Menu of the Day and Chat

I didn't fancy shopping today - so I didn't. Mr A is away for the week, so there's no one but me (and the animals) to feed.
There are oven chips in the freezer, I do have a couple of dozen fresh eggs, and some bacon, so I won't starve.
I have run out of the Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream, so I'll be having withdrawals after dinner.

Life seems to be a series of things that I look forward to, to keep spirits up and depression at bay. It can be the smallest thing, usually is in fact. This is my current looking forward to list.
1. Hells Kitchen on tv at 9pm
2. Emergency stash of inferior Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream. Spar's own brand. Not good, but ok.
3. Good night's sleep to the sound of pelting rain outside, being warm and snug with Minnie cat on the bed
4. Taking Gwen for a walk tomorrow without the rain. I hope.#
5. Working out the chords for the song 'Run' (Leona Lewis, Snow Patrol)

Most of my feel good list involves food....though more a gourmet than a glutton.

We had our waterfall walk today as usual, though I didn't go as far up the hill because it was raining. The waterfall is churning with lots of extra water and the stream running alongside the road is a flowing torrent.

It's time to get those chips into the oven, I like to time it so I can sit down and eat as the programme I want to watch starts.
My body is being good to me, I can't complain about any aches, pains or owt. So thank you body.

First pic shows the waterfall and Guardian Beech tree I've been going on about. This is at the start of the walk, just over the road from our house.
Then you can see Gwen, leading the way back downhill.
Home, with new fencing and gate put up to keep small doggies from running onto the road.

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT WITH CLOTHES

I'm posting this after listening to Womens Hour on the radio, in which several women talked about how they felt about some of their clothes. One woman was a twin, and kept one item of clothing that was her sister's after she died. It was a jacket and the woman said that it was like wearing part of her sister and it comforted her when she wore it.
Another woman had a red fleece and said that she wore it when she needed cheering up, like putting on a hug.
There were several stories along the same lines, and it got me thinking about my relationship to my clothes

I've got 2 posh dresses, both worn a few times, but not very often.
Firstly, there's the Jessica Rabbit ruby velvet dress. A bit like the one she wears in the film, Who Killed Roger Rabbit. It's very tight and has a crossed lace up at the back with a heart shaped bodice. It makes me feel very Va Va Voom when I wear it.

The little black number also has a heart shaped bodice with no straps and a swirly skirt, with layers of net to push it out. It has a wide silk belt that does up in a bow. There are some large rhinestones on the bodice. This is the dress on my profile photo.

There are 2 items that were my dads that I occasionally wear. One's an orange t shirt with a picture on the front which is an Aboriginal painting, in yellow and white. It's fairly large and I always feel comfortable when I wear it.
The other thing of my dad's that I sometimes wear is a green suede waistcoat. I don't wear this often, but when I do, I feel protected and safe, which is how my dad made me feel.

One of my favourite items is a charity shop plum coloured dress, with an unobtrusive pattern in cream. It's lined and has thin straps, so I usually wear a long sleeved top over it. It makes me feel as if I've made an effort to look nice when I wear it, but also it looks casual so I could wear it anywhere.

A lot of my clothes are from charity shops, and I don't spend much on new clothes, but occasionally splash out.
I did buy a nice skirt from M&S, for £45, which is a lot for me. It's long, purpley maroon with a plaid pattern in wool. This makes me feel like a posh country woman, comfy as well as smart.

My favourite socks are a pair bought for me by my grandaughters. They are leopard print, white and silver on black and make me feel quite trendy.

My favourite scarf is one my sister, who lives in Australia gave me, it used to be hers. It's bold colours, purple, pink, orange, yellow, with an Aboriginally type of design. It's very striking and makes me feel cool. I also feel the emotional attachment with my sister, which is close, even though we live on different continents.

What are your favourite clothes, and do you ever wear clothes that used to belong to people you knew?

DINNER
Fresh Monkfish in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Spuds
Salad a la Moi

Haagan Daas Ice Cream, scooped out with new plastic scoop

X Factor later. Yeh!

Some thought goes into the title of my posts, and I was tempted to call this one 'Untitled.'
But I didn't.
So, here's why the title.
I went for my usual walk with Gwen, up the lane, opposite our house, past the waterfall and Guardian Beech tree uphill till we reach a large wooden gate. This is turning point. It's a stunning place to turn around as the beeches there are magnificent, and the sound of a rushing stream accompanies the walk.
Well, as I neared the gate, I heard what I thought sounded like a kitten mewing. I stopped to listen and heard it again. It seemed to come from the top of a tree. By now the wind was blowing quite strongly and I realised it was the sound that a branch makes, being blown by the wind. Once I identified the origin of the sound, I began to hear sounds from other trees, and they were all different. Some had a low tone, others high and squeaky.
Then I thought that the wind was like breath to the trees, gives them a voice in a way. Comparing it to humans, it would be like someone making a farting sound by slapping their armpit against a hand.
It was just coming on for dusk, and the light becomes a bit of a drama queen, and there's a spooky feel in the air. I continued to hear different noises from the trees as we went downhill, and it seemed almost dreamlike, with the light fading and the wind gusting....

I took some pix yesterday while we were on our walk, but can't find the thingummy to transfer the photos from my phone, so it'll have to wait till Mr A gets back friday and I either lend his, or he knows where my one is.

Todays Avrilo cock-up is almost a repeat of the other day, when I got the wrong street whilst delivering meals on wheels.
There is a new client and their address was on the list, no. 47. So, after finding the correct road, I get out todays meal. There's the veg and gravy (mash, carrots and cabbage) in one tray, roast beef in another tray and the dessert (trifle) in another, so I've got my hands full with 3 trays.
I knock at no 47, no answer so I goes in, as normal because many of the clients aren't very mobile.
I call out 'Mrs Weston?'
I can see through the glass top half of a door, a young girl on a sofa watching tv. There are 2 ENORMOUS DOGS. No blarney, they are HUGE, like small ponies.
Don't know the breed, but chocolate (mmmm) brown thick fur and hanging down ears. So one of these dogs comes at me.
Me with a tray of roast beef in my hand, whilst the other identical dog is also coming through the open door, pushing a young woman out of the way in its eagerness to get near me and the roast beef.
'Mrs Weston?' I ask again, quickly followed by, 'Can you keep the dogs back?'
She was quite indignant at my walking into her house (fair point) as I explained that I did knock first but got no answer.

I was directed 2 houses along as I shuffled backwards with a wary eye on the dogs, who by now were being held by their owner.
I knocked at 2 houses down, no answer, so walked in again with 'Mrs Weston?' ringing out loud and clear.
'No, not here.' I was directed by the elderly couple who looked like potential clients to a house next door to the huge dogs house.
The correct no of the house was 46, not 47.
This time I found the real Mrs Weston taking her blood sugar in her front room and knew I had struck gold, as she's listed as a diabetic.
After that little farago I was late with my round and had some pretty hungry pensioners to deal with.

I was going to go to the library in Swansea, as my round is halfway there but decided to go home to Gwen who was waiting inside.
She sits on the top of the chair looking out of the window, like one of those sickly velvet paintings that show the taste of a crazed camel.
She was still there on my return, looking at me as I came past to the front door and gave me the usual joyous welcome with tail wag and jumping up.
So, another day, there are enough books in this house to occupy me for now.

So, there's nowt on telly tonight, so I'll go on 4od online. Last night I got involved in 'Bodyshock.' A series of documentaries about people with weird bodies. I didn't fancy the girl with 2 heads, the Elephant Man who had a huge tumour on his face, or the 8 limbed girl born in India.
I watched the 2 ton teen. A 19 yr old mommas boy who was enormous, weighing 60 odd stone and was going in for surgery to cut off the huge overhang on his belly. At that point my dinner was ready, so I didn't watch any more - I'd seen enough. A lot of the half ton heavies are American who eat junk take outs. I don't have any sympathy for them, but find a gruesome fascination watching how they live.

I'll avoid the documentaries tonight and go for a bit of comedy, if nothing else there's always Father Ted.

I blogged on yesterday after a break, trying to get back into the swing of things and was delighted by the comments, (more than usual.) So thanks for that. Meanwhile.

DINNER
Another Freshly made Welsh Beefburger
Sauteed Potatoes
Salad a la Moi - the salad yesterday was absolutely delicious! The combination of thinly sliced Shallots, Olives stuffed with Pimentos, Feta Cheese and Tomato was great. The lettuce was a bit boring, but when dripping with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing, alright.

Gwen is sulking in her bed. She has been a naughty dog.
The daily game of tug of war, this time using a fabric belt, got a bit too much. I wasn't actually watching her, just pulling with my hand while reading the laptop screen. I felt a nip of a bite. So, she either did it accidentally, or nipped me to say that she wants 100% of my attention.
Either way she got a telling off and sent to bed.
The tug of war can get quite boisterous, as she shakes her head (maybe she'd do this with a live rat) and gets into growling mode. I don't want to spoil her fun, but she needs to learn what is acceptable and what is not.
For such a little dog, she has a huge personality, likes, dislikes, habits and loves to communicate, so I like that about her, but there are rules. (One rule really.)

1. Don't annoy me.

I'll take her for a walk in a minute when I've finished this. She looks so sorry for herself, it's a bit of a shame.
We'll do the usual route, past the little waterfall and Guardian Beech Tree. I'll take some pix this time as it is rather lovely.

Watched tv till after midnight last night, can only do this when Mr A is away. I could do if he was here, but wouldn't want to.
Saw an old episode of Morse on ITV3 that I hadn't seen before. It was set in Australia, where he and Lewis had gone to talk to a supergrass, living there after giving evidence to convict bad robbers.
Anyway, it was a good episode, very different from the usual ones as it wasn't set in Oxford.

Meals on wheels today, I managed to get the meals to the right people this week. I do have a new client tomorrow, so I'll have to double check their address......
Still got 5 clients in hospital so the round is smaller, only 16. Chicken stew, mashed potatoes and broad beans with a chocolate eclair today. Yes, I got a spare eclair which I had with coffee when I got home.
I only have a couple of spoonfuls of the Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream left....

A few people who have come here for a meal have wondered why the tablespoons are bent so much. I have to fess up to being the culprit, as the ice cream is so hard, it bends the spoon back....I must get a scoop......

Sometimes I feel quite anti-social and don't do the internet thing for days on end, which is why you 'aint heard from me lately. Nothing wrong, just a mood thing.
So, I'm back, with a revelation.

My name is avrilo and I am a chocoholic.
It's getting to be twice a day at times now. This Beligian Chocolate Haagan Das ice cream has me in its grip.
Thank goodness I'm not fat and don't seem to be putting on extra weight. At times, only chocolate will do to lift me up and make me feel good.
A slave to my senses, that's me.

DINNER
Welsh Beefburgers, freshly made
Chips
Salad a la moi - with Feta Cheese, Lettuce, Red Grapes, Olives,Avocado (if it's soft enough) in a Balsamic Olive Oil Dressing

What a surprise, Danyl getting in the bottom 2 of X Factor! I can't believe people are voting for the tuneless twins.....Mr A has resigned himself to being a captive audience to the show.
He's away this week, so I'm in charge of everything. I let the hens out again today, I should go and shut them up before dark soon....Still getting 3 eggs a day.

The husband of my friend who died recently came over for lunch on sunday. We took ourselves, and the dogs (all 5 of them) for a long walk down on the salt marshes, a couple of miles away. We followed the line of the sea, to where it stops. I still find it odd that it doesn't go anywhere this end, and yet there's all this sea in front of it. Not explained that bit well....
Gwen loved it, she was dashing around and got soaked as there were lots of holes filled with brackish water.
I gave her a shower in the bath when we got home, used some dog shampoo I bought ages ago, it helps stop smelly smells apparently. It works! Gwen behaved herself and I think she enjoyed getting wet!

DINNER
Fry up, eggs, bacon, oven chips n peas.

Yeh, slacker Avrilo takes it easy on the dinner station tonight.

I'd typed up a post, and accidentally deleted it, this keyboard's so sensitive! So here goes again.

I have my meals on wheels round today and noticed a new client on the list. Ah, Silver Terrace, I saw, I know where that is, I'd had a client in that road before.
I find No 4 and try the door. It's locked. So I knock and wait....shuffling footsteps come near the door and someone calls out 'who is it?'
'Meals on wheels,' I reply, a bit peeved at having to wait and talk through a closed door.
'I don't want any.' He says, much to my annoyance.
'You've booked a meal with us today,' I insist.
The door opens.
A man, still tying up his dressing gown, obviously just got out of bed, hair all over the place looks at me.
'Mr Evans?' I say.
Apparently not. I'd got the wrong street.
Mortified, I apologise profusely and drive away, remembering, oh, it was that other street over the railway that I needed.

We had a bit of lightning and the livebox did a wobbley, thankfully it recovered. The previous livebox got fried during that torrential storm we had a few weeks back. We did go offline for a bit, but then came back on.

Oh god, Gwen's hassling to go out, doing her doggy version of talking, tapping me on the leg and staring at me.
She always does it this time of day when I'm in the middle of something.
Still, I'm a doggy lover now, so maybe back later.

Today I went out and bought a cable to wire my laptop onto the ethernet, after a very frustrating day of trying to get a wi-fi signal from the new Orange livebox. £40 it cost, mind you, it is 45ft long....or 15 metres in your European language.
So, at last, I'm back online, but not wireless.
I am going to write a snotty email to Orange to let them know what I think of them and their services.

The chickens were let out of their run today to roam free in the terraces of the garden. They didn't go far and found the brassicas, where they hung out most of the day.
Like the good girls they are, they followed me into their run to shut them up again. All except 2. All they had to do was turn a corner, but it seemed beyond their wits. They were running up and down trying to get in through the chicken wire, where they could see the others happily pecking away. Speckledy finally got it, turned the corner and went in, but the last one just couldn't do it, so I had to go and get her, calm her down and carry her back inside.
Still getting 3 eggs a day, so 2 of them aren't laying.

DINNER
Scottish Salmon Steaks (I know, local food is better, but there you go.)
New Potatoes
Salad a la Moi

Haagan Das Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream - it's good and I'm getting more fond of it, but the Walnut Dream still has a place in my heart.

What with all the leaves on the ground, I did think that if they could be used to produce energy, how great would that be? There's a huge supply guaranteed every year and most of it gets burned in back gardens. I guess that you would need a lot of them to produce enough energy to make it worthwhile, but still, it's a thought - Leaf Power!

At the weekend, I met one of my regular readers, Mr A's Auntie Sue. She doesn't comment, but was up to date with my goings on, so I didn't have to update her much, although I haven't seen her for a while. So, hello Sue! Mr A's mum is one of 5, 4 women and Uncle David. Unfortunately one of their sisters died a few years back. Auntie Joan never forgets Mr A's birthday, guaranteed, there will be a card from her and her children every year. Yes, they are that sort of family, kind and caring.

Minnie cat has taken to waking us up in the night, miaowing to come in, as she's usually put out. She doesn't do it when Mr A is away though....some nights we leave her in and she'll sleep on the bed, a solid lump, leaning against a leg, and stay put till first one up (him) to let her out. She can get in through the bathroom window, it's high, but she does use it, so she's just being a pain at the mo.
Gwen had a lovely time at the weekend, being petted over by lots of admirers. On the whole, she's a good dog, barks if there's any activity outside.
Don't know if I've talked about hackles before, probably have, but here we go.
It's amazing the way a ridge of fur stands up all the way down her back when she's barking at a perceived intruder. It stands out a lot, and hackles is a good name for it. I didn't know what it was before I actually saw it in action. It's like when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, or goosebumps, but not through cold, through adrenaline rushing through the body.

Now I'm back online, I'm going to have another look at Annabel Greenhalgh's site, I may even order another painting (print) cos they are so good.

Right. I've just put the phone down, 1 hour and 12 minutes after phoning technical support from Orange as I can't get online with my wireless connection.
They are going to ring me back. At 5p a minute I should think they blooming well should!
Seems like it's quite a problem for them to sort. We've changed channels, security settings, all sorts....
I took my laptop into PC World to check it out and they could connect me no problem to wi-fi, so it's the livebox. I had thought that I might have to buy a very long ethernet cable to connect as it works that way, but I'm going to try and get it sorted over the phone.

Halfway through the phonecall, just when I'd reset the livebox, I accidentally unplugged the phone when I moved the livebox nearer. It takes ages to actually get to talk to someone, so my stress levels were all up there with the astronauts. When I did ring them back, of course I got another person to talk to. It must be a call centre in India, as all the operators were Indian. It took me a while to decifer what he was saying when he said 'dot.' I kept having to ask him to repeat what he was saying as his accent was quite strong. Helpful though....

So, while I'm waiting for the callback, I thought I'd blog, and a very whingy post it is too.....

Yesterday was Mr A's 50th wedding anniversary, and today was our 23rd. We went over to his parents, where about 30 guests came in the day yesterday, then 18 of us were treated to a meal out. Here's what we had.
Roast Lamb
Roast Potatoes
Cauliflower Cheese
Green Beans
Broccolli
Redcurrant Jelly
Mint Sauce

Either Pavlova, Tiramisu or Sticky Toffee Pudding

I went with the sticky toffee affair, it was very filling and sweet, but nice for a rare treat.

A marquee was erected in their garden, which was a great space to eat and make toasts in. Mr A gave a toast yesterday and I had to give one today. I wasn't expecting to speak, so it was all off the cuff, along the lines of 'I'm glad I married him' sort of thing......

We've never had so many anniversary cards as today. There were 3 aunts with 1 husband (not between them,) 2 uncles with wives, 1 sister, 1 brother in law, 3 nieces, 1 cousin of Mr A's mum, assorted mountain folk who are neighbours, and friends.

We stayed in someones holiday home. A large 4 bedroomed house with a huge garden. Apparently they spend 2 weeks a year there....Best thing though, there was a piano! It was in tune and I happily played away. It was like being reunited with an old longtime friend.

Today, 2 of the nieces gave us a performance, dancing to 3 songs. They were really cute and 1 of them couldn't stop giggling. They interpreted the songs literally, so it was pretty energetic. The girls are 8 and 11 years old and I think it brave of them to do it in front of so many people.

Gwen won a few hearts, especially one aunt, when she sat on her lap being cute and cuddly. 1 niece has a phobia about dogs though and had a bit of a screaming fit when Gwen approached her. The niece had to be calmed down and stayed out of Gwen's way after that.

I'm having problems with the internet. I can't seem to get online with the new livebox, so have to plug in a cable to get online. Mr A reckons it's something with my laptop, though I could get online with the last wireless box that broke...It's a pain, and I've spent ages trying to sort it out.

DINNER
Chippolatas
Mash
Leeks from the Garden in Butter

We had a couple of Corn on the Cobs thursday, very small but lovely. Not enough sun this year for a good crop.

Minnie is pleased to see us back and is curled up with Gwen on the sofa, assorted furry legs and arms entwined. I got a doggy back from the restaurant last night filled up with leftover lamb and a few bones, so she's sorted for a few days.

Last thursday when I was delivering meals on wheels, I found one of my clients, an elderly lady, was locked inside her house without a key.
There's normally a door left unlocked for me to just come in and deliver the grub. At this house, the door was locked, but I couldn't get in or see anyone so I rang the office to let them know.
I got a call back from them saying they had rung the lady, who had answered the phone and would let me in. Well. I stood there shouting at her through the window only to find out that she hadn't a key. I found an open window and managed to slide the food through it. I looked in vain for the Vicarage, where she said a key would be, but all the houses looked the same, so rang the office again so they could sort it out. It took ages for all this, so my other clients had their food late.
One of my regulars goes to the pub if I don't arrive before a certain time, so he had gone by the time I got to him.
There are 5 clients in hospital at the moment....

Got our annual electricity bill. Including vat, it was £355. I took a reading and sent it and got back a revised bill for £320. Not bad for a year's worth of leccy. I thought it would be much more....

I got a lovely bracelet for our anniversary from Mr A. It's solid silver, large thin oval links, with hanging pear shaped drops of a midnight blue glass. It looks very modern and is lovely.
I got Mr A a limited edition print of one of my favourite artists, Annabel Greenhalgh. She paints landscapes, seascapes, anything scapes, her colourings are spectacular. It's worth visiting her website.
www.annabelgreenhalgh.co.uk

DINNER
Quorn Lasagne

LUNCH
Quorn Cottage Pie

Yeh, yeh, overdid the quorn a bit today, like an over zealous vegan having the munchies....

Gwen is getting spoilt. She's repeatedly interrupted me by staring at me, tapping my leg and giving whining dog talk for attention. So, I gave in and took her for a walk, though she'd been out a few times today already. We did our usual walk past the magical waterfall and the guardian beech tree with the tree spirits, up the lane to the gate, then back.
Got home, fired up the laptop and she's at it again! Soulful, pitiful gazing up at me, wanting something....
This has to stop, otherwise I'm at her beck and call - who's the master here?
Anyway, she's settled now. I want to make sure she has enough exercise but not overdoing it with her leg still recovering from the operation.

That's it. My winge of the day.

When I eventually get round to blogging, I find I'm up against the clock and haven't put much thought into what I'm writing - which doesn't make for interesting reading....
Tomorrow folks. I'll put brainbox into gear and think up something amusing for you.

Meals on wheels delivery tomorrow morning, then a Scarabella rehearsal in the evening. Hurray!