More Snapshots

 I had hoped to pop by more regularly but screens are still an issue and by the time I have the headspace to think it's often too late, but hey it's a Friday night so we'll go with the flow 😁

The Reading List was a surprise find at my local library - it was located on one of the end aisles.  The front cover initially caught my eye and when I read the blurb my curiosity was sparked.  I'm so glad this book came home with me.  A truly wonderful, heart warming and yet at times quite sobering well written book.

The story is centred around an anonymous reading list - To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, The Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Beautiful and a Suitable Boy.  The list brings together two unlikely souls, Mukesh and Aleisha.

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager, spending her summer break working at the local library that is under constant threat of closure.  She finds the crumpled reading list and sets herself the challenge of every title contained therein.  As she works her way through the list she recognises life lessons and nuggets of wisdom that are applicable to her own life, and the magic within the pages transport her away (albeit briefly) from the painful realities of home.

Mukesh, a widower living a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing, spends his days in front of nature documentaries interspersed with visits from his daughters and grandkids and occasional visits to the temple.  His teenage granddaughter Priya always has her nose in a book, just like his beloved late wife.  In an attempt to enrich his relationship with Priya he tentatively crosses the threshold of the library doors.

The initial meeting between Mueksh and Aleisha is quite strained, him over anxious in a strange place and her frustrated and bored with life, and so she comes across as being quite rude.  Realising the error in her ways, Aleisha attempts to make amends and shares the reading list with Mukesh, and soon they are discussing plot lines, characters and their own interpretation of each book.  Before too long a beautiful friendship is formed.

This book was a birthday gift from Kath and it was so good I read it in two days.  During a clear out of her mother's home the author finds a book entitled 'A Fortunate Man' which documented a country GP at the beginnings of the NHS.  Upon closer inspection she realises that this book is in fact based on a the valley where she lives, and so she makes contact with the current GP in that same area (during the height of the pandemic and all that entailed) and so 'A Fortunate Woman' is brought into being.

The author skilfully weaves tales from the past into those of the present, and the GP herself walks the thin line between professional, care giver and friend.  Patient confidentiality is paramount so the stories and accounts are an overview of GP life.  Reading the book gave me a new appreciation for the work of the General Practitioner and made me appreciate further, and be thankful for the excellent GP care that I have had over the years.  Some books are for keeping and others are for sharing, so I gifted this book to my wonderful GP (another country doctor) and she in turn will share with her colleagues 😊

I'm still plodding my way through the permaculture course, it is certainly taking a lot longer than anticipated!  Some days my cognitive function is reasonable and other days its on a go slow, so no chance of planning it's a case of doing what I can when I can 🌿

Thirteen figs on the tree 🌿

A mini plant guild of tomatoes, chives and flowers.

Winter Jasmine

Guns n Roses at Glastonbury

I joined in with some chronically ill pals to watch the Glastonbury Festival - my Pyjama bottoms were my version of festival pants and you cannot attend a festival without either wellies or Crocs!  Thankfully no worries about finding the loos or the state of them 😂

Pip and Beth had their yearly fairy day last Saturday - later than normal due to other things going on around the Summer Solstice.  They had fun at the crazy golf at Barton Grange Flower Bowl and Dave and I sat in the cafe whilst they did their thing.  It's hard to believe but we've been running a yearly fairy get together for nine years ❤️

In car knitting - I finally have some knitting ability, yay!  It started with my Long Covid socks, the first finished before I got sick in a matter of days and the second took five months to complete, it was frogged back several times over 😳. I kept making the simplest of mistakes.  I was so glad when they were off the needles!

This was my view on Wednesday morning as I'm back doing PA work for Ben.  Driving is still an issues for me so it was easier to stay on site and the chap he was working for very kindly kept me topped up with cups of tea.

As far as Covid is concerned I'm still dealing with dysautonomia issues and have resorted to medication on top of other things to try and keep things under check.  I had a lovely virtual appointment with the Occupational Therapist attached to the Long Covid clinic and she has given me a few simple things to do before our next appointment.

Sorry for the long ramble, its no good I'm going to have to pop by more regularly x 

A Long Covid Crash

 On Monday 22nd May I had an appointment with the Long Covid Service which necessitated a 45 minute one way drive and a 90 minute appointment.  By the time the appointment was over the muscle tremors and pain in my legs were horrendous and I struggled to drive the car home.

That appointment could have been conducted via a video call, for the healthcare worker went through the answers I had given via an online questionnaire a few days earlier. There was nowhere for me to lie down and being upright for that amount of time caused blood pooling in my legs and feet. In addition the ventilation in that room was very poor and the whole hospital department was full of air fresheners, which exacerbated the MCAS problems.

As a result of that appointment I spent the remainder of the week pretty much stuck in bed - as soon as I attempted to walk just a few steps the tremors and spasms would kick in, followed by horrendous nerve pain and blood pooling in my legs.  Every time I moved it felt like I was wading through treacle :-(

Despite all of that I did manage to be as productive and purposeful as I could and the 'Bed-Kitchen' was swiftly put into use 😁. I did a lot of the food prep and Dave and Pip were the Gofers.

Whilst all of this was going on I also had an issue with my wisdom tooth - I was having intermittent pain in that tooth and on Friday evening it split in half right through the nerve 😳. I must admit for a good minute or so the pain was horrendous and then good old adrenaline kicked in to counteract some of the discomfort!  Thankfully I was able to access an emergency dental appointment on Saturday morning, which did necessitate a 40 minute drive and so the remainder of the day was spent horizontal trying to counteract a crazy heart rate from being upright and having a medical procedure.

This week has so far been a bit more stable and I seem to be back to a baseline of being more upright around the home with plenty of sofa moments or outside on the zero gravity recliner in between.  I did also offer some constructive feedback to the Long Covid Service which was taken on board, and as a result of my being so unwell, I am now assigned one-to-one access with an Occupational Therapist via online appointments.

The Bed-Kitchen in action, adopting the 'problem is the solution' permaculture principle!  

We also had 'Bed-Picnics' and Pip quite enjoyed sitting at the end of the bed with her tray 😊

Head Nurse Poppy was not far from my side, she has been a constant companion since this Covid debacle.

Pip single handedly ran the home - fetching and carrying, making drinks, helping with meals, sorting out the laundry, all whilst dealing with her own health issues and trying to study for end of year exams.

On Sunday I finally made it to the back door and Dave and I enjoyed some breakfast in the sunshine.

On Monday in between resting in the recliner, I managed to sit by the raised bed and plant out a courgette plant.  Micro actions consistently done propel us forward and this recent crash has made me appreciate the premise for my Permaculture Design - a disability friendly garden ❤️

I have continued reading throughout the month of May.  I enjoyed all three of these books, although don't ask me for a thorough review - thanks to brain fog and memory issues, I frequently forget what I have read.  It's not unusual for me to read the same thing over several times 🤪

 Frances Brody is my favourite crime writer and not one of her books has ever failed to disappoint. This book, her most recent was gifted to me by a long standing Green Parent friend, we 'met' on the Forum when our kids were small.  

 If you haven't heard of Raynor Winn or read any of her works (Landlines is her third) I would highly recommend you do so.  Her first book The Salt Path was written amidst the backdrop of homelessness and a diagnosis of a very serious degenerative brain disease for her husband, Moth.  With very little money in their pockets and a rucksack on their backs they decided to walk  the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall.  That path changed their lives in ways they could never have imagined.

The last book 'Afloat' is another story of life changing moments born through adversity and crisis.  I have my Dad's wanderlust spirit but sadly not the health to carry such adventures through, but I do love reading other people's stories, especially if they also charter a significant life change amidst it all.  I think it's the humanity portrayed within those tales that provide a comfort to my soul.

Well, I've managed to make a May posting on the very last day of the month, I wonder what June will hold?  Sending hugs if you need them xx 

Minimalism Musings: The More Of Less

"Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from them."

Minimalism will therefore vary for each individual, for some it might be white spaces and Zen-like living, others might decide to pare down their items to 100 things or have a desire to fit all they own into a suitcase.  Like everything in life, it is not a one size fits all policy and is a lifelong attitude as opposed to a once in a lifetime event.

Clever marketing, magazines, blogs and other social media sites are keen to perpetuate the myth, that happiness is found in stuff.  The problem with this mentality is that like any addiction the thrill of the purchase is superseded by the crash and as in any addiction the cycle of want-buy-crash is continued ad infinitum.  I have never been a shopaholic since, as a child growing up, disposable income was in short supply and my mum did a great job managing on a single wage.  Sometimes there was envy on my part, when I saw what other friends had but on the whole I was very grateful as I knew that buying a treat for me, meant that my mum went without a new item of clothing.

We don't have to be shopaholics to be hoarders as our possessions can take over when we are unable to say "no" to the gifted bags of hand me down clothing, books, toys and games.  When Uncle Bernard died over two years ago, it took over six months for family members to clear out his house.  He was a serious hoarder and by the time he realised that he had a problem, he was too poorly to do anything about it.

Minimalism and Simple Living has been a cause dear to my heart over the past few years.  As I have grown older and been a home owner since my early twenties I have recognised the need for space and organisation.  You Tube offers a plethora of interesting videos and books abound on the subject, even the Holy Father challenges us to take social justice and the environment seriously.  My latest read has been The More of Less and I was fortunate enough to receive an e-copy for review. 

Joshua's opening story recounts the all too familiar tale of an extended weekend, a garage clean out and no time to play ball with his son.  It is a chance remark by his neighbour that sparks his journey into minimalism which is, to identify what matters and ditch the rest.  Within six months Joshua and his wife Kim had jettisoned over 50% of their belongings and the blog "Becoming Minimalist" had been born.  Two years later Joshua would relinquish his role as a student pastor and instead spend his time speaking at conferences and writing books and articles about his journey into less.

He debunks two myths surrounding minimalism and that is "you have to give up everything and it is another means of organisation."  Minimalism is defining your objectives and then discarding items or activities that do not meet with that focus.  Removing extraneous physical clutter from our lives not only frees up space but allows us to re-evaluate true needs from wants.  This in turn forces us to question every item coming into the home.  Gone are the impulse buys and instead, we pause and, nine times out of ten, that "need" disappears into the ether.

When the rich young man asks Jesus, "Good Teacher what must I do to gain eternal life."  He is met with an honest and challenging reply, " Sell all you have and give it away to the poor.  You will have riches in heaven, Come follow me."  Joshua skillfully sums this up in one thought provoking comment:

"We search for the greatest good we can accomplish with the one life we have been given.  We decipher what possessions we need to accomplish this role and then refuse to allow anything to keep us from fulfilling this purpose."

He shares the nitty gritty on marketing ploys and our "own wants from within" that can derail us if we are not on guard.  We are encouraged to be mindful when shopping and to recognise that happiness and contentment are found in appreciating what we have, family, friends and home.  He also offers practical advice on the minimising process and uses experiments to help you figure out just how much you really need.

The latter part of the book encourages the reader to find the ways of being the best we can be in this one life we have through:-

• Volunteering and Mentoring.

• Self reflection. Are we living an authentic life? Do our actions match with our values?

• Clearing out the mental clutter - this is an area that is a current work in progress in my life.  

In fact the mental clutter in my head is at maximum overload and has been for sometime, I am however taking steps to deal with this: regular quiet times in the day, handwork projects that are restful, trying not to feel guilty if I do go out on my own and weekly counselling to offload.

In closing, this book intertwines practical challenges and directions with real life stories and biblical teaching.  Most simple living and green books are often found in the secular press and so a book like this, that encourages the reader on a spiritual journey, is a rare treasure.

Full disclosure: I received a free download in return for my review at Blogging For Books.

 

Catching Up

It is 1am and it is raining and I'm currently on insulin pump suspension duty.  Benedict has had yet another awful hypo and despite treating him with apple juice, his blood sugars are still dangerously low.  Makes a change from them running dangerously high which they have done the past two mornings, cue sick bowl and ketone test monitor!  In fact since my last post, I've been lucky if I've had three full nights of sleep!  Never a dull moment round here!

Thanks be to God and homeopathic medicine, I think I am at last turning a corner in my own health.  The flu symptoms lingered longer than I would have liked, but hardly surprising since sleep has eluded me these past few weeks!  First it was Pip with the norovirus and then Benedict got sick and since then the diabetes has been totally whacky.

The middle of the night duties have afforded me plenty of quiet reading and pondering time and this has been a much needed balm fro my soul.  I'm currently reading this book:

 

 

I filched the picture from amazon but the quality is not great, so just to clarify the book is titled "Landmarks, an ignatian journey" by Margaret Silf.  I've read up to chapter two and it is essentially a modern day interpretation of the spiritual exercises as laid down by St Ignatius.  I ordered this book from the library late last week and  it is interesting to learn that our new Holy Father is a Jesuit and so he'll be more than familiar with this type of personal prayer journey! 

 

 

The learning zone has been very quiet these past few weeks; I have had not the wit, enthusiasm or energy to undertake such a task, so Benedict kept himself amused with reading and more reading.  Trying to find books that would interest and challenge him is becoming increasingly difficult.  Some of the material on the library shelves even I would not wish to read!  Our choices for this week are as follows:

 

The Machine Gunners ~ Robert Westall

The Kingdom By The Sea ~ Robert Westall

The Mystery Of The Spiteful Letters ~ Enid Blyton

Boudica, The Secrets Of The Druids ~ Caroline Corby

Sparrow, The True Story of Joan of Arc ~ Michael Morpurgo

Twist of Gold ~ Michael Morpurgo

Not Bad For A Bad Lad ~ Michael Morpurgo

 

Benedict has already finished the Machine Gunners, which as the title suggests  is based on the conflicts of the Second World War.  At first glance the book seemed reasonably "harmless" but there was quite a disturbing account of the main character finding a dead pilot in the woods, interestingly enough however I think this part of the story "went over Benedict's head" and he did not realise the full ramifications of what he had read.  So there's a lesson for me here and that is to either use the books as a read aloud platform or for me to read them first and vet accordingly.

 

We actually managed a trip to see Kathryn on Thursday, she was looking well and cooked a lovely lunch for us all.  "Midge" is also doing well but the little tinker is lying in a very awkward breach position and so a c-section is on the cards.  We should know within the next week or so, the date for delivery.

 

Pip continues to enjoy her time at pre-school and forest school.  She has made some lovely friends and enjoys contributing to all aspects of learning wether it be in group discussions, free playtime or problem solving. On Tuesdays and Fridays, Pip is only there until lunchtime so Dave takes his computer work and sits in the local tea rooms!  I think he enjoys the peace and quiet ... oh and also the cake!

 

Well, I'm off to make a warming cup of tea, so I'll leave you with some random pictures of these past few weeks:

 

 

Painting the inside of the daffodills for St David's Day.  We had potato and leek soup and Welsh Cakes for tea that day.

 

 

 

 



Benedict's God Father came for supper and the two of them had fun playing with jigsaw book.

 

 

 

We have found a lovely art teacher, who visits on a Friday after lunch.  She is a friend of Kamila, who is our friend in the Czech Republic.  Erika is Slovac and is an accomplished textile and mixed media artist.

 

 

 

Working on the planning stage of his shield design.

 

 

 

A spotty shield for Pip!

 

 

 

A coconut and lime cake for Mother's Day lovingly hancrafted by Benedict.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kathryn bought me this perfume and a miniature size bottle of beauty balm and hand cream.  Sara and Pip were absolute stars and cleaned the whole of the top floor and tidied the downstairs.  I also spent the afternoon with my friend Debbie, knitting and chatting.  She bought me a bunch of daffodills and we all enjoyed eating the cake and drinking tea.

 

 

 

 

My quiet place!  Yes it is the greenhouse!  Despite the temperatures barely hovering above freezing I was cozy and snug with my hot water bottle and blanket.  My intention was to pray and I did but I also benefited from a much needed "cat-nap"  Our now deceased cat Holly was not daft, she could often be found snoozing in between the pots and plants.

 

 

 

  

Yarn Along :: Simplicity :: The Kindness of Strangers

I've made good progress with the Sunday Sweater, the body part is finished and I'm now working on the sleeves:

 

This pattern is a dream to knit with and I'll definitely be knitting one or two of these for our soon to be grand-daughter.

 

 

 

My reading material is uplifting, thought provoking and challenging.  The book itself was kindly given to me by the author herself.  I follow her blog over here and as the title suggests it truly is a quiet place of pondering.  Pen writes with authenticity and humour and her musings always give me much food for thought. 

 

 

 

 This book has been on my wish list for sometime but in an effort to reduce monetary expenditure I felt awkward about another non budgeted spend, so I left a comment on Pen's blog asking if I could borrow a copy.  Not only was a copy mailed to me but this lovely card contained the following words:

 

 

 

  " No need to return this - keep it or pass it on whichever."

 

 

 

I'm already half way through the book, not bad considering it arrived only yesterday afternoon!  As Pen states this is not a "how - to" book, it is written in a spirit of companionship and encouragement, for dancing to a different drum beat can at times be a lonely walk.  The suggestions on these pages goes beyond the usual clear out your clutter, shop within a budget and buy only what you need.  It challenges the reader to truly embrace and follow Jesus' teachings in particular:

 

 

"To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

 

Micah 6 v 8

 

 

So we think about the purchases we make, are they necessary and ethical?  Are we being a worthy steward of not only Mother Earth but also our finances?  For in each and every purchase we make " is a political choice, an environmental choice and a spiritual choice."  

 

"Christian simplicity affects our management of time, money, possessions, speech, what we do, eat and hear, our relationships, our resources, homes, transport, the way we dress.  It requires discipline especially at the outset.  But as we journey, a wonderful sense of freedom permeates our lives; the light heart that is necessary to walk gracefully in Christ's way."

                                                                                    Penelope Wilcock. 

 

 

Thank you Pen for your words of wisdom, I'll let you know how I get on!

 

 

San x  



Yarn Along :: Book Review :: Trouble Shooting

Joining Ginny again with the yarn along crew.  Still working on the Shalom cardigan, more than usual sickness at this end means that progress has been slow.  I've almost finished the body and am hoping that I'll have enough wool to add some sleeves... albeit on the short side, as I do not have enough wool for anything otherwise!

 Two books are on my bed stand are " The Permaculture Way" by Graham Bell and "The Rhythm Of The Family" by Amanda Blake Soule and Stephen Soule and I pick them up and put them down as the mood takes.

I've been interested in Permaculture for some time now and most especially in relation to the garden.  This book although interesting doesn't quite provide the in depth information I had hoped but I think the same author has written a follow up specifically for gardens, so will check it out further. 

He did make an interesting point however in relation to sickness and disability, that we all have something to offer and that, a true community needs all types of folk to make it work.  An ideology I wholeheartedly agree with but in practice, in this day and age it seems almost an unreachable target. Ironically we live in a city that, is trying to gain transition town status, but when I look at where some of the meetings are held, it is nigh on impossible to attend if you have a mobility impairment and would like to take part.  Maybe it is a cue for me to get off my soap box and flag this up!

I love the Amanda Blake Soule books but being honest I'm glad I did not buy this one, much of the information written in the book could be easily gleaned by reading her blog.  If you are looking for loads of project ideas then, I think you would fair better with her "Handmade Home" book instead.  I have the "Creative Family" book and love that one as it is a good mix on projects, ideas for activities for kids and seasonal stuff too. 

The skeins of wool are a recent purchase I made from my friend Debbie... a Ravelry dude and fearless knitter!  She was culling her wool stash and I kid you not that gal had a bin bag full of wool.  I think there was still an odd bag or two lying around the house!  Apart from the labelled blue mix which is a super wash BFL in "Licorice" all the other colours were hand dyed by her using kool aid.  In fact it was Debbie that, first introduced me to hand dying last summer.  The super wash is earmarked for a pair of socks and the other colours will probably be used in a scarf/shawl project, since they're 100% wool and do not have the much needed acrylic to make them workable in a sock design.

We're still sick at this end and the situation is made worse by totally unstable diabetes.  Three nights on the run now, I have gone to bed and set my phone alarm to wake me at midnight and then at one thirty so that I give extra insulin to Benedict.  Thankfully he is blissfully unaware of all this extra worry, it's just me that is "plum tired" and little wonder I cannot shake this heavy cold and cough.  I've re-programmed his basal rates throughout the twenty four hour period and am hopefully that, things should stabilise.  It is always a worry when he gets like this, as there's an increased chance he'll become insulin resistant and the only way of dealing with him then, is a hospital visit and an IV drip, not good.  Praying that this will not be the case.

Fireworks

Remember, remember the fifth of November,

Gunpowder treason and plot.

We see no reason

Why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot!

Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England's overthrow.

By God's mercy he was catch'd
With a darkened lantern and burning match.
So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring.
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king.

And what shall we do with him?
Burn him! 

Benedict, Pip and I made our way to the local park to view the firework display from castle hill.  Apart from observing the marvellous display I was bombarded with questions:  Why do we have bonfire night?  What exactly is in a firework?  What does the pyrotechnic engineer do exactly?  Was Guy Fawkes really a bad man even though he was a terrorist? and Why is there a health and safety ruling that says we can no longer observe from castle hill?  I did my best to answer so in a short half hour discussion we covered British history, religion, politics, chemistry, job descriptions and risk assessment!  Phew!!  Here are our pictures of the evening:

 Our evening meal courtesy of Hugh... stuffed butternut squash with blue cheese and walnuts, served with leeks and greens liberally sprinkled with black pepper and tossed in butter.

Firework photographs courtesy of Dave who had drove elsewhere in the park to set up the tripod and try out the "firework" setting on the new camera.

 Pip wasn't sure of some of the loud bangs but on the whole managed very well.  There was so much to look at and it was lovely to watch them enjoy the spectacular colours that lit up the sky.  Once home we settled down to these as our treat supper:

 Delicious dessert apples from Kent coated in Green and Black's Organic Milk Chocolate and topped with Dr Oetker sprinkles.

By now it was nine o'clock, so up the wooden stairs to Bed-fordshire, we did however manage to squeeze in a chapter from "Matilda" by Roald Dhal.  Benedict and I are enjoying our bedtime read and although I find some of Dhal's works a bit gruesome, this story is very funny and a delight to read.  I've promised us both a treat viewing of the film once the book is finished.

A lovely end to a busy, happy day.

 

Book Sharing And Surprise Visitors

Pip's favourite book at the moment:

 "Children all over the world wake up in the morning and go to sleep each night, but they spend their days doing different things in different ways"

The portrayal of the young lad from England is a true yet dispiriting reflection of the average child here in the UK... go to school, stay in after school club, come home and eat tea, watch television and go to bed.  In recent days there has been several well written commentaries relating to "Toxic Childhood" and "Too Much Too Soon".  Our children here are suffering the detrimental effects of forced early years teaching and damaging attainment targets, emotional and behavioural problems are on the increase as is the accompanying mental health referrals.  It is at times like these that, I am glad Benedict is no longer part of the conveyor belt system.

Pip's favourite character in the book is a young boy from Morocco called Ashraf.  He works hard in school and loves his faith.  Prayer is mentioned several times over the course of his day.  The other children also take their chores and school activities seriously, no chance of lazing around in front of the CRT when the animals need feeding and the household chores need attending!  In all, a lovely multicultural read.

 It is Dave's birthday tomorrow, so a quick phone call from Kathryn resulted in an after tea visit from her and her beau Steve.  It certainly raised a smile for Dave, who did not have the foggiest idea that, such a plan had been hatched!

  Oldest and Youngest Book Sharing.

Pip still a little under the weather, she was a little bit sick this morning but I think it's just the rubbish from her cold affecting her.  She is still quite tired of an afternoon so a short nap of an hour has managed to help her get through the remainder of the day.

I had my meeting with the teacher from the learning centre and she confirmed my suspicions that, we would have a terrible battle trying to access extra help for Benedict, since the authority and the school had backed us into a corner 18 months ago.  She concurred that at present Benedict is best placed at home.  She has however made some helpful suggestions regarding strengths and weaknesses assessment, so that a personal plan can be tailor-made for him.

I am currently re-trying Benedict on a low carb diet to see if I can work out an optimum carb quota and stabilise blood readings.  I searched two forums last night, an adult and child related one with low carbing in mind.  In short it is a logistical nightmare!  The risk of severe hypo is very real hence I've kept his carb quota for each meal at 30 grammes, some folks are running on that amount for a whole day!  Not good if you are a developing child.

  The other quandary is that in order to meet the body's energy requirements the  fat/protein components of each meal are then converted into glucose.  This "glucose" conversion is an unknown quantity, and as such it is impossible to adequately calculate the carb/insulin ratio for said meals!  Still, it is early days and hopefully a pattern might emerge.  I cannot however see me following this diet with him long term, there are too many unknown variables. 

DH note re CRT; this is our alternative name for television, TV or tele, as we can speak to each other without small people knowing!

An Autumn Day and Yarn Along

Yesterday we had sunshine and warmth, today we have blustery winds and rain!  The drop in temperature called for a soup lunch with homemade bread.

I'm still in planning mode for the forthcoming term so my knitting has slowed somewhat, still I cast on for the second sock and it should be finished soon:

The book was a recommendation from my friend Eva over on http://untroddenpaths.blogspot.com/

I read this book right through first time around and am now attempting to digest its meaning more prayerfully.  This book encourages one to find ritual and meaning in every day life in addition to that which is found in community celebration.  In short an endorsement to live one's faith whatever that might be in a very real and tangible way.

The fruit leathers from yesterday have dried well and have been a hit with everyone, the kitchen has had a permanent fruity smell all morning!

 Damson Fruit Leather.

In door play this morning looked like this:

Good old Lego they never tire of it!

As I write Benedict is currently at swimming and Pip is undertaking a much needed nap, must go and wake her though otherwise she won't get to bed this evening!

Go check out Ginny and the gang over at:http://www.gsheller.com/

Mystic Cooking

Dave took Benedict and Pip to the park this morning and i had the chance to catch up on chores and make lunch and dinner from the Mystic Cookbook.  I originally had intended to cook just the "Italian Lentil Gratin" but since the oven was on and it would be a shame to waste the heat, I added "Aubergine Tart" to the mix. 

The recipes were very easy to follow and once again I traded up some ingredients and added others.  The lentil gratin had mushrooms as the extra ingredient to the tomato/lentil sauce mix and I also layered left over greens into the mix.  The aubergine tart recommended tofutti soft cheese and tomato paste in addition to the aubergine, onion and pepper mix; I used red pepper pesto instead and we did add some grated cheese on the top.  So the second dish was then vegetarian instead of vegan.  Regardless, the family verdict was evidenced by the clean plates and a resounding chorus of "really great food!"

 Italian Lentil Gratin.

Pip's portion of the above.

Aubergine Tart.

A simple  salad was the only accompaniment needed.