Take a look

Margaret and Helen . I mean it. Really

That time of year again.

We waved Baby Bear off this morning. I managed not to cry but it was a bit of a close thing. We've been doing this for four years now, and although it does get easier, I am never going to 'get over it.' I'll always have a heavy heart when he goes.

But the good thing is that he is progressing in his studies- this time he will be working on his MSc, so he'll have a fairly intensive year.

I can hardly walk

Tonight I upped my distance from 6.3km to 7.00km in 40 minutes.I'm really pleased but I am very stiff. After the exertions of the crosstrainer I do a variety of stretches. They were much needed tonight as I feel incredibly stiff- all the muscle fibres seem a bit shorter.

I'm a bit concerned that I am coming down with a virus that a friend has- now that I (think??)I can see some changes in my body I don't want to be cooling my heels while a virus does its worst.

Pickle/exercise update

Tried the Olive Oil Pickles and some Pepper Pickles yesterday. The Pepper ones are nice, but no as ovewhelmingly scrumptious as the Gingery Pcikle Vegetables. The Olive Oil ones are disgusting- soft, slimy cucumber. They went in the bin- life is too short to eat nasty food.

I am grading each recipe that I try in my pickle book, so that in a couple of years I don't waste my time again.

I am now doing 6km in 40 min on the crosstrainer. I realise that this does not make me an athelete, but I think it is beginning to show in a slighter trimmer body. I'm not deluding myself - there's plenty of work still needed.

What makes a book prizeworthy?

Because I would really like to know!

On Friday I hosted our book group meeting, since I had chosen the book. The upside was the company and all the baking I got to do. The downside was the book.
The Blind Side of the Heart won the Deutscher Buchpreis. Despite this fact, no-one in our group like it. It was full of tormented souls, none of whom one could feel any affection for. It wasn't as if it broaches life in pre-war/war torn Germany in some new, astounding fashion. I don't think it added anything to our understanding of how crappy some people/life is. IN short, we all found it mundane in the extreme and some could not bring themselves to finish it.

If you've read this novel and loved it, how about enlightening me?

Stick a fork in me

I think I'm done with the pickling. Yep, that mad urge has finally come to an end- though I have no doubt that I will continue with it over the winter, just not so frantically.



These are two different types of cauliflower- one with ordinary pickling spices, the other with 'Indian inspired ones'- although I imagine that anyone who loves Indian pickles will find these not up to the mark. But wimps like me will probably love them.