

1.These kittens are nothing to do with me, I saw them when I was surfing for cat pics. If these sweet bundles were mine I'd tap their bonny heads with my gnarled fingers and weep uncontrollably every time they burped. Sorry guys, I'm having a bit of womanly moment.

2. Buy 1 leek.

3. Watch the Cheltenham Festival on channel 4 as I make a beef and dumpling casserole, that's why I need the leek. Dumplings are great if they're slightly lopsided and splitting down the middle, but they must be uniform in size.

4. Sorting through my vast collection of jewellry, 99% of which is secondhand and entangled, so I'll spend fifteen minutes disentangling it. Buggered-up beads are bad!

5. Spend pointless time wishing I was less in love with trinkets, cats and leeks.