Long before dawn

The fireplace at Christmas (think I'm stuck with Danny and Emma's Indian horse until they get a place of their own).

 I am awake and downstairs again.  I tried to read myself off to sleep but my brain just got more active - the story line of Shadows and Strongholds is compelling.  It tells about Fulke Fitzwarin trying to reclaim Whittington Castle again, and his falling out with King John (he was a bad 'un) and becoming outlawed for a time.  We used to stop at Whittington Castle on the way up to Manchester Granny's and know it well.  We know the stone ruins though, and of course in the 12th C it was just made of timber.  It is near Oswestry.

In this period between Christmas and the New Year, it is easy to lose track of what day it is.  Fortunately, I knew that yesterday was the day I had an appt. to see the Dermatologist in Llandod, a 6 mth check up to look at a mark on my nose.  I was in and out quickly and am due back for another check up in 6 mths.  

I nipped into Tesco's beforehand, as I had to get more cat food.  Having stocked up over Christmas, the girls decided that really, the BIG (expensive) sack of dried cat food that they always have wasn't to their taste.  No, fish flavour was off the menu.  They wanted chicken instead.  They also wanted Whiskas and not Felix, and kept walking away from whatever I put out.  I also needed paper hankies (those have been somewhat in demand this Christmas), and  AAA batteries.  I  wandered across to the reduced chill cabinets and got some Aberdeen Steak mince.  There were some huge slabs of pork, but I wasn't tempted.  When I happened to wander past one last time before going to the checkout, the pork had gone and in its place were some big legs of lamb - priced at £37 and reduced mightily.  I bought one for me (freezer) for £7 and one for Tam and Jon (£10).  That should feed us well.  Mental note to go there again at this time of year.  

Later Tam, Rosie and I went to the Old Railway Line Garden centre to see what reduced Christmas things they had.  I was contemplating extra lights on the tree as the ones I have are a bit underwhelming, but they only had 25% off the lights and the ones I liked the most were only a very short 3m length which gets lost on a 6 ft tree.  I was too mean to for out £25 for those.  The baubles had 50% off though, and I got 3 and some gift tags and Tam got a couple of baubles too.  It was nice to get out and have a wander.  I will go for a stroll later today once I am on my own again.  When I've had a big tidy up, changed my bed, put the washing on and decided what on earth to make for tea tonight.  Tea last night was just cheese and ham toasties.  We've been trying to use up all the leftovers in the fridge.  I have double cream in there so will make it into butter.  There's still enough veg to shake a stick at too - Tam will take half of it, and I will make some soup I think. I've already cooked and frozen the leftover Parsnips.

Poor Rosie has had a sore tummy the last couple of days.  She had some more stodgy type food (Farley's rusks and cheesy potato etc) but this made her tummy uncomfortable and we had two nights where she was really crying at bedtime and took ages and ages to settle.  Poor Tam is absolutely exhausted as she is still waking lots and lots in the night and will only go back to sleep again on the breast.  Life will hopefully be easier when she is weaned.  

Well, that is quite enough waffling.  I shall read for a bit and try and get back to sleep.