Brrrrrrr

Ok I admit it.  I am officially old.  If you are older than me (not thinking of anyone in particular N before you ask!) then you may not agree but heh ho :-)  I used to love Winter - absolutely adored it.  Couldn't have too much snow, chill in the air - bliss.  This year for the first year ever, I've had enough - don't get me wrong I'd happily have snow if H was more able to walk in it!!!  Have you tried pushing a wheelchair through snow???  Me neither, but I tried it through sand and that nearly killed me.  I am so sick and tired and being cold.  How many layers can you wear without looking like the Michelin Man - don't answer that one.

Yesterday we went to a farm shop to re-stock the freezer.  I only realised last year how great this farm shop is - I so wish it delivered as I'd get a monthly order.  As it is I try and get enough to last for 2 months or more every time I visit.

The Farm shop is located in the highest point of Bradford and usually has fantastic views down the valley of the entire city.  Yesterday it was covered in clouds so no views to be had.

We walked round the farm shop and as we came to pay discovered that it was hailing - diagonally! Even my Dad was hiding in the entrance to the shop to avoid going out in it (apparently his shoes were slippy :-) )

Can you see the white stuff?  That is sleet that came from nowhere.  It was blowing so hard that you couldn't keep your eyes open and had to push the trolley sideways to get it to move.

Look how moody that sky looks.  It's making me feel colder just looking at it.

I do like the pattern on the window though.  I can appreciate it looks pretty - now my fingers have de-frosted!!!!!  Gosh, it was so cold.

Menu Planning Monday

This is a funny one this week.  The freezer is newly defrosted and I have no food in it yet.  So I have absolutely no idea what I am going to make this week...........


Monday :- Chicken Fried Rice
Tuesday :- Sausage & Mash & Veggies
Wednesday :- Homemade Fish cakes
Thursday :- Veggie Pasta
Friday :-  I may be out, not sure yet
Saturday :- Surprise
Sunday :- Fry up  - H's choice

Of course, this is pretty flexible as I haven't gone shopping yet :-)

Oh and linking up with Mrs M.

Making me HAPPY this week

Sunday again.  Whoop.  I am getting on a roll (ok, so it is late and I nearly forgot! & no photos).

Making me happy this week;

1) Finishing and sending 2 scarves to H's friends across the pond.  I really enjoyed choosing the yarn and crocheting away.  I didn't enjoy the cost of the postage - it does shock me that it costs so much.  You'd think I'd learn!!

2) Walking Anni B in the woods.  They were filled with families enjoying themselves but Anni did so well, not one Grrrrr.

3) Finishing 2 baby blankets for little M's birthday.  I am meeting S (her Mum) tomorrow so can pass them on then.  Really happy with them, not so keen on the Flutterby yarn but it is oh so soft.

4) Meeting up with my friend J for lunch.  We NEVER actually met up on our first go - something ALWAYS comes up and we have to re-arrange, and re-arrange.  We made it on our 2nd go this time and it was lovely to catch up.  I find it so hard keeping up with everyone since I left work.

5) De-frosting the freezer.  We have been trying to eat the freezer up since November.  I am so looking forward to refilling it at the farm shop this coming week.

I have struggled with my anxiety levels this week but I took each day as it came and I got through the other side so I am very happy with that too.  Go me.

Menu Planning Monday

It is still Monday and I am still planning the menu for the week!  I am already doing better than I did for all of last week!!!  I am still trying to eat out of the freezer as much as possible so I can defrost it.  We're not doing too badly but getting to the stage where I have to buy more frozen bits to make proper meals.  I hate this stage of things.

Anyway, this week I intend to have;

Monday :- Fish & Chips
Tuesday: - Shepherds Pie
Wednesday:- Left over Shepherds Pie (I had enough to make 2!), so veggie pasta off the menu.
Thursday: - Sausage and mash (to use up the yucky sausages)
Friday:- Pizza Pitas
Saturday:- Surprise
Sunday:- I fancy a roast chicken and all the trimmings.

I like leaving one day blank.  A good excuse to use up whatever is left in the fridge, or pop to the shop and do a roast dinner.  Whatever takes our fancy on the day.

Joining in with Mrs M at athomewithmrsm

Making me HAPPY this week

Hello,  What a difference a week makes.  It is so lovely to feel human all week and actually start looking forward to things.

Making me happy this week;

1) Baking.  I made H a heart shaped cake for Valentine's Day yesterday.  No photo as I ran out of icing so it looked a bit daft.  He wasn't bothered as all he cares about is that it tastes good.

2) Anni B.  Yesterday it wasn't enough that she was sat next to H watching a film, she had to be nearer..... want to see?  It's a first that she was on a knee.  H reckons as she grows older she'll grow more touchy feely.

3) Pink Champagne.  Can you beat this?  Now don't get me wrong it's not something we have often.  This was from NYE when we weren't in the mood but it went well with the Chinese we had yesterday.

4) Working in the local wool shop.  I have really enjoyed helping in the shop this past week.  Well I didn't enjoy Monday as I didn't feel well and I only had one customer.  Friday was much more fun, I had loads of customers and it felt really nice knowing I was helping a friend.

Keeping Warm

The boiler/radiators are still having issues and it is driving us mental now.  The pressure in the boiler went dangerously high and the safety value didn't work so we had to turn it all off again.  Dad managed to fix it (thanks Dad) but the heat will now only heat certain radiators - Grrrrrr.

I think someone discovered a way to stay warm though.

She sure does love that duvet!  Not sure what she'll do when it gets put away.  Can you see she is actually smiling in the photo below?

I managed to get her looking at me the other day when she was sat in front of her Puppy picture.  She's a little bigger now.  Anyone know how I can get rid of her green eye? 

Menu Planning Monday

Erm, in my head it is still Monday!!!!!!

Running a little late this week.

This week we will mainly be having

Monday:- Pie and chips
Tuesday:- Weatherspoons for me, Muffin for H (I give up with him)
Wednesday :- Takeaway Pizza
Thursday :- Stew with Yorkshire Pudding
Friday :- Left over stew with Mash
Saturday:- Surprise!!!!!
Sunday:- Leftovers

The Full Monty

I went to the theatre on Tuesday night to see "The Full Monty".  My Mum and I met my s-i-l and her friend in a nearby Weatherspoons for tea and a glass or 2 of wine before the show.  I mean you can't beat a steak dinner with a glass of wine for under £6.

The show itself wasn't something I would have chosen if I'm honest.  My s-i-l fancied it and I fancied a night out with her and my Mum.  Would you be surprised if I told you that 95% of the audience were women? :-)

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  I may have been a little afraid at times of the baying crowd "encouraging" the full monty......  and I know I could never sit in a nightclub watching the real thing.

If you are going to see it, watch carefully for the very last thing that happens before the break - my Mum nearly missed it whilst I was laughing myself silly.........

I would recommend it, if you liked the film you'll like the show - even in Gary Lucy's (who plays Gav) Yorkshire accent is REALLY annoying.

Theatre Trip

Tonight I am off to the theatre with my Mum and some friends.

I am off to see;

Apologies I couldn't find a better photo to show.  Will let you know how it is.

Making me HAPPY this week

Hello, Happy Sunday.  What have you been up to this week?  I hope something has made you smile each day.

This week I have still been recovering from my cough and cold.  Wow, it's really taken it out of me, even yesterday when I was walking Anni with the parents, the final hill nearly did me in!!!

So making me happy this week:

1) FINALLY feeling human again.  I may be more tired than usual but at least I am not coughing up a lung and I can breathe again.

2)  Baking.  A blueberry loaf cake.  I was hopeful that the blueberries would stay throughout the cake, but they have sunk to the bottom - ah well, still tastes good :-)

3) Booking a holiday to Menorca - sooooo excited.  I went from thinking we'd never find anywhere suitable to booking in 48 hours flat.  Mind, Thomas Cook keep emailing me money off now.  Sorry TC you should have better facilities for travellers with limitations (raspberry being blown as I type!)

4) A loooooong soak in a bubble bath this morning (the first one in weeks when I haven't had to get out to cough).  Don't worry no photos!!!! :-)  You can't beat bubbles and a good book can you?

5) Finally spoiling H for his Birthday (over a week late).  On the actual day he had a carrier bag thrust at him as I tried not to cough on him (there wasn't even a card).  I think he had crisps for his Birthday tea!!!!!  So he had another day yesterday.  He got more presents, a steak dinner and lots of attention.  I hope he doesn't expect it every year :-)

Help Needed

hello, don't worry nothing bad has happened!  This year, we have finally booked a holiday to Menorca.  Now this may seem to be an easy thing to do - oh, no.......  H know needs a wheelie to do most distances and we have been to many unsuitable places.  You ask for a ground floor room to arrive and discover it's actually up 7 steps.  You book a flat resort, to find one steep hill between you and the beach (&restaurants, bars etc).  You ask for another ground floor room and it's down a steep hill or down a rickety staircase - argh.  I find it all so stressful.  The holiday companies don't usually care either which I find really odd.  I mean, if you are dealing with a couple with a wheelchair you'd think they would want to ensure the hotel is suitable, at least I would if I was booking holidays for other people.  I don't think I am odd.

Anyway, this year we have used Thomson and so far I am pretty happy with the service we have received.  Not only did they check that the hotel was suitable (though they couldn't guarantee an accessible room- which thankfully we don't quite need yet), but they have also already booked our seats on the airplane so we know H will be close to the loo.  It's the little things that help when you have so many issues that need to be thought about.

The help I need is that I am now addicted to crochet so need to take a project with me.  BUT although I think I will make oodles of granny squares, I can't think of what colours to use or how many I'll need.  My fav yarn is Stylecraft special - any suggestions?  have you made anything lovely you can show me?

PS I have months to sort it, but when the urge to get a project going hits you need to buy yarn!!!!

Reading

Hello,

I love reading - FACT.  Since the Summer of 2012 I have been keeping a diary of the books I've read.   In 2013 I read 64 books over the year.  Last year I only read 56.  This year I am on my 3rd book.  3, yes 3, at this rate by next year I won't be reading anything.  Not impressed with myself at all.  Talk about getting twitchy about my reading!!!!!!!

Have you read anything fabulous lately that may get me back on track.

This year I have read;

I was a little disappointed with "The Last Anniversary".  I have read other Liane Moriarty books which I loved, so I am unsure whether some of my disappointment is that I didn't love this one.  I'd recommend "The Husband's Secret" over this one.

This was a Christmas present from my s-i-l.  Again, I thought this was ok.  It's split between 2 different time zones and I don't usually like books set over different periods - it tends to confuse me!!!!

I am currently reading the book above.  It's mostly set in Sheffield and I am really enjoying it.  I should probably be finished with it tonight so I can chose another book.  I am doing my best not to buy anymore books (I love books!) until I get rid of some.  The way I figure it is if I get rid of books as I read them, then there will be less to pack up when we finally get the house on the market.

Menu Planning Monday

I never thought that I would happily think about menu planning for the week and want to keep it up week after week but I can honestly say that this has really appealed to me and I love everything that planning has allowed me to.  My food budget has been slashed, waste is very little and it actually makes me much happier.


Monday :- Bacon and Tomato Pasta with garlic flatbread

Tuesday :- Fish and chips

Wednesday :- Sausages and mash

Thursday :- tba

Friday : - Steak Birthday night Mk 2.

Saturday :- Stew/Lasagna

Sunday : - Leftovers

Last nights tea was frozen pizza followed by ice cream covered in Haribo.  The first food I have been able to taste in a week, it was lush.

Making me GRATEFUL this week

I thought I'd do something slightly different this week.  I can't say that things have made me happy as I have felt so unwell that some days all I could do was get through each day and be grateful I could still breathe.  Indeed I slept on the sofa one night so H could sleep, the radiator in the spare bedroom is not working, so I wasn't sleeping in there!!!!!!!

So this week I am grateful for;

H- he actually went food shopping.  Ok he went junk food shopping but it's a huge achievement for him and I was so proud of him for managing his first shop in his wheelchair.

H - thank you for allowing yourself to have another Birthday, since I was too ill to spoil you for the real one.  Card and cake will follow, along with a steak dinner.  As soon as I can stand up long enough to cook and bake - you'll get them.  Oh, I have to shop for your missing presents too - la, la, la

Mum and Dad - despite them being ill too (in fact, I suspect one of them gave it to me) they did a food shop for me yesterday.  So we could eat.

Anni - Despite not being a cuddly dog, for 2 days, she stayed by my side and didn't muff.  H suspects it's the new duvet she likes but I was just grateful she let me be ill and didn't need too much attention when I didn't have it to give.  She didn't get a walk for 4 days and must have been desperate to go out for a run but she was happy to cuddle.

Also thank you to everyone who has asked how I am.  As long as I don't move, I don't cough and all is ok :-)  Plans for the coming week have been cancelled so I can recover some more.