Stodge, bummer and imaginary noises

 The date and walnut cake is lovely....the cheese bread awful.  It was a non-yeasted quick bread made with SR flour, it was, oddly, both crumbly and heavy, it plunged to the bottom of my stomach like a big lump of stodgy suet pudding, bloating me for ages.  Not one of my culinary successes, I'll stick to yeast breads in future.  I shan't waste it though, I'm leaving it to dry out for a couple of days then will whizz it to breadcrumbs and freeze it.  It can be used to top pasta bakes or fish pies etc.

We're off on our shopping trip to Taunton when husband gets home from the gym around 10 am.  I've been going on about things I want in The Range, and have just realised that the store near Proper Job (where husband particularly wants to go) isn't The Range, it's Matalan.  Bummer!  Matalan does do some homewares but I prefer the things in The Range - I want a new shower mat, some more hand towels and a large bed fleece.  There is a Range in Taunton, but it's right over the other side and not really near where we're going....never mind, hopefully I can get what I want in Matalan.  Otherwise I'll order it on the website.

We've just found out that 2 elderly residents here on our sheltered housing scheme died within a few days of each other last week, we knew one of them slightly but not the other.  I guess it's inevitable when one lives in a community of elderly people.  We did see an ambulance come down last week - again, that's a fairly regular occurrence.  Several of the residents have daily carers, one near us has carers in 24/7 on a rota basis.  I suppose you could say husband has a 24/7 carer too!  

It felt a bit warmer yesterday - having said that, I didn't go out anywhere, other than in the garden with Betty....we have to keep an eye on her out there or she'll be digging in the flower beds.  We're actually forecast a few sunny spells today, although the weather forecasters keep saying the temperature is colder than normal for this time of year.

I didn't sleep well at all last night, Betty kept leaping up hearing imaginary noises - well, noises only she could hear.  She seemed very anxious and couldn't settle, for whatever reason.  I had to put the light on and stroke her, talking to her quietly for a while till she eventually settled.  Perhaps she was having bad dreams?!  She seems fine this morning, whilst I feel like death warmed up. 😞

Dull days, outside and in

 Another grey, dreary day, with very fine mist-like drizzle - cold but not quite so bitter as there's not such a strong wind.  I've done washing but it's on the airer in the car port, in view of the misty drizzle, it won't dry on the line.  Isn't it boring when the weather is relentlessly grey and washing has to be clogging up the hallway overnight on the airer (I don't have a tumble dryer).  Our Housing Association say we shouldn't dry washing indoors - erm just where are we supposed to dry it then, if we haven't got tumble dryers?

It took me ages to warm up yesterday, having got thoroughly chilled and wet waiting around for husband and then having to walk 300 yds to where he'd parked.  I never used to feel the cold much when I was younger, and during the menopause it was a case of hot flushes and night sweats, I'd have been grateful to feel cold then!  As I've aged though, I definitely feel chilly more often than not, despite having a good layer of fat 😂.  Thankfully I don't feel so cold today.  I've been in the nice warm kitchen with the oven on, made the cheese bread and date & walnut loaf cake, and boiled some eggs to go in the smoked haddock kedgeree we're having tonight.

I've written lists for the things I want from The Range and Aldi tomorrow (hopefully more coffees!  And we like their mature cheddar), and a list of husband's wants from Proper Job - he'll never remember, and I won't either with all of the stuff I want, my brain will only remember so much.  The three stores are all pretty close to each other, so we're killing 3 birds with one stone (what a nasty expression that is!  Must stop using it).  

Nothing else to write about today, the days are all much the same at the moment.  As I keep saying - roll on Spring!!

Cold - again!

 It's drizzly, grey, windy and freezing cold again today, how depressing, and forecast to be much the same all week.  The local weather lady on TV this morning said it's colder than average for this time of year - don't I know it!  Although there is a glimmer of hope, apparently it will be a couple of degrees warmer at the end of the week.

I got husband to drop me off in town when he went to the gym this morning.....I didn't really want to go in this weather, but needed a few things in town, all of which I got so that was a good thing.  I'd arranged with husband for him to pick me up in the usual place (outside one of the shops that has a covered canopy so I could shelter out of the rain) and at the usual time.  Well, he was 10 minutes late for a start, I saw him coming and then he drove straight past me and around the corner into a car park at the back of the shops, around 300 yards or so away from where I was stood waiting, so I got even wetter and colder walking to where he was.  He didn't even glance in my direction when he drove past, he'd clearly forgotten where he was supposed to meet me, but why on earth he drove to a car park where we almost never meet up is beyond me.  He couldn't explain it when I asked him, other than to say he thought that was what we'd agreed.  😒  I wasn't best pleased.  Since we've been home he's asked me the same question 3x in the space of half an hour....I think the cold today must be affecting his brain!

I've just had an email from the library reminding me my books are due back in a couple of days, it doesn't seem like 3 weeks since I got them out.  I've only finished one of the 6 books and am halfway through a second, not much reading done lately obviously, I've just renewed them online.  Last time I checked my library account online, I was a bit shocked to see overdue charges amounting to around £19 on my account - I always renew my books online if I haven't finished them so where the charges came from I don't know.  However, the charge has now been removed so it must have been a glitch in their system.  As I'm still feeling cold (my nose and fingers are freezing despite the heating being on), I'm just going to sit and read this afternoon, snuggled up with a fleece blanket and cup of hot chocolate.  I was going to do the baking I mentioned yesterday, date & walnut cake and a cheesy soda bread, but will put it off till tomorrow.

I'm eating too many carbs again lately, I blame it on the weather.  Another reason I can't wait for Spring to arrive.

Thank you

 Thank you for all the comments on my 'Banter' post yesterday.  We all have different views - of course we do, and that's absolutely fine.  Giving those views in a calm, polite and respectful way shows grace and is much appreciated, thank you for that.

Personally, although I didn't (and still don't) like the salacious overtly sexual and downright rude comments I got from men on my boobs, I didn't mind the wolf whistles accompanied by a cheeky grin, they generally gave me a little lift.  I don't think there's anything wrong in showing a little appreciation or admiration with a cheeky wolf whistle, although I do understand that not everyone feels the same.  I do still think that some can be over-sensitive - yes, I agree that nobody knows what might have happened to colour people's perceptions of things.  As a personal background note, I would just say that I was sexually abused for a period of time as a child/young teenager, so it's not like I've never had a bad experience.

On to today, the start of a new week.  Although it's still cold, we've actually had a few glimpses of sun this morning, which is very nice.  It's still forecast to be dull and cloudy all week, but with the temperature rising to an almost balmy 8 degrees towards the end of the week!  

We're not having a roast dinner today.  There was some cooked leftover roast chicken in husband's freezer drawer so I've got that out and defrosted it, I'll mix it with some bbq sauce and he can have that with a jacket potato and some veg.  I'm going to have cauli cheese with my jacket spud, I fancy something nice and simple today.  I've got lots of wholemeal pasta and brown rice in the cupboard, so our meals will be featuring those this coming week.  Husband has asked for a date and walnut cake and I fancy a cheesy soda bread, so a bit of baking tomorrow.  I'll get husband to drop me off in town tomorrow morning when he goes to the gym, I want to pop into the health shop and need a few toiletries from Superdrug.

Wednesday we're going to the big Properjob and The Range stores on the outskirts of Taunton, they're very close to each other, we both want a few things from each shop.  They're quite close to an Aldi as well, so might pop in there too, it makes sense as we'll be in the area anyway.

Friday we have to take Betty to the vet for her annual vaccination, her claws need clipping too.  She hates going to the vet, bless her....can't say as I blame her, I'm not particularly keen on going to the GP either!

Gill, I meant to say thank you for the info regarding quotes for vertical blinds, you said your quote was £150 for a sash window.  The first quote we had for our kitchen window was £189 - that window is around 36" deep by 72" wide, so I guess the £189 is reasonable really.  Will wait to see what the others are.

Is it just banter?

 Re husband's knob twiddling etc.....I know he can't help it, he's not doing it deliberately to annoy me (although it does feel like it sometimes!) - it's down to his cognitive impairment, he's sometimes not even aware he's doing stuff, his brain just works differently now.  I do have to keep reminding myself that he can't help it though.  I do a lot of teeth grinding, tongue biting or walking out of the room to save my sanity (or his ears!).  At the end of the day, he's still my husband - albeit a somewhat different version of the bloke I married.  But then none of us is the same person 44 years on, we all will have changed some way or other.  I'm just glad I gave up smoking and drinking years ago - if I still did either, I think I'd be rather too reliant on them now! 😂😨

Saw on the news yesterday that the chef Gino D'Acampo is the latest bloke to have allegedly been behaving badly for years, he joins Wynne Evans, Gregg Wallace, John Barrowman, and of course Huw Edwards, Mohammed Al-Fayed, Russell Brand and Phillip Schofield, amongst many others.  The last four mentioned had more serious allegations against them, either actual sexual assaults or at the very least, a case of them abusing their power status and believing they were untouchable.  In my opinion (and it is only my opinion), the first four are just tone-deaf idiots who think their inappropriate sexual innuendoes are hilariously funny - they're all show-offs who like to play to an audience and class what they do/say as just banter and tomfoolery and think anyone (for that read woman) who objects has no sense of humour.

I would think that most women have been subjected to this kind of behaviour from men for years and years - I know I have.  I had the misfortune to become very well endowed in the boob department from puberty, which has meant me having to put up with leers, men talking to my boobs instead of my face, even the occasional grope thinly disguised as 'accidentally' brushing against me, and no end of ribald comments, for my entire adult life from said puberty onwards.  And even worse behaviour on a thankfully few occasions.  It's not a case of being humourless - I consider myself to have a very good (cheeky) sense of humour.  But most women know what is or isn't appropriate, and can 'read the room' and judge when something is likely to offend....well, that's what I think anyway.  I also think it's been the case for years and years that women in particular have been reluctant to make a fuss or call some bloke out on bad behaviour for fear of not being believed, or even losing their jobs.  But women are coming forward now in this 'Me Too' age, because they finally can.

I do think though, even now, that some women - woke snowflakes mainly - take the 'being mortally offended' too far.....like women who complain loudly in the media about being wolf-whistled by workmen in the street.  Again this is just my opinion but when some girl complains about that I just think "Really?  They're just showing appreciation for a pretty face or figure, they're not rugby-tackling you to the ground and tearing your knickers off!!" 😒  Feel free to disagree with me, we all think differently.

 

On/off, on/off aaarrgghh

 I generally try and do whatever needs doing (including dinner prep) in the mornings, so that I can sit and read or browse on the computer in the afternoons.  Yesterday afternoon when I sat down in my room, I noticed the radiator was stone cold and the room was freezing, I hadn't noticed before how cold it was in the house as I'd been busy in the kitchen.  I asked husband to turn the heating up - the thermostat and control is in the lounge where he was watching TV - he then said he didn't think the heating was working and I should report it to the Housing Association!  So I asked why he thought it wasn't working - other than the fact that the radiators were cold.....he said he'd switched the heating on and off a few times and it hadn't come on - probably because he expected the radiators to respond instantaneously.  It transpired he'd literally been switching the control on/off every few minutes for a couple of hours.....I don't know why, he was unable to offer much of an explanation other than to check it was working!  So I switched it on (he'd turned it off) and asked him not to touch it.....it came on, the radiators warmed up and all was fine.  He'd also turned off the frying pan I had on the electric hot plate browning off the veggies before putting them in the slow cooker with the split peas - without asking me, I was in the loo at the time.  This is typical of him, he just cannot resist fiddling with things, it's one of his obsessions.  He's like a small child who just has to touch knobs and switches, it drives me nuts. 

Hard frost again this morning, bitingly cold wind, no sunshine forecast today - or even for the next week.  Overcast, cloudy, spots of rain and very cold every day for the next week.  How depressing 😔 

It feels like it's been a very long winter.

Spring, cooking and planning for Needs/Wants list

 A hard frost this morning, ice on the car and the grass and paths looking almost like a light covering of snow.  It's bright sunshine now so the frost has gone but it's still very cold.....6 deg but feeling like 0 or 1.  Much the same weather forecast for the next week.  I've been out in the garden (with my coat on!) checking out the bulb pots.....yellow crocuses and yellow iris in flower, the buds of hyacinths just beginning to show, daffodil flower buds are bending over so they'll be flowering in another week or so.  When we've been out and about in the car we've seen quite a few daffs already flowering on roadside verges.  There are newly born little lambs in nearby fields and lots of birds in flight and beginning to sing, so Spring is definitely on the way.  The daylight hours are really lengthening too, which is lovely.

I've spent this morning in the kitchen.....quiche made for lunch, a 2-portion apple pie made for husband, using a bit of leftover pastry.  Split pea and veg soup in the slow cooker for dinner this evening, there'll be lots left for lunches or to be frozen.  I'll make a cheesy soda bread this afternoon to go with the soup, it's nicest fresh out of the oven and then toasted on subsequent days.

Both husband and I keep getting text reminders from our GP surgery to book our annual diabetes review.  However, when husband went to collect our prescriptions last week and asked about booking our reviews, he was told that they're very busy right now and won't be able to do it until the end of March 😒.  I hope this government does something to help our failing NHS.

Next month is the first month of getting 2 of my Carers Allowance payments in the same month, so I'm planning for what to do with the extra money.  The next thing on our Needs and Wants list is vertical blinds for the kitchen and lounge windows, so I will be making arrangements for a couple of blind reps (well, reps who work for suppliers of blinds 😂) to come and measure up and give us a quote.  I've had one quote already, from a local firm - I thought it was quite expensive, but as we've never had vertical blinds fitted before (although lived in a couple of homes that had them already fitted) I wouldn't really know.

I've done a reverse menu planning list of dinners I can make from what we've got in the freezer, veg box and cupboards.  There's enough to take us up to the end of the month, I'll just need to get some milk, cheese and eggs, so February will be a low spend month.