On the way

My eyes are stinging. Why? I’ve just been grinding spices, blending them with onion, ginger & garlic to make a spicy paste to act as a marinade. We’re having pork vindaloo tonight. The meat is duly sitting in all that spiciness. However, in the process, the sharp spiciness of chilli mixed with vinegar & onion juices has got in my eyes. It’s a relief to have a little sit down before I get onto the next stage of the dinner – the actual cooking.

It’s food shop day once again. We’ve had a phase of sub-zero days so a good warm-up from a hot curry has real appeal as well as being quick & easy to warm up when we get back. Admittedly today is back to grey & wet, though milder.

For once we have no appointments this week. I’m half dreading ringing the surgery to get the results of my blood tests taken a fortnight ago. I expect them to be odd so I’m half-expecting to be called in to have them explained & to make further enquiries into my state of health. I just want a full week in which to relax a bit – no doctors, no hospitals or surgeries. Being ill has become a full time occupation. It’s exhausting!

Admittedly I was surprised when my cousin Ann rang at the weekend. She was concerned to discover if I’d had any diagnosis yet. She’s a retired nurse so has a keen interest in medical matters. When I told her yes, pancreatitis, she audibly gasped, shocked by the answer. Apparently, when she was training in the late 1960s/early 1970s, if a patient came in with pancreatitis they were expected to soon die. She hastily tried to reassure me things have improved. She knows people who have successfully managed it for years. I tried to reassure her that since my hospital stay I have felt much better. I’ve only had a few twinges, the sort of thing I wouldn’t have noted if it hadn’t been for my experiences earlier this year. I can’t believe I’m on death’s doorstep when I feel so much better & the medics are even on my case now. I still can’t help getting annoyed when I think of the doctor the second time I went to A&E, who reckoned I had a mild case of constipation & was wasting her time. She needs to do more training urgently.

Meanwhile the area around us is lighting up. Increasingly Christmas decorations are going up in house windows. Garden trees are illuminated. Santas & snowmen appear on roofs. And this is only the first week of December! We’ve even received our first Christmas card. Hand delivered by our next door neighbour. I’ve hastily dug out our cards & made a list of who to send to. That’s clearly the next job to settle down to whenever I have a minute to spare. Admittedly we had our roast turkey on Saturday. We prefer to do it early and use some nice slices warmed in a mustardy cheesy creamy mix on the day – less hassle & therefore less exhausting & more time & energy to enjoy ourselves. We’re off to a Xmas dinner later this week with other former members of Geriatrics’ Corner. It will be good to see them all again. So maybe Christmas really is on its way.