Well ... it’s been a while and I wouldn’t be writing this if it wasn’t for the constant badgering I’ve had from lovely Glynn (Thanks Glynn! ... no I really do mean it :-) ... I wouldn’t have got my backside in gear if it wasn’t for him!). So this and I guess the next several posts should be dedicated to him ...
Thanks Glynn!
I didn’t really think I had a lot to say (hence the lack of posts) but as I’ve sat down to think of things, I find I have a few, so I’ll just write them down as they come and it’s doubtful that they’ll be in any kind of chronological order, but who cares!
So what have I been up to since August ... well, there’s been more internet dating, I’ve had my eyebrows tatoo’d by a rather famous eyebrow tattoo type lady (who gave me loads of celeb gossip), I’ve had a lot of work done in the house and I’ve started cooking! Yes, you read it right ... I’ve started cooking! She who’s usual idea of cooking involves anything from M&S that pings, has actually started COOKING ... from scratch ... no packets, no pot noodle, no super noodle, no tinned soup ... nothing that requires microwaving (unless I’ve made more than I can eat and have frozen it) or that comes ready made.
Now for those of you who don’t know me will be thinking, “So what, I cook all the time”, well I’m very happy for you ... I don’t! I’ve pretty much always worked ridiculously long hours and travelled a lot with my job, so cooking has never been high on my agenda ... in fact, until very recently, I used my cooker to store paperwork in ... well, it was extra storage space and I tend to dust rather than clean the hob!!!
I do have to say that it’s always been a question of “Won’t Cook” rather than “Can’t Cook”. Like my dad keeps telling me, “Of course you can cook, you just choose not to!” However, I have had a bit of a wake up call lately which kinda led to the discovery of my gastronomic talents ... I’ve been feeling very lethargic of late ... I mean, not ‘a little bit tired’ lethargic, but ‘couldn’t move’ lethargic ... very unlike me, plus, I’ve had a few bouts of sickness this year (again completely unlike me ... I just don't do ill ... ill is for whimps!) so a couple of blood tests later, found out that I was extremely low on iron, like EXTREMELY low. Since discovering that, taking liquid iron (ewwwww) and changing my diet, I can safely say that I’m feeling almost back to my boisterous self! So a word of caution here ... if you’re feeling really tired, I mean REALLY, UNUSUALLY tired, get yourself checked out ... don’t leave it like I did ie until you can hardly move!
Anyway, over the past couple of weeks, I’ve cooked (as I said earlier, no ‘ready made’ packets involved ... oh except dried pasta) spag bol (both beef and turkey), sausage casserole x2 (it was that good I’ve made it twice ... very yum!), bolognese pasta bake, to name just a few. Oh, and my freezer’s full too. I haven’t quite caught the idea of portion control yet ... gotta work on that or I’ll be the size of an elephant in no time. One of the many virtues of ready meals is the control you have over your calorie intake, hence one of the reasons why I’ve always eaten them. We must never forget that:
Weight = Calories In Vs Calories Out!
Anyway, last Friday, I invited my friend Deb and her lovely daughter Devon round for tea and made cheesy garlic bread, a HUGE (and I mean HUGE) pasta bake and feta cheese salad, which I think went down well as Deb had 3 helpings, plus what Devon didn’t eat and she took a 4th home for her dinner the next day! I’ve know Deb for ever ... her comment, “Bloody hell, I’ve known you for 20 years and never knew you could do this!” So I guess it can’t have been that bad! The only thing is, the cat’s out the bag now, so I'll have to invite her round for dinner a bit more often!
Talking of Devon, I asked her what she wanted for Christmas this year and was promptly told that she wanted a new party dress. As she’s rather erm, selective about what she'll wear and I didn’t want to run the risk of buying her something that she didn’t like. I said to Deb that the next time she’s working on a Saturday, I’d take Devon shopping. So last Saturday, we headed off to the Trafford Centre (a huge shopping mall about 30 miles away). Devon hadn’t been before, but she loves shopping (what girl doesn’t ... she’s 9 by the way) so I knew she’d enjoy it.
When we got there, she was really patient with my while I ran some errands in Selfridges (obv), we then trotted off to Next to look at frocks for her. When we got there, I said that she could try anything on she wanted, so after about 10 minutes we had a selection of 4 dresses (rather a conservative amount I thought!) and headed to the changing rooms. The first one she tried on I knew was the ONE ... her body language changed and she went all girlie (Devon is not a girlie girl) and did a little twirl ... it was soooooo cute! She tried on a couple of the others but the first one was obviously the right one. We then went on to complete the outfit with shoes, cardi, tights and jewellery. So with one happy little girl and my bank balance dented somewhat, we headed off for food.
I asked her where she wanted to eat (bearing in mind that there are restaurants of every description in there), where did she want to eat? “Maccy D’s!” So MacDonalds it was ... really, she wanted to sit in the ‘boat’ (those of you who know the Traff will know what I mean) and watch the big screen TV ... you forget that those things are exciting for kids, if you don’t have them. I’d have been far more excited about eating in a nice restaurant! All in all, we had a fab day and a real giggle plus Devon got a fab Christmas outfit.
As for cooking ... I’m gonna carry on and do much more ... in fact, I did moules mariniere (mussels in white wine sauce for you non cooks! lmfao) and a crusty roll for dinner last night! I loved it so much when I was in Italy and it was surprisingly easy to do ... I may have to post the recipe at some point! Ohhhhh there’s an idea for my blogs! .... There’s no stopping me now ... Master Chef here I come! lol
Until next time (more dating stuff I think), have fun lovely people.
Lots of love
Jx
PS A most massive thank you for your continued support. I've had over 600 views now! Unbelievable ... I'm so pleased ... THANKS!
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