Rat Poison And Sprouts Don’t Mix
This cautionary tale about mixing brussels sprouts with anti-coagulant drugs, like Warfarin, should be noted.
The trouble is that I like my sprouts, so I’ll go easy on them over Christmas.
I think though, I’ll do a before and after INR test.
I feel a bit of scientific research coming on!
What Disaster Will We Get This Year?
I can’t say I’m looking forward to Christmas.
Usually, C and I used to go away on Boxing Day or soon after to somewhere nice and warm. But this year, both my son and myself, have the builders in, which makes things difficult. At least, I can get through the door of my house and live comfortably. So we’re going to a Christmas lunch at one of his friend’s houses. It should be a good party, but I don’t like relying on the hospitality of others.
Why can’t Christmas, be like it was in my childhood?
In those days, the Christmas Day tradition was to go to White Hart Lane to see the football and then come home to Christmas lunch. I could skip the lunch and the awful Christmas television, but at least it’s reliable these days. I can remember watching High Noon one Christmas and the power was fading, so just before the gunfight we lost all the pictures. Those were the days. I think one year, life was so boring, that I took my father’s car out of the garage, put mine in there and then washed and painted the wheels a fetching shade of blue. In fact, it is the same colour, that I’ve chosen for my new carpets.
I’ve just noticed the date on the carpets post. Have my builders taken nearly three months to get virtually nowhere? Such is life! Or should it be such is builders?
But what worries me about Christmas is it’s always a time for disaster. If I look back on my life, I can remember invasions, tsunamis, earthquakes, sto,rs, floods and probably even some pestilence. With me, the worse disaster was that awful year, the AGA went AWOL on Christmas morning. And mother-in-law was here. I seem to remember one of the biggest rows between C and her mother. But we survived, as we always did.
Personally, my worse Christmas could have been 2007, the year that C died just two weeks before. I helped out at the old peoples Christmas lunch in Bury St. Edmunds and had a good time considering. Then I ate my own Christmas lunch alone on Boxing Day. That is something, I’ve not done since.
I will though follow those who believe that the year will end this Christmas and make sure I have some food in.
After all, my son and I have no transport between us, So I’ll be relying on a taxi on Christmas Day. And if it doesn’t come, I’ve got to make sure I don’t starve. As to drink, I do live bext door to a pub.
Grand Cafe Cappuccino
I had lunch here before I caught the bus to the airport.
The last time, I’d been here was with C on that birthday holiday in 2007.
As with the Caballito de Mar, they knew their gluten free.
The Caballito de Mar Restaurant, Palma Majorca
Five years ago for my sixtieth birthday, C took me to Majorca. We stayed in an excellent hotel outside of Palma and she asked them to recommend a good restaurant that could do gluten-free food. They recommended the Caballito de Mar Restaurant on the avenue along the sea-front, underneath the town. It was excellent, so on my brief trip, I went back.
In fact, I went back again, as the sea bass was so good the first time.
The restaurant made up for the sub-standard hotel.
First Class to Leeds
I travelled in First Class to Leeds yesterday. I do get more and more fed up with the standard of the class on Saturdays.
I paid about thirty pounds more for a comfy seat, a table and two cups of coffee each way. My fellow travellers also got some rather boring-looking sandwiches both ways.
But I suspect, judging by the number of empty seats and those on Virgin a couple of weeks ago, the train companies First Class offerings on Saturday, are not the hottest product.
At least that on First Hull Trains is better! But on the other hand, it didn’t seem to sell many seats.
It strikes me though, that the train companies need to do a bit of thinking about their First Class product. And whilst they’re at it, they could look at their gluten-free offerings too!
Inciodentally, I had breakfast in Carluccio’s before I travelled and got some sandwiches from Marks and Spencer in Leeds station. I also noted that Leon’s restaurant had some good gluten-free breakfast offerings.
So some things are getting better, but the trains aren’t keeping up with the competition. Although you could argue, that the presence of Leon’s and Carluccio’s in stations, is down to policy changes at Network Rail.
Businesses Get Bees On The Roof
I first saw this in The Times concerning law firm, Olswang.
But there is also an old video story about it on the BBC’s web site.
It obviously seems to be a good idea, as it seems to be catching on.
Where Is A Cat When You Need One?
Last night I had poached smoked haddock and egg for supper. And very nice it was too, as it was a whole undyed fish from the fish counter in Waitrose.
The only problem, was the fish was too large for my dish, so I had to trim it. After I’d eaten it too, there was also a large piece of skin.
After living with cats since about the 1970s, I just didn’t have a handy pussy to make good use of the left-overs.
There are cats round here, but they don’t seem to come up to my end of the road.
Starbucks On Southern
I was offered a cup of coffee from the trolley on the train back from Worthing today.
I refused, as the trolley had the Starbucks logo on the side.
Has the anti-Starbucks protest got to me? I think so, but we had actually discussed this at lunch.
I’ve not completely got them out of my life, but where there are alternatives like Knot Pretzels at Clapham Junction, I use them.
Curry With A Kick?
I saw this sign in the window of a restaurant in Upper Street.
Curry With A Kick?
I wonder if it’s gluten free.
The Anonymous Widower 