A corner has been turned

 Yesterday I woke too early - 4.30 again.  Couldn't get back to sleep so just after 5 I got up and came downstairs.  I had planned to drive to Carmarthen area to get the Christmas meat and to see friends.  I now had time to play catch up a bit and having bought a bag of lemons with my Christmas shopping decided to make a Lemon Drizzle cake for P&D  and family, as I know they love it and P doesn't bake.  I opened the page of my special recipes book (all handwritten out, and it's hand-made heavyweight paper) to Tangy Lemon Cake and saw I had put double the quantities to one side.  Why not make two, one for friend N too?  So I did.  All before breakfast.  The hardest part was grating 4 lemons to go in the mix.  Then those lemons are ground on the glass lemon squeezer (that was my mum's) and the juice mixed with sugar to spoon over the cakes the moment they come out of the oven and you prod them all over with a skewer.

I was away by about 9.30.  Sitting down and driving is fine, I can do that.  Not up to much physical exercise just yet though.  I needed fuel, but wasn't paying the £148.9 a litre that Tesco wanted (will be the same down the town too).  In Llandovery I got diesel for £138.9.  A considerable improvement.  Then on to Llandeilo, to our old butchers at Ffairfach.  He sells Salt Marsh Lamb and I wanted a piece for Christmas and got a lovely leg.  Then a kilo of braising steak for the pie, and I got 500g of mince for meals for me.  

A whistle-stop drop off P&D's with Quality Street, cake, jam/marmalade and a book for P.  Finally back through the little lanes to N's, praying I wouldn't meet the mad neighbour who drives like it's Le Mans, when I got to the very very single track rock-cut steep bendy hill . . .  I survived, and had a cuppa and a very welcome chat and catch up on gossip with N.  

On the way home I stopped at the nursery for the last two gifts I needed to get for P and C and will drop those off this morning with a card.  

I just made a simple mince with onions and mixed veg for tea, and some of the lovely Organic Cauliflower which Tam had bought across for me.  I had decided to add a splash of Worcester Sauce to it but picked up the Tesco's own bottle by mistake.  Since having this bug, and despite emptying sinuses, I seem to have an area of super sniffing and a note of something will really be strong and pungent.  Yesterday it was a note of Anchovy in the sauce and I did wonder if I was going to be able to face eating it as my stomach had lurched at the smell.  By the time I'd added gravy browning, it had subsided, thank heavens.  I only had a tiny bowl - literally half a dozen dessertspoonfuls - and I felt really bloated afterwards (I have lost just under half a stone with this bug), but it will help to build me up.  More tonight.

The photo at the top is the River Cothi, which had clearly been up across the lane as ever, only a lot more frequently since we lived there.  It's much drier here.  

Oh, and to make you all giggle.  Tam left J in charge of Rosie on Friday, as ever, whilst she was in work.  They had bought a small sprig of Mistletoe and put it high, but J, being tall, must have knocked it and it fell within Rosie's reach.  They hadn't counted the berries on it but two didn't seem many and he was worried Rosie may have eaten some.  Off they all went to A&E, where Rosie was pronounced fit and apparently it's not the berries which carry the toxin, it is the stem and leaves.  At worst, she would have had an upset tummy.  Anyway, Rosie had been having a fine old time climbing all over the hospital bed and when it came to going home, actually wanted to stay and keep on playing.  They scooped her up and walked out through A&E with Rosie yelling "Help!!!" as if they were abducting her!!!  They didn't even know she KNEW the word "help" . . . where did that come from?