Another Month Almost Over!

 I certainly lose track of the days and had no idea that I've been absent from here for a three week period.  We seem to have had a run of medical appointments which always manage to affect my health because of the additional driving.  I've also had a bit of a blip with regards to my own health and so there has been a ramping up of some of my Long Covid issues including digestive issues, problematic PoTS and swollen glands/sore throat, muscle aches and pains.

The Chancellor's Autumn Budget and the usual Tory attack on chronically sick and disabled people was incredibly worrying, and since we are stuck on 'welfare' it did not bode well.  I was so fed up of the narrative that we should all be working from home that I decided to undertake my own experiment and the results are as follows:

Jeremy Hunt V A Chronically Sick Person:  Just how easy is it to get a work from home job?

After taking my pills washed down with a morning cup of tea I decided to investigate this conundrum.  For clarity which will become obvious later, I was still in my pyjamas and in bed and it was around 8:30 am.

My first task involved a Google search entitled, 'virtual assistant work from home jobs in the UK.'  I chose the first site that was recommended to me which involved Data Annotation.  After setting up a basic profile I was given a series of tasks to complete, which involved looking at social media images and declaring if they were hateful in any way and if not why not.  I also had to find an NPI number for a counsellor in New York and proof read chatbot responses. In addition there was also a short creative writing piece which necessitated a Google search concerning Sam Bankman Fried.  I was quite pleased with my initial response but in hindsight had neglected to include some form of dancing with regards to the octopus!  If I had been an English examiner I would probably have docked some points to reflect that oversight :-). The whole assessment procedure took well over an hour to complete.

I then decided to check my stats using my trusty Garmin Venu watch and the results were illuminating.  My heart rate had increased significantly (over 105 bpm sitting upright with legs elevated) and my Body Battery had begun to tank (starting battery which measures heart rate variability and blood pressure changes had gone from 47 - 22!), bearing in mind I hadn't even moved from my bed! I have conditions that are made worse by exertion of any kind - cognitive, physical or emotional and as a result my health continued to nose dive that day and my heart rate shot up to 127 bpm just moving around the home and my Body Battery eventually dropped to 6, the worst it has been in over six months.

Government ministers are not medically trained and to arbitrarily declare that all chronically sick people are capable of working is erroneous.  For some folk being able to work from home, provided appropriate disability accommodations  are put in place would work just fine.  For others, myself included, we need to be given the time and space to recover fully and then some form of consistent work might be an option in the future.  Forcing people into work when they are unwell is at best unwise and at worst downright dangerous.

I think it is safe to say that for 'now' you'll find me by the fire with my knitting and/or a good book, and the usual pacing programme to get through each day x 

All Hallows and All Saints

 Yesterday Pip had fun carving her pumpkin and I enjoyed my time in the kitchen.  For lunch we had Tomato Soup with Cheesy dumplings , courtesy of the I Newspaper weekend recipe file and it was just the thing as it is now Ben's turn to be ill!  For tea I made Sweet potato, mushroom and leek gratin from the New York Christmas Cookbook followed with Pumpkin pie from the same resource and soul cakes courtesy of The Guardian Newspaper.

Sharing the recipe here in case anyone is interested and wants to give it a go:

Tomato Soup with Cheesy Dumplings

1 tbsp olive oil

25 grammes butter

1 large onion finely chopped

1 sweet potato peeled and diced

2 large garlic cloves minced

1 heaped teaspoon of dried basil

2 x 400 gramme cans of chopped tomatoes

500ml vegetable or chicken stock

pinch of sugar (optional)

50ml single cream

For the Dumplings:

125 grammes self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

75 grammes extra strong cheddar cheese

1 egg

50 grammes cream cheese

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan.  Add the onion and sweet potato and cook them over a gentle heat until softened.  Add the garlic and stir for another minute and then add the tomatoes, dried basil and vegetable stock.  Season with plenty of salt and black pepper.

Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat, cover the pan and simmer for twenty minutes and then blitz the soup until smooth.  Taste for seasoning and then add the sugar and cream if using.

Whilst the soup is simmering for twenty minutes make the dumplings.  Put all the ingredients in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper.  Mix thoroughly into a dough and then form into eight balls.  Drop the balls of dough into the soup and cover the pan and cook for 15 -20 minutes until the dumplings have swelled a little and are cooked right through.  Remove the dumplings before blitzing the soup.

(I decided to put the dumplings in a heat proof bowl, top them with extra cheese and cook under the grill, until the cheese was bubbling and melted. 

Sweet potato gratin, pure comfort food in a bowl.

Pumpkin pie and a soul cake for dessert.

Today was a bit full on with some household tasks hollering at me from the whiteboard 😂  We did however start the day 'right' and having dropped Pip off at college for the day, Dave and I headed over to Booths for one of their cooked breakfasts and a latte, it certainly hit the spot! 

 Since I was my 'future friend' yesterday and had prepped the pastry dough for tonight's meal, it wasn't too much fuss putting the whole thing together.  I also made use of the leftover pumpkin pie mix and added it to my rice pudding and it was delicious ❤️

The recipe was another Smitten Kitchen winner, 'Butternut Squash and Caramelised Onion Galette' and it can be found HERE. The dough pastry was beautifully light and fluffy and complemented the vegetable filling beautifully.  I did make some slight adaptations and decided to add a sprinkling of chilli flakes, paprika, onion salt and garlic powder to the butternut squash mix.  This dish will definitely be a regular item on the meal plan 😊

Since we had stopped sneezing and coughing Dave and I both felt well enough to attend mass this evening which counted for both All Saints and All souls.  Several candles were lit in memory of deceased family members and friends.  It was really lovely to be able to attend mass, such a precious gift x