The soup plan took place and I decided that today was a day for lentil soup. First call was the cupboard where  keep the pulses, but on the way I took a quick look in the fridge. There was a packet of vegetables I wanted to use for hash for tea. It’s not a sophisticated dish but it is easy and it keeps. Soup tonight and hash tomorrow, or vice versa – an easy meal plan, as the veg for hash can also become vegetable stew if necessary.

When I looked at the ready-cubed vegetables I realised that they were too small for the hash, so they became soup. Carrot and swede (rutabaga) soup with leeks, garlic and a stock cube. It’s quite orange, and slightly sour, and it’s still in the pan as we decided on hash. Tomorrow is soup with salad and quesadillas, though the seasoning needs work. It’s likely to end up with a large helping of curry powder. Lentil soup will be next week.

That, in turn, meant that I had to cut quite a lot of vegetables, which isn’t fun with stiff fingers and sore knuckles. I wimped out of cubing swede, as it’s a hard vegetable to do and the knife I use is capable of removing a finger if you get it wrong. With my fingers as they were this afternoon, there was a good chance of getting it wrong, so common sense prevailed. We made do with carrot, parsnip, potato, sweet potato, leek and cabbage. The corned beef was a bit of a problem as the key was missing. I cut most of the base out of the can with a can opener, but had to finish off with a knife. (See previous comments about fingers . . .)

I will rest my fingers for the next few days and see how things develop. They do tend to get stiff every so often so I’m hoping that rest, and possibly a hot water bottle will do the trick. I did the shopping online. This Friday I will pick things up from TESCO as you can order fewer items if you pick it up in the car park. Next Friday we have a full shop from ASDA – again ordered with a single click. It will nee a bit of work to alter it, but not much compared to ordering from scratch. I will be ordering more pre-cut veg, to save my fingers.

When Julia came home, I decided to ask if she would like a drink using Makaton. She did and she indicate she would like tea (a drinking gesture featuring a raised little finger – like a posh lady drinking tea).  Coffee is indicated by a drinking gesture and fingers held to give a C shape. e went through some of the other signs later in the evening, where I discovered that stiff fingers make sign language tricky.

I really hope that rest and warmth does the trick. I would say “fingers crossed” but it seems wrong in the circumstances.

Stephen Hawking 50p