VEGGING OUT

Superb evening, needless to say I wore my hair down (told you these magazines tell fibs). This morning my darling Math came back from the allotment, with a sack of leeks and brussels. So have spent an exciting morning peeling, prepping and freezing them. With the exception of those we had for lunch and the ones used to make the bucket full of potato and leek soup. Your all wishing that you had such an exciting life style aren't you. Come on you know you are, clashing knifes with sprouts and leeks, whipping them up into enough soup to feed an army for 3 months. Well sorry position not vacant...
Shouldn't joke really, I love my organic fruit and vegetables. They taste so much better than any you buy from the shops. I strongly object to the prices that shops charge for organic produce as its not the hard working farmers that get the profits.

Well March will soon be with us, February has flown by. Usually we open up our holiday home the first week in March. Unfortunately Math is away the first two weeks, then we have the ballet the third weekend.
Hopefully we will get there the last weekend in March to open it up. I really don't mind going to the coast when its cold. Nothing makes me feel more alive than when I walk along a windy beach. The waves crashing down, the wind blown sand exfoliating my skin (better than any product I've brought).

Not forgetting the seagulls being there for Milo to carry out his lifeguard duties. A post he takes very seriously, you can rest assured that no harm will come to any seagulls whilst 'Milo the Fearless' is on guard.......

(N.B. All of the pictures are from this time last year).

CELEBRATION MEAL

Its my sons girlfriends birthday tomorrow. So we are driving over to Nottingham to celebrate with them. We are dining at a Thai restaurant, her mother and partner are joining us. I feel sure we will have a great time. We all met up at Christmas, and didn't stop laughing the whole evening.
Nat is off to Thailand on the 5th of March, Sophie is joining him a week later (guess who will be storing any nik-naks they pick up there?), they return home on the 26th March.
I think the reason they picked this restaurant, is to prepare themselves for the wonderful time they will have together. Nat has been there several times, but never with Sophie. He will spend the first week working, then when Sophie joins him, they can spend time together. The hotels they are staying in look fantastic, one of them looks just like a James Bond set.
So this is a short post, as I need to raid my wardrobe, to find something that will fit my ever expanding waist. Going to try and put my hair up, saw this style in my SHE magazine. To quote,
'this sophisticated look, only takes seconds to create', as I know these statements are often fibs, I'm giving myself 1800 of them.......

MY NEMESIS

Didn't do a post yesterday, spent the day thinking about what the consultant had said at the hospital. Then just sat and felt very sorry for myself.
I hate feeling sorry for myself. 'Gosh' how dare I, when you look out there and see such misery.
Guess I've just had a few unhappy events really.

When I was 21yrs old, I thought everything in my life was moving forward. I had opened my own beauty business, with the help of a large bank loan. The business was doing really well, I had 7 hard working staff who believed in my dream.
My first husband and I, had seen a little Tudor house that we both fell in love with. So we also had a mortgage to purchase our beautiful home. Plus one car, pet dog and cat, I remember thinking why have I been so blessed?
We worked hard, had a good network of friends. Just like most nearly new married couples, we shared our dreams and planned our future together.

On Sunday evenings we would drive into the country to take 'Major' (our Doberman dog), for a walk. I can recall being in the car on our way home, after that, nothing. Except for waking up on a hospital ward, after being in I.C.U. for nearly 6 weeks. My whole body was in agony, I couldn't remember a single think about the car accident. Nothing about the last 6 weeks of my life, not one little flashback. The memory had gone and search as I may, it was a big black nothing....

There were many events that took place after that awful day. But as a result of the car smash, I had lost my husband and our dog.
My home had to be sold. The staff worked very hard to keep my business going, but with the owner being in hospital for over 3 months and almost a year after that to recover. It gathered debts, that would be very difficult to shake off.
I spent my 22nd birthday and the following Christmas on that hospital ward. Some of the nurses that worked there are my friends to this day. It was a very emotional, and extremely painful time that I spent on Portland ward.
One of my injuries was a fractured skull therefore my head had to be shaved. I lay on the bed, with all the armoury of the traction they had attached to my body, watching and listening to other patients comings and going. I would comfort myself with the fact that at least my hair will have grown by the time they discharged me into the loving arms of my mother and grandparents. Unbelievable isn't it, I was vain about my dam appearance even under those circumstance's .

Anyway time went by, and slowly I began to put my life back together again. Its not been easy, and along the way there have been quite a few of life's tumbles and falls.
Here I am now a couple of decades after the accident. Married to Math, blessed with my wonderful son, who I was told I would never have. All of us working in roles we enjoy. Building our home to give us the comforts we enjoy.

Last May I had a fall down some steps. Since then I have experienced a great deal of pain in my left hip. Walking has been very limited and I have been unable to work.
On Tuesday I went to see the top consultant in this area who specialises in hips and knees. The prognosis is not good.
My left femur was smashed very badly in the car accident, this had left me with a shortening of an inch in my left leg. Nothing the glamorous built up shoe couldn't rectify (Armani are yet to start their range).
Unfortunately (I won't go into the medical terms, as these confused me), my thigh (femur) bone has deteriorated so much that its just turning to mush. This means that I can't have a straight forward hip replacement. There will also be added risks, and if it doesn't work there is very little else surgically they can do. To add to my misery, I now have to walk with two steel crutches (no chance of carrying my little Gucci bag now) to prevent inflammation in my hip. So yet again my dam vanity, has made me feel sorry for myself.

But that was yesterday, and the show isn't over until the fat lady starts singing (or is it stops?). I feel better for getting it off my chest or should I say doing a post. I have one of the best men in the country caring for me. My health is good other than this. Friends and family that love me. I've prackled on about love all month, and I should remember these things, and count my blessings.

They say every ones past catches up with them sometime or other, this is my time....

SUPERB WEEKEND

At last I have a chance to do my post. Apart from lack of time, I have been shattered.
Grace's meal for her parents, was a huge success. Her table decor looked superb, candles, flowers, hearts, you name it and that girl wanted it on her table (some may say over the top, not me). She whisked her egg whites to stiff peaks, making her chocolate mousse melt in your mouth. The dough in her onion bhajee's light and fluffy, (thanks for the recipe Akelamalu).
Her mother rang me today, 'what have you done to my daughter, she cooks one meal and here she is in my kitchen, criticising my culinary skills'. That brought a smile to my face, thats my girl Grace you show them.....


Please find scattered about Nats Northampton project.







Sunday, my son and his girlfriend came over. He brought a huge wall plaque, of a gold Buddha face. Also a really unusual three framed, oriental painting, which I have taken quite a shine to. Although they are here purely for storage, I have a feeling they may appear on my lounge wall, once the decorating is completed....


They decided that they would like to go to the local pub in the evening ( quiz night). Nat thought it would cheer Sophie up, as she has been a bit down since the death of her nan.
The pub is a typical local Inn, low beams, in need of decorating, same faces night after night. Well to be honest, I don't go that often, but it looks likes the place has been in a time freeze zone. Nothings ever changed when I go there (not even the dust).

Anyway back to the story (one of my biggest faults, I digress all over the place), this would mean them staying the night. That's OK, not a problem really. Only with it not being planned, Sophie needs to raid my M.A.C. products (Arh! that's why she converted me), and all the other paraphernalia we women need to survive.
For once we didn't completely humiliate ourselves in the quiz, finishing with a modest 19 out of 25.
Nat brought the plans of the extension of the bar, he's designed. The bar will lead into the garden, which has some spectacular waterfalls, that my son not only designed but also helped build. Strange but Math and I can't remember him even lifting a spade up when he lived at home....


Today I have been at the hospital, now that's another story. I will post tomorrow about my day there, once I have got my head around it......