A change of plans

It seems odd not rushing to do some food preparation, but yesterday I made a pie in the morning & then ended up going to the chippy instead by the evening. We had been intending to take our time & do the food shop in the afternoon.Our plans went askew when we had a couple of phone calls.

The first was from PD. Having told us Wednesday he definitely was not going to the Pub on Thursday, he was ringing to see if we were coming to the Pub. He'd got himself in such state about his benefits medical he was running himself ragged. He just couldn't just sit down to relax without being in a panic. They're having a party at their house on Sunday for his father-in-law's birthday as well as having a lot of grandchildren to look after on Saturday & Sunday and another family party to attend on Saturday evening. All this was just adding to the pressure on him. Yesterday he'd already been to the gym, done the shopping, mown the lawns. He was exhausted but just couldn't sit down without thinking, and fretting, and panicking over the medical. He obviously was desperate for distraction, to take himself out of himself a bit & give him something else to think about for a while. We reluctantly agreed to go.

We'd been reluctant to go because this week was going to be a big shop. We'd already delayed it on Wednesday to go to the Pub for PD's sake. Now it seemed it would have to be delayed again. It was becoming urgent. It's amazing how sometimes all the basics seem to run out at the same time. This was one such week. My thoughts for meals was being severely restricted by the lack of onions, tomato ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, potatoes, flour, margarine, crackers... and then there was just a few bags of tea left in the house, antiperspirant bottles were having to be stood on end to get the last remaining drops out, cooking papers at the end of the roll, lack of freezer bags.... You name it we were running short. And that on top of a normal full weekly shop.

Not long after PD rang, we had another phone call. The Fox couldn't think who it was. "Al," the voice said. "Al who?" "The gardener." He's never rung before. "Are you coming to the Pub today?" He'd got us some red sprouting broccoli plants to grow on through the winter. He also wondered if we had any dill. He knows we have an extensive herb garden these days. "No, we have no dill, just fennel." He already had some of that in his own garden. We assured him we would be at the Pub later on for the plants. Just as well we'd decided we'd best go to the Pub. If necessary we would just buy the essentials. The rest could wait until next week.

So off to the Pub we went in the afternoon. Al was saddened to hear we had no dill. I asked him why he wanted it. I do have some old seeds he could plant but it seems rather late in the year for that it. No, he wanted to do a recipe which called for it. I explained to him most people either grow fennel or dill, not both, as they tend to cross pollinate with the result you end up with something which is neither one thing nor the other. I'd gone for fennel as it is a perennial whereas dill is an annual. However, the taste is similar. Dill tends to be a little more delicate & finer both in texture & in flavour but that's about it. You can use them interchangeably. He was dubious about this idea.

At this time the Pub chef came through, so Al asked him if he had any spare dill. Rob went to look and found some. Nervously Al tasted some. He had to admit I was right. It didn't taste so very different from the fennel which he grows himself. Next time he needs dill, he will save himself such a hunt & just use fennel.

So it was after 5pm before we set off to the supermarket. Despite the rather full car park & queue of cars still arriving, it was surprisingly quiet. We decided to get the lot done. But by the time we were back in the car, with all that food, we felt too shattered to go home, unpack & start cooking, even something prepared, or something that could just be popped in the microwave. We decided instead to stop at the chippy on the way back for a change, which we did.

Result - today we're restocked & we've got a minced beef pie waiting in the fridge for today's dinner. The potatoes are peeled ready. Nothing more to do today until this evening.

Today we'll be off to the Pub yet again. This time we're going to support Fran & Den. Den was due at the hospital yesterday to have cameras down him & other tests to sort out what his prostrate problem is. They are both obviously fearing the worst, cancer. If it is, they will need some shoulders to cry on; if it isn't, they will want someone to celebrate with. We'll soon find out which.