A Hay-Fever Diary
Last year I put together a Pain Diary to see if I could find a better strategy to feeling better.
So now, as I’m suffering badly from hay fever or something like that, I’ll see if I can find any link. Note the two factors after the date are the pollen level according to the BBC and how I have felt on the day out of ten.
Monday, May 23rd – Moderate – 3/10
It started as a good day.
But after washing my hair at about three, it went swiftly downhill. It was almost as if I’d got soap in my eyes.
I had dinner at Arbutus and felt a bit better as I was very cruel to a rabbit. But I suspect the restaurant was air-conditioned.
Tuesday, 24th May – Moderate – 3/10
I got up and after breakfast went back to bed only getting up at about 10:00. I didn’t eat much all day, as I was so tired. I think it was just a Beanz thing for lunch and strawberries for supper.
Wednesday, 25th May – 4/10
Again I got up late and went to IKEA in Croydon. Lunch was a plate of IKEA gravadlax and a bottle of ginger beer. Did the air-conditioning help?
Thursday 26th May – Moderate – 6/10
Lunch was an egg dish in Carluccio’s and then getting wet in the rain.
Supper was a Marks and Spencer beef stroganoff after a drink down the pub.
Friday 27th May – Low – 5/10
I had a lot of pain this morning, in my face, left arm and left leg. I was sneezing a lot as I walked around the city.
After lunch of a salad nicoise, I slept for two hours.
Supper was another Marks and Spencer salmon after a drink down the pub.
Saturday 28th May – Low – 5/10
Less pain than yesterday, but like yesterday I did have a two hour sleep after lunch.
Sunday 29th May – Low – 6/10
The pain has been back in my arm today. And I had a good two hours sleep in the afternoon.
I didn’t have much lunch, but supper was Moroccan Chicken from the freezer with rice and strawberries to follow.
Monday 30th May – Low – 6/10
The pain was still in my arm today. And again I had a good two hours sleep in the afternoon.
I cooked the Beef and Bean Casserole, but supper was very much a snack.
Tuesday 31st May – Low – 7/10
The arm pain wasn’t so bad today and I didn’t have the sleep in the afternoon.
Lunch was eggs in Carluccio’s and supper was a couple grilled pork chops with some beans.
Wednesday 1st June – Moderate – 5/10
I didn’t have much pain, but I did need a couple of hours sleep in the afternoon.
I was also lazy and had supper in the Northgate Arms
Thurday 2nd June – High- 6/10
I went to the physio this morning and after some asparagus for lunch, I slept for a couple of hours.
Supper was fish and beans.
Friday 3rd June – High – 7/10
Perhaps the physio helped, but my arm was much better today.
Lunch was in Carluccio’s in Hampstead and supper was a Waitrose Indian meal for one after my long walk in Bow.
It was the first day in a long time, when I didn’t have a long sleep in the daytime.
Saturday 4th June – High – 7/10
As the blog shows, I went to the Derby, where it was very hot. I came back tired and went to bed at 21:30, which is early for me. I slept until 07:20, which is a long sleep for me.
Sunday 5th June – Moderate – 6/10
Not too bad a day and the pain hasn’t been too bad. It’s now 22:00 and I’ll be going to bed soon.
Two Greedy Italians
Antonio Carluccio has said tonight, that his religion is food. So tonight he and Gennaro Contaldo are exploring Puglia looking at religion and food.
But Gennaro did come up with this glorious recipe. I’ll try it sometime. It’s gluten-free too.
Antonio seems to be rather dismissive of the religion and is much keener on the food. I’ll drink to that! As I sip a gluten-free beer!
Diet and Warfarin
With the scare from Denmark about Marmite, I thought I’d check that my diet was OK? Especially, as I’m on a gluten free diet and take Warfarin.
It can’t be too bad, as I’ve been on the same level of Warfarin for about seven or eight months now and the last test was in the correct range.
I found this informative page in the Grown Up Congenital Heart Patients Association web site.
I liked the section about alcohol.
The interaction between alcohol and warfarin is complex. Alcohol acts as a mild anticoagulant. It also can affect the metabolism of the liver, which s important tor metabolising warfarin. As a rule of rhumb, two to three drinks per day – glasses of wine. beer etc -(typical cardiologist input) are unlikely to affect your warfarin levels. Intermittent binge drinking (typical medical student input) leads to an increase in INR (international ratio, the measurement used to check warfarin levels in the blood) due to warfarin being metabolised more slowly. Chronic heavy alcohol intake (Harley Street cardiologist input just joking!) results in a lower warfarin level because the alcohol increases the metabolism of warfarin.
It’s good to see a bit of humour in sites like this.
But then it says it’s a site for grown ups, by which they mean young people and adults.
Marmite Banned in Denmark
According to reports like this, Marmite has now been banned in Denmark.
It doesn’t bother me. I must be the only man in the world, who made his late wife a morning cup of Marmite before she got up in the morning for at least a dozen years, after she cut down on coffee.
I think I used to eat it as a child, but I haven’t had a taste for perhaps ten years or so, when I accidentally got C’s toast under my scrambled egg.
Rabbit Awareness Week
To celebrate Rabbit Awareness Week, I ate an excellent rabbit in Arbutus last night.
This restaurant is surely one of the best places to eat gluten-free in the UK. The chef, Anthony Demetre, is I believe a coeliac, so you never have any trouble choosing something to suit your taste.
The restaurant, despite its location in Soho, is not as expensive as some I could name. In fact, because of the way they sell wine in 250 ml. carafes, it often works out to be extremely good value.
Oven Gloves for the Microwave
A friend brought these back from Hawaii.
Oven Gloves for the Microwave
They do actually help, and as there are two and they are small, they could fit anywhere on my work surface to move things that are either hot or in my case cold. Cold things like a pie from the freezer are just as painful.
Here’s one on my left hand.
A Glove on My Left Hand
Hopefully, they will help me use my left hand better, as often I use the right, as that works well with any normal temperature.
The fingers work as you can see, but the temperature sensors aren’t that reliable. Luckily, I haven’t burned the hand yet!
Cooking White Long-Grain Rice
I’ve always struggled with this until yesterday, when I tried this method from the BBC.
The method detailed on the page, which also links to some interesting recipes.
Many cooks favour the absorption method for cooking white long-grain rice. For this, measure the rice by volume in a measuring jug – not by weight – allowing about 65ml/2½fl oz per person if you’re cooking the rice as a side dish. Stir in about double the amount of liquid (such as water or stock) and simmer in a covered saucepan for about 15 minutes. Do not try to stir the rice while it is boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and place a clean tea towel under the lid – this will help absorb the steam and keep the grains separate. Set aside for five minutes. Fluff up the rice with a fork before serving.
My only problem was that I didn’t cook enough rice for four.
Arizona To Bring in a Fat Tax
This story caught my eye on the BBC’s web site.
I don’t care a fig, if Ariziona does bring in a Fat Tax, as I’m not fat and I don’t live anywhere near the State.
But I do think there are two main types of fat people; those who have a medical problem and those who are, as Hancock once remarked to Hattie Jaques, gannets. Gannets of course are on a seafood diet; they see food and eat it.
I would not be in favour of a direct fat tax or fine as Arizona propose for those who don’t stick to a dietary regime laid down by their doctor.
What is needed is indirect taxes, like :-
- Weight limits in airline seats. If you’re too heavy you have to buy two seats.
- Extra VAT on junk food.
- Extra taxes on alcohol.
In other words taxes that are avoidable by just saying no!
Asparagus Egg Dippers with Smoked Salmon
I’ve eaten in some very good restaurants in my time, although these days I tend to like to cook myself, as I like the thrill of creating something. But I’ve never eaten in Heston Blumenthal ‘s, Fat Duck, as I feel that his eclectic taste and ideas may not fit with being a coeliac.
So today, as I had some spare asparagus and I was going to Waitrose, I made sure that I had the basics for this recipe of Heston Blumenthal’s that the supermarket is promoting.
It was very simple and all it required was :-
- 250g of asparagus
- 1 tbsp of grapeseed oil – I’m not as posh as Heston thinks he is, so I used some good olive oil.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- 100g of smoked salmon – I used some from Pinney’s of Orford.
- 2 medium eggs although I think mine were large ones – Interestingly, I buy them in fours from Waitrose, which is a very sensible number for someone living alone.
The method is as follows.
- Remove the woody part of the asparagus stems by gently snapping off the ends (they should break naturally) – I’d never have thought of snapping them, so at least it saved a knife from the washing up.
- Coat the bottom of a frying pan with the oil then add the asparagus, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cover with a lid. Place the pan over a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until the asparagus spears are cooked but still a vibrant green. Remove the pan from the heat and place the asparagus on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil – I actually tasted some after thy had been cooked and they were good.
- Cover a chopping board with a layer of clingfilm. Put the salmon slices on top in a single layer, then lay another layer of clingfilm over the top. Using a rolling pin, flatten the salmon so it becomes uniform in thickness. Remove the clingfilm, cut the salmon into strips and use to wrap each spear, leaving the top sticking out, and a few centimetres showing at the base – This was far too complicated and I can’t separate clingfilm with my hands, so I just separaed the smoked salmon and cut it into strips. It wasn’t too difficult and I’ll do it better next time.
- Using the smallest possible pan, just cover the eggs in cold water, and cover the pan. Bring to the boil quickly, over a high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and leave to stand, still covered, for 6 minutes – I’d never have thought of boiling eggs in this way.
- After 6 minutes, remove the eggs from the pan and place them in egg cups. Crack the top of each egg with a spoon and remove the top. To serve, dip the salmon-wrapped asparagus spears into the soft egg yolk.
I actually opened the eggs as I always have by battering them with the bowl of a teaspoon and then peeling off the shell with the handle of the spoon.
I also put a hole in the bottom of the shell, so that witches can’t use them to sail away on the sea.
They were very good and a wonderful combination of three of my favourite foods; asparagus, eggs and smoked salmon.
They’re gluten-free too!
It gave me a lot of satisfaction to do this recipe. I also learned several simple techniques, that work well.
So perhaps the success of his cooking is lots of simple ideas, brilliantly executed.
Paying For What You Eat
This is a great concept from Brazil, where your restaurant bill depends on how much you eat.
Strangely, it might be good for gluten-free, as you could only choose the food you know was safe.
The Anonymous Widower 