Branko v. Roy

I'm so glad my chicken will be out of the way by 20:00 hrs because I wouldn't/couldn't miss tonight's MUST SMASH MONTENEGRO game in Podogrica. Him up there with his fingers in the air is the manager of Montenegro and he's been  rattling on/doing us down by blasting his lungs about Roy's Boys playing Long Balls and exhibiting Arrogance. I have a message for the big B. We are the best even when we're not.
Yes we do sometimes get it wrong, play the wrong balls and things like that but we're nice usually and so are our managers so get off our backs and get on your knees to pray because Branko baby there are six players in your line up tonight who, if yellow carded, won't be free to play their next game. (We only have three).
So concentrate on your own bunch of vicious lads and let's get on with the beautiful game:)

Lisa came today to do my hair.I now resemble an English Emile Sande. Only my hair is salt and pepper and hers vanilla ice cream:)

Been so busy lately. What with one mother and myself. No time to stand and stare. But life is snailing down now so will be able to blog at my usual rat-fast rate.

Quickies:
England's 8-0 smashing of hopeless but loveable San Marino was good but a bit silly. The part-timers shouldn't be allowed to play in Grand Tournaments like the World Cup. They're timewasters.
Our match tomorrow though against Montenegro will, I hope, be nerve shredding. Games where England HAVE to win have always been a fav of mine, brings out the Blitz spirit and all that, especially when the do or go fixture will be played AWAY.. This time at the Stadion Pod Goricom. 'Pod' ? Playing a bunch of slimey ball kicking bugs are we?
Oh goody!
(I'm secretly worried)

Paul Hollywood's new programme about bread was fabulous. Lots of tips and recipes and many appetite enhancing scenes of Paul and friends tearing into beautiful loaves.
Made me want to switch orf and bake!

I love making bread, in fact I'll be baking some tomorrow, I won't be too adventurous, sticking to what I usually make for weekdays, a normal crusty loaf made in a giant loaf tin.
Which reminds me...I bought (charity shop) a large round black baking tin about 2 inches deep and as I paid for it I knew it would be ideal for baking batches...Hot Cross Buns. Rolls. Chelsea Buns. Massive Deep Filled Pizzas.
Yesterday however I used it to hold a dozen Devonshire Scones, which after cooling, were filled with whipped cream and cherry jam.
There's something calming and homely about batch baking.

The Other Side of The Waterfall

Today has been excellent.
Simple food done well. 
Plain pleasures such as tea drinking made Wonderful by good company and busyness.
Creative juice cascading.

"The other side of the waterfall"
An expression used by my kind friend and kitchen builder Mr Hairy Suit when describing his feelings as he took a shower in front of the mirror.

And the sun shone too.

I wish all days could be this Sunday. Unceremonious, funny and, above all, crystal bright in speech.

 

 

 

....Plodding up an alleyway with 'new' handbag swinging from wheelchair I told mum we'd not be staying out too long, just see the Doc, (mum) return of library books and pick-up of newspapers. She concurred. I pushed on... The snow drenched pavements in around the square were devilishly hard to get around but going at a snail's pace we eventually did our stuff.

Doc was a bundle of Spanish fun, asking all sorts of intimate questions, which I'm sure he asked just the other day, but being a well brought up person I didn't point this out to him. He looked gently at mum, his huge brown eyes sweeping over her tiny pin thin body and asked how she was feeling.
"Alright" mum said smiling
"Well that's gooood" he said looking at me.
I didn't let on that she's not really eating as well as she says, but I think he knows.
So with another prescription in my purse we said bye bye Senore promising to pop along in a couple of weeks for another blood letting.

The library had only one visitor, an elderly anorak man sitting hunched on a mauve armchair reading the Sun.

Mum as usual sped to the crime shelves pulling off half a dozen books she won't be able to read on account of her failing eyesight. But it's the act, the familiar act of doing what she's always done which comforts and feeds her. While she stared at the hardbacks I drifted around the cookery section picking up  two pudding books. Mr H. meanwhile perused technical type tomes.

We left for the co-op, the old man in the yellow anorak still engrossed in the Sun. (I once wrote to the Sun asking for a job, they told me to get qualifications. I was 16)

Co-Op.Blah. Spacious. Bright lights. Bread shelves with lots of gaps. No customers. No old ladies buying greens. No young mothers with crisps, yelling brats.
Rugged faced women manning tills. And a general feeling of what the world would feel like if/when we enter a new Ice Age.
I hated it.

Making a Shepherd's Pie for tea!






Tonight sees the return of Masterchef:)

A Happy Mother

Today was full of wonderful things.
An incredibly upbeat mother, delicious food (braised bacon with seven veggies, hazelnut sponges), warm and friendly atmosphere (mum being unusually co-operative and smiley)  and Chelsea managing a draw against Man Utd. And England beating Italy in that other ball game, rugby.
And, to add even more joy, a flying tea-time visit from Mr HS (complete with my rapidly repaired clothes horse). We chatted, more nonsense than anything else but it felt so good:)

Mum loved her pink paper bag packed with wholesome colour free skin care essentials, Jeffrey Archer novel, 12 yellow roses and 12 diabetic chocolate wafers.
To make her feel even more happy and self confident I washed and set her hair. I don't think I've seen her so much like her old more healthier self. It was fabulous!

She enjoyed dinner and then later on tonight, whilst watching 'Heat' with Bobby De Niro she had a slice or two of cold bacon with pickles and bread and for pud a cupful of raspberry jelly.
She has a blood test tomorrow so won't be eating anything till about 11:30 tomorrow morning so that's why I loaded her plates throughout the day.

I'm going to bed happier tonight, more happier than I've been for a very long while.
MOTHER'S DAY? I'll say!
Gloria's day? Oh yes...

...........After waiting in for nursie (all ok) I phoned docs to bag a p.m. appointment for mum....Only slot they had was 16:30.
Eeek! But well. Ok.
So after listening to mum's lambasting of the NHS we went to Rchford town, just for a couple of hours....just to look in the shops, and get some fresh air and get wet.
Mum of course was sheltered by a black umbrella, me, idiot, wearing a large pink head scarf. weaving the wheelchair between bollards and cars.

First stop the Havens Hospice shop where mum loaded her lap with a size 8 pink blouse, size 8 grey skirt and green chain handled handbag. I didn't feel much like looking but a dress caught my eyes, hanging at the end of the well stocked rail, it kind of sung to me, and a pretty tune it was too. Full of references to springtime and fairer weather. Generally of better days...

We paid Irene and left.
We were still way too early for the docs so I risked the Wrath of Mother by mentioning the c word. Cafe. Affirmative. My God. So orf we went... up an alley and across the narrow road pushing open the door of the steamy windowed cafe only to be greeted by an overall covered lady shoving a mop.

We sat over there, in the corner because the lady asked us to, something about washing the floor she said pleasantly.
I ordered what could only be ordered in a cafe of that kind. Two teas and the biggest Eccles cake I've ever seen.

Mum didn't have any of course (diabetic) but the tea went down a treat. Sitting there, in there, in the corner felt fine, after all getting mum to eat or drink outside the bungalow has been, till now,  impossible. She now though seems willing to give anything a try. The tea was excellent, likewise the plate-sized Eccles cake, love.

We chatted about her illness as the mop lady cleaned, even going up to the corners. (5 star rating on board outside). And as the lady mopped we swapped ideas about how mum's going to fare when she 'goes home'. It wasn't a long conversation.

With rain hitting the pavements hard I said it was time to leave and so left thanking the lady as we did so"Tea lovely" I commented "Tetleys" she said smiling leaning on her mop.

Mum being in no rush to see her GP we did a detour to the blasted Co-Op for magazines and a DVD....

I spotted it at the checkout and thought it would be exciting viewing over the weekend...

The surgery was empty save for a little green hatted woman aged I'd say around 80. Her skin was cream coloured and in excellent condition, lined of course but a fresh clean living kind of lined.

Saw doc.
He was/is concerned about kidney malfunction so another blood test Monday then another visit Tuesday taking all her meds with us :(  But that will probably mean another cup of tea and another giant Eccles cake. So in the rain a little rainbow:)