At 10am on Sunday Julia posted the Covid test kit. At 10.30 this morning she had a text with the result. It is negative. Credit where credit is due – this is a very efficient piece of work and the laboratory staff are to be congratulated.
If I say that was the most interesting thing in my Sunday, apart from a salted caramel chocolate brownie Julia bought when she went out for a walk, you may see what a waste my day has been. Again.
Now that spring is coming I really should be perking up.
I stalled in my writing, decided to have a cup of tea and a sit down, and ended up falling asleep through the midnight deadline. I’m still not much better placed as far as inspiration is concerned,, because Monday hasn’t exactly been a day of laughs. I dropped Julia off at work, went to the doctor, found my blood testing forms weren’t ready, despite my telephone conversation and email, and came home to make toast, wash up and stare at a blank screen.
Last night I had a strange dream about my legs being paralysed. I woke to find that I was laying on my side with my feet caught in the duvet. I’m not sure how I managed it, but they were held tightly together and I was trying to kick my way free.
A doctor rang me in the middle of the morning, to check on the blood test request. We discussed a few other problems we have had over the months and she was able to unravel several mysteries about missing prescriptions over the last few months. I felt slightly guilty as (a) I’m not ill and (b) all the years spent to train as a GP should not be wasted doing admin. It’s just unfortunate that the admin team at the surgery couldn’t have done it. I am beginning to suspect that deep in the bowels of the NHS Electronic Prescription system, there are a number of random faults that keep casting up aberrations.
I am doing the menu for tonight through to Thursday now. It’s sausages with roasted veg – the accent being on carrots. Tomorrow will be sausage and mash with mashed carrot and parsnips, and onion sauce. I have too many carrots. Even carrot soup for Wednesday lunch isn’t going to bring the numbers down significantly. I’m going to start eating carrot sticks for lunch too. Looks like carrot hotpot on Thursday…
Don’t overdose on beta carotene! Same here re an abundance on carrots.
Anyway, I’m sure you and Julia must be so relieved that she tested negative.
Good news about Julia’s test. Let’s hope the surgery admin is now improved. Did your duvet survive the dream?
The duvet was a little wound up… 🙂
Too much carrot turns your skin orange as does too many oranges. I can vouch for oranges doing this as it happened to one of my nephews. There is also a Kellogg cereal called Krave that my younger daughter liked for a while until it made her skin turn orange.
I like carrots very much but try not to have them too often during the week.
What a speedy Covid test result! I’m glad Julia is in the clear. I’ve never had a test but my younger daughter took part in research and did one last summer. The result wasn’t that quick then but it was early days for testing.
I knew about the carrots, but didn’t know about oranges also doing it, or Krave.
I was quite impressed by the testing kit and the speed that it was processed. Considering that we didn’t even know the virus existed 12 months ago I think they have done well on the vaccine, the vaccinating and the testing.
I agree, I think they have done marvellously. It has helped having the money presented to them by the government up front without the scientists having to go cap in hand pleading for the finance to continue with testing etc. as they usually do.
🙂
I too was mildly surprised by how cheery the shop looks. I had expected a Dickensian scene. We got our test results very quickly too. That part of the system seems to work well.
The previous shop was small, cramped, untidy and damp, with an outside toilet. This one is luxurious, and I nag about keeping it that way.
My old shop was in a cellar and was always clean and bright, though a trifle damp and untidy at times.
The problem is that most shops of this sort need to have low rents to make ends meet, and low rents go hand in hand with some real horrors.
One of my friends turned up to his shop one day to find that his office desk was in the cellar. 🙂
Inflated property prices are at the root of many of our contemporary problems.
Yes, and a lot of that is fuelled by people owning investment property. My next house is going to have a nice substantial wall, I have decided. I need somewhere to shoot aristos and capitalists…
Congratulations to Julia on a negative Covid test result!
I like the photo. So that is what the coin shop looks like? It looks much brighter and cheerier than I imagined.
Carrots and parsnips are always a good combo. Carrot juice might take the numbers down a bit if you have a juicer.
No juicer unfortunately. Not all coin shops are this clean and bright, I promise you. It was clean and bright when we moved in and we are trying to stay that way. 🙂
My sister gets her first vaccination tomorrow, so it is gathering momentum as she is in the group below me.
Carrot cake? Carrot slaw? Buy some bunnies?
Yes, your standard answer – buy another animal. 🙂
I’m trying to avoid baking (because I’m lazy) but carrot slaw might do the trick. Thank you. 🙂
I love carrot slaw with raisins….or sultanas as I think you call them …
We have raisins, sultanas and currants. Currants are small. I always thought sultanas were large and gold in colour, but wiki tells me currants are big too. I have sultanas, I will use them. I now have too much knowledge on dried grapes. I will not let my head explode…
But a dried grape is good in a slaw…
Yes, it is. I tend to treat them as interchangeable depending what I have in the cupboard.
I have dried cherries and cranberries. Totally works in my yogurt
We have a Persian vegetable stew recipe which calls for yoghurt and dried cranberries. Dried fruit is good. I am of an age where fibre is important. 🙂
I’m that age too…
🙂 You are wearing a lot better.
I don’t know about that she says as every bone in her body creaks….
Yes, things that used to glide silently and smoothly clunk a bit now, and putting socks on requires more planning that formerly. 🙂
Did you see that contraption they sell to help you put on your socks?
No, but I’m interested… 🙂
I can’t add the image, but it’s called sock slider. I will include on Sunday
It’s amazing that I can be fascinated by a gadget to put socks on. Is this what age does to you? Once I wanted to do away with poverty…
Not being able to put on your socks is a different type of poverty