Sue’s World

Mavis was ill today: Tummy ache. I hope it wasn’t my flapjacks!

The bread machine coughed up a perfect French loaf which provided breakfast, with delicious organic butter and a cup of filter coffee in my magic cup.

I bought the cups, well mugs really, from Lakeland and they are brilliant for making a quick cup of real coffee. They are like a small cafetiere with a handle and no lip i.e. a mug with a plunger. I don’t think Lakeland stock them any more but I have asked them. They’re usually pretty good about re-stocking things if people ask for them. A good company. www.lakeland.co.uk

I raided the freezer for some meat for dinner instead of going to the butcher’s and spent the morning snuggled up with Mavis watching Herbie Fully Loaded.

Lunch was soup. I had some home made stock in the fridge and some left over mashed potatoes as well as a few leeks that needed using so it had to be leek and potato soup. I stirred in quarter of a pot of clotted cream at the end and it was completely delicious. Mavis wouldn’t try it though, even though she was hungry. How do you make kids try the good things? Mavis used to eat anything but I think I got into a bit of a routine with cooking and we had the same things all the time and suddenly, if she wasn’t used to it, she wouldn’t try it.

Good stock makes all the difference to a soup (more…)

I have tried many ways to keep track of family commitments and appointments. I used to have a kitchen calendar which had so much written on it that it looked as though a spider had walked all over it wearing muddy boots. Then as my mental faculties deteriorated I moved on to the ‘bonger’. This was one of Whizz’s cast-off gadgets. First I had a palm pilot, later I progressed to a pocket PC which could be plugged into the computer each night to be backed up and swap appointments with the Outlook on the PC. The benefit of this arrangement was that I could invite Whizz to appointments such as “Dinner with Slap and Tickle” or “Mavis’ Parents’ Evening” and he would accept by email if he could attend. We have a rather sad and electronic relationship as you can tell. Fortunately we don’t indulge in virtual sex and the “bonger” doesn’t bong the remind us to bonk!

This was quite a successful period in my juggling life but began to be a problem when my eyes started to fail. Picture the scenario: BONG. BONG. BONG. “Oh blimey, what have I got to do now? I must have a look and stop that thing bonging.” I search the bleary screen. “Where are my glasses?”

“BONG”

“Can anyone see my flaming glasses?”

“BONG”

And so on. I now have about 10 pairs of reading glasses but the bonger has bonged its last. (more…)

As a woman in her early 50s I have heard many of my contemporaries companionably share how relaxing it is to be ‘comfortable in your own skin’. I tell them I agree with them but at the back of my mind is a little voice saying “Here’s an example of you not being comfortable in your own skin, you’re agreeing with her, don’t agree with the woman, you are always questioning yourself and the way you do things, you’ll never be comfortable in your own skin”.

This is not meant to be a moan, I just wonder whether these women are perfect, never make mistakes, always get things right or is it that they still get it wrong but they just don’t care any more? If so, I envy them.

I have had a very upsetting week, I won’t go into it in this blog as levity and sveltness are my aims. One day I may write something amusing about it but for the time being I will just impart the information that I have met a lady who has impressed me very much with her ability to focus on the right thing to do. She is concerned only for her children, husband and home and never says a bad word about anyone unless forced to do so. Once I would have been bored by such a woman but now I see that these are the most important things in life. So, in another attempt to be what I am not, I decided to become ”A Domestic Goddess”, not in the Nigella sense of the word although from behind we share an uncanny resemblance. No, I mean more the “earth mother” type of goddess. (more…)