Jay's Sister Reaches Out

I wore a Winter coat for our morning walk, even though it was 12°. I get so comfy and warm in the house with the fire on, I find the outdoor temperatures quite bitter. Besides, as soon as I headed out to meet our friends, it started to rain. But comfortable in my coat, I enjoyed the walk. How can one not enjoy forest walking, no matter the weather. Plus, I loved coming home.

When I opened the front door, I thrilled being enveloped by the lovely warmth of the house. Having had hardly any real sleep on Thursday night, I prepared myself for a nice gentle day at home. And, after excessive indulgence of food on Thursday, I was a very mindful eater yesterday.

I decided to make dipping sauce for the roti bread that I like to make. It keeps well and I’ll be needing lots for my dinner with Eoin and François next weekend. And I made more fried shallots. I will never be without a good supply of them having discovered their magic on salads. My Asian salad is to-die-for good.

We all had lunch, then I had a nap, then I watched an episode of Grand Design, and then we went for our afternoon walk in the rain. And that was pretty much it for the day. But the best was yet to come. I just didn’t know it.

In the early evening, I got an email from Kelly, Jay’s sister. We’re meeting for breakfast this morning at 9:00, and in my reply, I wrote: “Breakfast will have to begin with a hug.” And she agreed. I can hardly wait to see her, to be with her, to talk about Jay and how I can help with the packing. Oh, I felt good knowing that we’d be together today!

I’m eating more and yet I’m still losing weight. I’ve lost 22 pounds in six weeks; that’s 3.6 pounds per week. At the most, I can afford to lose 5 more pounds. I shall ramp up my caloric intake to ensure that I don’t lose more. However, I do feel that my eating habits have changed for the better. I will not go back to making sweets part of every meal, neither will I ever eat such big meals. I have loved hamburgers all my life, but the thought of one now puts me right off—well, except for a White Spot burger. They are smaller and so, so delicious. That triple O sauce. Yum!

I can hardly wait to meet Kelly this morning. The rest of the day will involve cleaning and tidying in advance of Dianne and Beverly’s arrival tomorrow. It’s going to be wet today and tomorrow but then comes a week of sunshine—perfect clover growing weather.

Oh, it’s wonderful when heat from the fire fills the house. I love waking in a cool bedroom and home, and I love, once the pets are fed, chopping wood and then lighting the fire. 

For Beth: It’s twee perfection, Mapp and Lucia. Two of my favourite British actors are Miranda Richardson and Anna Chancellor, and they are the leads of this three-episode series. It’s absolutely delicious to watch these women bring such wonderful life to two calculating characters. And watching Mark Gatiss was a treat. He plays an alcoholic major and he does so with great relish. 

It's classic BBC comedy. Not for everyone, perhaps, but most certainly and most wonderfully for me!