There was a doggy on the train on Friday. He had fur very similar to my Bear dog’s. I didn’t get to talk to him unfortunately. Yesterday, Weasel and I went for a walk next to a creek. I got to talk with a 21 month old mini-Lassie type dog. I spotted some baby moorhens, there were two initially, but three more showed up. They had their long legs and blue bits around their eyes. Then a little further down we saw a mama duck cuddled up with four baby ducks.

We also had conversations with strangers. We don’t tend to do that being the shy retiring types that we are. Before we got to the creek yesterday there was a nice lady working in her garden. We had a brief chat about the weather, age perceptions [she thought we were younger than we are] and her cute decorative wheelbarrow. Then when we were at the checkout in the grocery store, I spotted the headline on Heat Magazine. It had Lindsay Lohan and said she was skin a bones. I made the comment that there was just no pleasing them. Either everyone was too fat or too thin – like the cat with buttered toast on its back I guess these women are supposed to hover in suspension never changing. The woman in line ahead of us agreed wholeheartedly and we had a lovely chat about societal pressures women have and the importance of being healthy and having all things in moderation.

My weekend with Horatio was lovely. We went out a couple of times to celebrate our birthdays [mine is April 11 his is May 11]. We had curry on Friday night for him [oh my god but cheese stuffed naan bread is good]. We went to Harrogate on Saturday and to Bettys Cafe for me. Heaven. We made stuffed hamburgers that evening. We put onion marmalade, Mexicana cheese and bacon in them. We had a spinach, onion and apple salad with it. We enjoyed it very much. I plan on making a vegetarian version for Weasel and I this weekend.

While in Harrogate I decided to have another look around for shirts. I am becoming increasingly desperate. In an effort to remain upbeat I made it a game. I told Horatio what was ‘wrong’ with each shirt when I rejected it and soon he was able to help me look and reject shirts too. Saved time and we got to mock a fair bit of them. I did find one shirt that wasn’t horrible, but I didn’t love it and it was £25. I might have gone for it at £15. So my plan is this: make my own. I know exactly the style I am looking for and I don’t think it’ll be too hard. Granted I haven’t sewn anything in about 15 years, but I’m hopeful with some gentle direction from Mal, BlanketGirl and my Mom I’ll be able to pull something together.

I’ve been having ear pain and feeling very tired this week. I’m doing my best not to panic and overreact. I was supposed to reduce to 3mg of steroids today, but based on how I’m feeling I am delaying it for a week. I’ll reassess then. If I do decide to reduce it I’ll be staggering 3 and 4mg for a week before I move solidly onto 3. I haven’t dared to do my yogalates, I really want to, but I’m scared. I have decided to give myself until next Tuesday to feel better and then I’ll dive back in with both feet.

Knitting group tonight and I’m very excited. On the train I managed to get to the end of the side ribbing [aka 10"] and now I’m working in stockinette for a further 8″ and then I get to start decreasing stitched to create the waist.

Horatio and I were talking at the weekend and I expressed my concern over Fergus’ health. I said that I’d tried to find additional doggies to help take the strain off him but with no luck. Fergus’ design is from 2004 so I am not holding my breath. Horatio decided to have a go and we thought we’d found some. The design was 2004, it said they were 25cm [and Fergus is too] and they were a darker shade so all should be well. I put the order in, suspecting that it wouldn’t even be processed. It was and yesterday two doggies arrived. I opened the parcel and they were tiny! I measured them every way I could think of and got 21cm max. I called the company [Bear Country] and they were very kind and refunded me half my order cost. I wasn’t expecting that. We’re keeping them because they’re adorable and miniature Ferguses are hard to resist. We’re calling them Quinn and Zoë. Fergus seems to tolerate them so far, they’re a bit yippy for his tastes. Corrin seemed to like them.

I’ve spent a good deal of time playing Puzzle Quest. I find it rather good fun.

Sweet Jesus, I haven’t written in over a week. I’ve been awfully involved in living.

Had knitting group on Wednesday. I was making excellent progress on Weasel’s skirt. Last night I missed a stitch I’d dropped and had to undo four rows. Then today I got the 10″ I needed and realised that I’d completely misunderstood the instructions. Weasel was able to explain where I’d gone wrong. So today I pulled it all out and I’ve started again.

I spent Thursday and Friday cleaning and cooking in anticipation for my little birthday lunch. I made lovely lasagne, gorgeous butterflake rolls [and garlic butter] and salad. I had Swedish Glace to go with the delicious carrot cake.

Friday night Doodle came over for band practice. My hearing loop arrived on Thursday so we set it up and had a play. I don’t really understand how it works and I am very annoyed that I have to be facing the box to be able to hear it. I finally plugged my ear hooks into it so I could listen directly. I am not happy about it. If we cannot get it to work more comfortably I will be returning it and we’ll think again.

Weasel and Doodle took over pizza preparation and I rested. We ate while watching Twilight. We’re all fans of the books, they’re very easy to read and entertaining. The movie is horrible. It reeked of ‘B’ movie and the acting was fairly wooden and whoever was in charge of the colouring really shouldn’t have been. Also, they did Edward’s glow completely wrong and he just looked stupid. Everyone had crazy, stupid hair. I think we all decided it was worth seeing once, we will only watch it again as part of a drinking game.

Saturday morning I got to come downstairs to see that Weasel and Doodle had set-up the dining area for me! I got to get straight into the shower. I put the lasagne in to bake and Horatio arrived while I was making the salad. The four of us played Mario Cart on the Game Cube until trigs arrived then we roped him in to play while the lasagne finished baking.

Lunch was very well received, I think everyone liked it. The only problem was that I misjudged how tall the food was. The footprint of the lasagne and the cake were normal, but the height meant that it was very substantial. I think trigs was the only one to finish all his lasagne and Horatio was the only one to finish the cake, no one managed to get all of everything.

After lunch we had a lovely walk up next to the airport. We got to chat and see bunnies and get splashed by ducks. On our return [after cake] we played a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit then several rounds of Apples to Apples. trigs left after that and Horatio gave Doodle a lift home [I tagged along].

The evening was fun, Weasel, Horatio and I watched The Karate Kid [yes, it is as good as we remember]. Horatio and I played a couple games of Cribbage. He went off to bed and I got to snuggle with him then a little while later Weasel and I went to bed and I got to snuggle there too! In the morning I got to kiss them both within moments. Very convenient! Not appropriate for long term, but very fun for a morning.

We had some food then went off to Anglesey Abbey to see the hyacinths. Fergus got to come too. I have many photos to share, but I haven’t sorted through them yet. Hopefully tomorrow. I spent several minutes watching two butterflies dance. They were totally flirting. It was very beautiful.

It was physically and emotionally draining doing this party planning and execution. It was worth it though, I liked having a goal and a schedule. I’m very grateful it is over though and I can rest now.

Today was a wonderful day. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I requested that we arrive to Stoat & Mal’s a little early so Weasel and I could go shopping. I didn’t even find anything worth trying on. I have some ‘rules’ about tops that I have to follow or I end up looking stupid. For example, I cannot have capped sleeves, they make my shoulders look even wider. Weasel found several cute things and ended up with a new skirt and a cute shirt. I’m not entirely sure how to go about getting new clothes.

Anyway, when we got to the house Stoat had already started on the cake [in terms of getting ingredients out] so I dived right in. It is always fun to cook with a chef. He is so knowledgeable and he knows all these little ‘tricks’ to make things easier. For example, lining a circular baking dish with baking parchment. I’ve usually put the paper in and folded it along the sides; it worked okay but I didn’t love it. His method:

• cut the paper a couple of inches wider than the dish
• fold the paper in half several times [it'll form a triangle]
• turn the baking dish over and place the point of the paper in the middle
• measure the height of the dish and leave the same amount hanging over the edge, trim the excess
• cut several slits along the ‘height’ of the paper [from the outside edge going toward the point]
• when you unfold it, it fits perfectly in the dish and the slits mean there is no bunching on the edges

The cake turned out beautifully and I learned a lot about where I’d be going wrong before. I think I just never had enough air in the batter. It was so much fun and I’m definitely going to be trying others. I also have a better understanding of icing and I think I’ll do better with that now too. I love cooking with Stoat.

I also got to play many games; Rummikub, Scrabble and Uno. Lovely conversation as usual. I got to discuss my knitting projects with Mal, she was very helpful. I’m going to start one for me and one for Weasel. My plan is to take my pattern to the haberdashery and ask them to help me pick appropriate wool and circular needles. I’m really excited to do this. I’m also going to start practising the pattern for a couple of others I want to try.

There were a few presents too. My big thing is the domestic hearing loop. It hasn’t arrived yet, but it should be sometime this week. So I would have something on the day though, they gave me a wonderful wooden jigsaw puzzle with a crossword puzzle on one side and a sudoku puzzle on the other! I’m really excited to give it a go. Weasel and Horatio also conspired a bit. There were two boxes, a little one and a small one. I decided to open the small one first. It was a copy of the 100 classic books for the DS. Weasel explained that she felt bad I wasn’t able to use her copy because she always took it to work. I said that was all well and good, but I didn’t have a DS. Then the penny dropped. The big box was of course my very own DS. I’m really excited and I was so surprised. So huge thank you to Weasel and Horatio for the planning and execution of a most wonderful birthday present.

I even managed to blow out all of my candles! Last year I couldn’t even get a look in. I took a big breath and I did it! Lungs won’t keep me down.

I’ve had two people express an interest in the things that I cook. So I will share my recipes when I make things, but at the bottom of the Debbies so those that are uninterested won’t have to look. I got this from my Mom a while ago, don’t know where she got it.

Sweet Potato Bean Burritos

Bean Mixture:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Sweet Potato Mixture:
4 medium sweet potatoes, cooked*
2-4 jalapeños, diced
1/4 c fresh cilantro

12 whole wheat tortillas (warm them up if they are too hard to roll)*
4 ounces shredded Mexican cheese*
4-6 oz cheddar cheese to top burritos*

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans and water, and heat until warm. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and soy sauce. Let this bubble away for at least 15 minutes until water is reduced, meanwhile you can get the sweet potatoes ready.

Mash the cooked sweet potatoes. Chop up the jalapeño peppers and add them to the potatoes. Add the cilantro and combine it all together.

Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the tortillas, add cheese and roll the tortillas. Place them on a greased baking sheet. Top with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.

Serve, topped with salsa and/or sour cream.

* I peeled and sliced the sweet potatoes, then boiled them until they were fork soft. I only used four tortillas; making four giant burritos was much more fun. I lined the bottom of the tortillas with cheddar cheese, put the sweet potato mixture, then the bean mixture and rolled the burrito, topping it off with lovely lovely Mexicana cheese.

Note: This was almost too hot for me, I think next time I will half the amount of chili powder and add an extra jalapeño. Sour cream made it more than edible though!

I’ve done something crazy/stupid. The knitting group I’ve just joined is run by one lady in her cafe. When she is unable to host the meeting it just gets cancelled. I volunteered to help by opening/closing the cafe for us when she is unavailable. I’ll go early next week to learn the ropes. I’m not thinking too much about it on purpose, so I won’t get too scared.

In other knitting news, I’ve figured out cable stitching and stripes. Again both were surprisingly easy. I’m not sure why I keep putting these things off. I’m excited for tomorrow, I’ll get to ask Mal if she has any circular knitting needles. I want to make skirts. I have very narrow hips compared to the rest of me [4" smaller than my stomach and 10" smaller than my bust], so all my trousers/skirts/shorts are always falling down. I wear belts, but whenever I breathe out they loosen and fall down. So my plan is to knit a cute skirt that is tailored to hug my hips and just cover my waist. Skirts are really just panels, so I’m fairly confident I’ll be able to do it. I’ll consult with Mal tomorrow and Weasel and I have talked about going into town on Monday to look at wool.

We’re going to see Weasel’s family tomorrow since it is my 28th birthday. I’m not entirely sure what I think of it yet. I think I am sad that I’ve missed so much of my youth to being ill [mentally and physically], but that’s nothing new. I’m hoping I’ll just have fun. Stoat is going to teach me how to make his wonderfully delicious carrot cake. I’m thinking I may be able to use the leftovers for my lunch/birthday party next weekend.

I got my referral letter, I start Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programme on 21st May. Then it is twice a week for six weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays. I am excited to have some guidance with my exercise. I was very good with my regime when I was healthy, but ill people have to exercise a little differently. I am improving though, this week I’ve managed to do the entire 60 minute yogalates workout twice and last night, I went to the stairs and I went up them two at a time [!!!!!!]. I used to bound up the stairs without even thinking and I’ve had my habit kick in a few times over the last couple of years only for me to do one or two steps and have to proceed normally. This time I managed the entire case. I so want this to be true and real, but I’m scared.

I’ve decided that I am going to cook one new thing every week on Thursdays. Last night I made Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos. They turned out beautifully and were surprisingly flavourful as well as hot. I probably should have made several smaller ones, but I made four giant ones. Weasel and I each had one and the other two are waiting. I’m probably going to use next week to make the lasagne for my party. I couldn’t figure out how to host band practice on Friday night and make the lasagne and call my parents in one day.

Another new and amazing thing I did! I put in a prescription request and it was ready on Thursday. I had enough pills to get me through Tuesday, but I decided that I would go to the doctors, then the pharmacy and then to the grocery store to get the ingredients I needed for burritos. I’ve been a purely one-errand-at-a-time girl for years. I just never had the energy to do more than that. I’m so ridiculously pleased that I did both.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Easter. I adore the four-day weekend we get here!

Via Shakesville.

Fergus and I are home alone today. Weasel has run off to the big city with Mish to acquire new fashionable foot coverings.

I walked up to the pharmcay and now I’m wondering what to do with myself.

I’ve already set up the guest bed for Holly [Weasel is meeting with her tonight and bringing her home]. I’ve already done the laundry. I’ve already played a healthy bout of Zuma. Fergus and I have had a lively debate on the merits of mushrooms. I finished the last of my library books.

Maybe I’ll make some lunch and watch a film.

This morning, I half woke up because I could hear music or party noise or something. I was too asleep to fully figure it out so I just rolled over and ignored it. When I properly woke up, I realised it was my tinnitus. I always end up thinking this music/party must be really loud since I can hear it. I haven’t mentioned it to any of my doctors because it only happened like once a fortnight or some other large time span. It may be happening more now. Grumble.

Eleanor tried to have her employment tribunal yesterday and I went along as moral support. Turns out that they decided to change the time on the day from 14:00 to 10:00. They decided to tell her of this time change via letter. Not phone call. It broke my brain. Luckily though, the meeting wouldn’t have gone any differently even if she had made it. We’ll all go back again on 6th May.

Instead, we got half way there, found out it was finished and went to a nearby town. We had lovely scones and tea cakes [Eleanor and I shared half of each]. Fine conversation and we went into a few little shops. I got a gorgeous 9″x13″ roasting/baking tin that is going to work so perfectly for my lasagne and cakes and any large casseroles I decide to make. It is a thing of beauty. Additionally, it came with a baking tray [both for the low low cost of £13!], so I can throw away one of our grottier ones. Yay!

I got to wander in a stationery shop too. They had little rubber bands that are prefect for holding my ear hooks in place on my hearing aids. I’m very pleased.

I called BlanketGirl after I got home and we talked of all and sundry. Had a lovely bitch about our family and I think we both feel better. We’re sort of the black sheep of the family. We have good company.

Today I went to the first meeting of a new book club. There were only four of us, but we’re going to do our best to spread the word. We got to pick a club name any everything. I’m rather excited. Our first book is the The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. We’ll be discussing it on May 13th. We’re also going to take author names and book suggestions along and get a year’s worth of books queued up. Then we’ll submit the list to the librarians and they’ll reserve them for us. The nice thing is that the order will be random, so it’ll be a surprise for all of us.

Tonight Weasel and I are going knitting again. She learnt the basics from Mal last weekend, so she’s going to practice some more. I’m working on a diamond pattern, so I can really start to recognise which is stitch and which is purl and how I want them to interact with each other. After this, I’m going to try stripes.