Annabel Day

It’s a beauty day! The endless good weather is back; it’s predicted to be in the high 20s later this week.

But Monday was wet. It didn’t rain; it drizzled all day long. I was up at 5:00 and then, at 9:00, was a dog walk with my group. Afterwards I came home and went back to bed.

I went shopping and came home to burn several boxes of the sticks and bark crap delivered with the wood—I have mountains of it taking up a quarter of the floor of my huge garage/shed. Then I baked two cakes—one for Annabel’s visit today and one for tomorrow night’s dinner with Fran and Sue.

I loved baking on a rainy day. I listened to Radio One (CBC) and had the fire lit, but the doors were open. It was lovely. The animals were quiet all day, as though the rain had dampened their spirits. It was a lovely quiet indoor day.

I’ll putter the day away today until Annabel arrives at around 2:45. I’m hoping she’ll stay for supper before she goes back to Nanaimo tonight to shoot some scenes for a TV movie she’s in tomorrow.

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Last night was tough. When I went to the store, I had a rough time speaking and during the early evening I had a lot of spasticity. My symptoms were back and it really got me down—really  down. But I’m feeling much better this morning, emotionally, but my symptoms are still present.

I’m discouraged but I’ve no doubt I’ll return to being symptom-free again. My mental health has ebbed-and-flowed since I was diagnosed.

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It’s always been this way: There’s always been the “food I eat,” and the food I serve.

The “food I ate” was my day-to-day diet. I usually made things in bulk, froze some and ate the rest for several days. And I’d these dishes this with leftovers from the meals I made and served—always demanding recipes, usually from a cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi. 

Now, though, I’m always too tired from yard and housework to make complicated recipes. Besides, the ingredients are hard to get here. So now I entertain with simple cooking and that’s what I’ll be doing tomorrow. I’m making stir-fry.

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The summer people are here. Ferry lineups are longer, the grocery store is busy and there are young people here and there. I like the influx of “strangers;” I particularly like the voices of children when I am in the parks.