Tag Archives: rhubarb crumble

Day 145

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No work today so I rose at a leisurely pace, breakfasted and popped down to the doctor to have  a blood test. That was when my day took a turn for the worse, when the first two attempts produced nothing. I’m beginning to worry the nurse, as she seems to have constant trouble with me. And when she doesn’t get the blood (which is most of the time) she blames me for not drinking enough before the test. I think she has erected a psychological barrier about me and blood testing, a bit like Emma Raducanu and winning.

The nurse went to get help, and the new nurse, who I have known for years because our kids were at school together, just prodded my arm, shoved the needle in and took the sample. If only Emma Raducanu’s solution could be as simple. I fear she has a long way to go, and a lot of press coverage to endure, before she sorts it out.

I heard a good quote on Tv tonight. William Faulkner – Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.

That’s the one for me. It’s just what I needed after a few weeks of wondering how to improve my writing. I spent the best part of today writing in an attempt to improve and I found this encouraging.

To be 100% accurate, the best part of the day was the time I spent eating more of the rhubarb and ginger crumble that Julia made at the weekend. What I really meant was that I spent most of the day trying to improve my writing. That’s how I’m going to improve – more precision and fewer sloppy expressions.

I deduce, from the lack of phone call, that my blood test results were satisfactory and the Warfarin dosage needs no adjustment. I am also hopeful that this means they will give me a month before the next blood test.

 

 

 

Sunlit Uplands

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As my post count moves closer and closer to 2,000 I find my main feeling is not one of achievement, but one of wanting a rest. This is accompanied by a realisation that reaching 2,000 posts is just reaching a number, rather than finding enlightenment or suddenly breaching a barrier and breaking through into the sunlit uplands of quality blogging. Standards have in fact fallen so far that I am typing this without my glasses. It’s not as lax as blogging in my pyjamas, but I’d be doomed if I didn’t have a spell-checker.

Even with glasses my typing wouldn’t win any prizes, as I often see when reading the gobbledygook that passes as previous posts. I’m often amazed that despite my best efforts at composition and proof-reading there are still pockets of gibberish lurking to embarrass me on re-reading. I hate that.

I got two pointless answers on the final question of Pointless last night. For those of you who don’t watch the programme, this is pretty good, but does, in truth, not compare with a Nobel Prize or an Oscar.

Small Copper on castor oil plant

My answers were Duke of Burgundy and Adonis Blue. I would have scored the triple with Cryptic Wood White but I couldn’t remember the word “Cryptic” so settled for Black-Veined White, which wasn’t pointless. When I checked it for the link it would appear to be extinct in the UK, so that explains it. To be honest, I’m feeling more deflated at missing the triple than I am elated at nailing two of them, even though was two more than the real finalists. It’s a sign of ageing that I am finding it harder to access my full vocabulary. If I hate finding gibberish in past posts, I really hate not being able to find the right words.

My photos are of commoner butterflies, which are the best I can do.

Of course, another sign of ageing is attaching importance to answering questions on TV quiz shows. That’s one of the milder signs of encroaching old age.

Hummingbird Hawk Moth

The butterfly photos are from  A Painted Lady Comes to Call, which indicates that in August 2017 we had crumble for tea. We had crumble for tea tonight – apple and rhubarb with ice cream. Some things don’t change much. Or, to look at it another way, some things are so good they can’t be improved.

Talking of age, I just deleted the entire post. This is the second time I’ve done this recently. Fortunately I managed to get it back without too much trouble, but it’s a worry that I keep doing it. I really must get a grip.

 

Silver Stamps and eBay

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I passed my blood test, and as a reward they have given me a whole four weeks until the next test. This will save a lot of time, car parking and pain. Not that there is much pain really, but I like to go for as much sympathy as possible.

This morning I continued putting stamp ingots on eBay. For those of you who don’t know, these are models of stamps made in silver. I knew such things existed because I’d seen them, but until Tuesday I didn’t know what they were called. I do now.

 

Nova Scotia 1/- stamp ingot
Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika 50 cent stamp ingot
Australia £2 stamp ingot
Silver Marks

Silver Marks

Ironically for something called “The Empire Collection” the third mark, the one that looks like a cross and circle is an import mark, which means the ingots were made abroad.  The others are the maker, .925 to denote Sterling silver and, at the end, an “E” for 1979. You’ll have to take my word for that, it’s a peculiar font for that series of date letters.

My current homework is learning about American coins, as I put some on earlier this week and realised I didn’t even have a basic working knowledge of the subject. It’s by no means my only area of ignorance, but it is one that has a good book to remedy the deficiency.

Not sure what I’m listing tomorrow, but I’m sure there will be something to do.

I would write more, but my card reader is playing up and I can’t access more photos.

Meanwhile, Julia was down at the Mencap garden watching butterflies and watering in the polytunnel. She had Orange Tips, Peacocks, Small Whites and a Common Blue.

In the shop we had to content ourselves with one single, droning fly.

Julia cooked tonight so we ate in a more sophisticated manner than normal – seafood linguine and rhubarb crumble (with rhubarb fresh from the garden). It’s nice to have someone else doing the cooking.