CHILLIED PORK CASSEROLE WITH HERBS

1 large onion, chopped
Few garlic cloves cleaned and crushed
Pork fillet cut into cubes
1 tin of tomatoes
Some tomato puree
Mixed herbs and oregano
White wine
Butter beans (tinned)
Quarter tsp of red hot chilli and a few chilli flakes according to taste
Salt and black pepper

Fry the onion and garlic cloves, then add the pork and fry until browned.  Add the herbs, seasoning and the tin of tomatoes, stir in some tomato puree and add a good glug of the wine to provide cooking liquid.  Add the chilli and leave to cook for 1 hour then add the butter beans.

Eileen's Potatoes
Here’s the recipe for almond potatoes. Slice some new pots, or other and boil for around 10 mins in salted water. Meanwhile fry a slice red onion with some garlic in a little oil for three to four mins. Add half a teaspoon or so of turmeric and a good handful of flaked almonds. . Drain and add the potatoes and some rocket, I used parsley. Pour in some double cream and reheat. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, check seasoning salt and black pepper and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for around 30 to 40 mins  190-200.  Enjoy.

A Poem About Touch

THE GAZE

You caught my stare
Or was it a glare
I felt a buzz
Or maybe a stir
When you touched my hand
With the tips of your fingers
It was like an electric shock
I pulled my hand away
In that moment I knew
I knew it would be you

Why Don't Older People Wear Brighter Coloured Clothes and Accessories?

When you reach a certain age, is it really necessary to wear just beige or navy.  We need more colourful older people.  Men as well as women.  Think Jo Brand, the comedian, Prue Leith, the chef (with her colourful glasses), Sue Pollard, Mary Berry (all those colourful jackets), Christopher Biggins, Paul Martin, the antiques expert with his loud trousers.

Walking down Oxford Street in central London, many people wrap up warm in dark anoraks, jeans and trainers, all very comfortable for shopping, but what about a winter white coat with a black Russian hat to liven up the crowds.  Why aren't red leather boots easy to buy?  They are available online but not many on shelves in the shops.


So, reach in that wardrobe for something bright today and wear it with pride.

What would you spend on your pet?

I am not talking vets or food here.  I mean on clothes, accessories, posh cushions, little houses for cats, hand made dog sweaters with hand beaded crystal detail.  What about a handcrafted Alcantara dog jacket, embellished with Swarovski elements for around Euros 168?

What about a designer cat tree in leather, by Rondo?  Prices vary, but you can get one for £589.
This one is around £480.
.
If you like to know where your pet is at all times, what about a Tractive Real Time Pet Tracker for about £80.  You can set an alert on your smartphone, so you will be advised when your pet strays outside the area you have set up as a safe zone.

Maybe a Cat Chesterfield?
  priced around £400.
Enough to pay in a day perhaps?

Is it time to stop being an arctophile? Bear lover/collector

I have quite a collection of bears.  Most are in a box in storage, given names I have long since forgotten.  I am wondering if we are ever too old to be an arctophile.  Would I be better to put them on an auction site and use the money for a treat?

Do you collect anything?  Are they on display?

A POTTED HISTORY OF THE BEAR

In Switzerland and France the proof of bear worship can still be found. In Berne (meaning Bear), the capital of Switzerland, there are still bear pits where you can feed carrots to the bears. Many bones and skulls of cave bears have been found at a site in Drachenloch in Switzerland. Why Neanderthal man began hunting the Cave Bear is not certain. It was a formidable animal, standing more than eight feet tall when reared in anger, and must have been a dangerous foe.

Teddy bear collectors are known as arctophiles from the Greek words 'arcto' (bear) and 'philos' (lover).

Theodore Roosevelt, the American President, was responsible for the first “teddy bear”. On one of his Mississippi hunting trips it is believed that his assistants cornered a black bear after a long chase and tied it to a willow tree. Roosevelt refused to shoot it saying the immortal words, “Spare the bear!  I will not shoot a tethered animal.” Clifford Berryman of the Washington Post drew a cartoon of the scene and eventually the cartoon bear became smaller and cuter. In 1903, a new stuffed toy was developed by Morris and Rose Michtom, owners of a store in Brooklyn and when they put it in their shop window they used a sign saying “Teddy’s bear” and it became a great success. Almost simultaneously in Germany Margarete Steiff, a disabled seamstress, was making stuffed teddies and selling them to the USA. The Steiff company went on to sell millions of teddies before the First World War in Germany, as well as the UK and USA.

A family business called Merrythought in the World Heritage Site of Ironbridge in Shropshire, England, have been making teddies since 1930.  In the 1980’s they made showpiece teddies, some 6ft. tall for Hamleys and Harrods.  In 1992 they won the TOBY (Teddy Bear of the Year Award) for Master Mischief designed by Jacqueline Revitt.  In 2013 they produced a special edition bear to mark the arrival of Prince George of Cambridge in the UK.

Vitamins for Seniors

There is such a choice of vitamins available.

Only last week a friend recommended my husband takes Rhodiola rosea together with Ashwagandha Maximum Strength.  They are supposed to give him energy.  So far, he feels more sleepy.  I took one Rhodiola but felt too lively that day.  It is not for me.

I just found a dusty looking bottle on my bedside table.  It's Ubiquinol CoQ10.  I don't remember what I was taking it for, so will need to google it as they were not cheap and are still in date.  Then there is the Glucosamine Hydrochloride plus Osteocare liquid for my joints and bones, having broken three of them.  I also take Evening Primrose Oil, Menopace multivitamins and have 5HTP to help with serotonin levels.  I live in the UK in a flat with no outside access, so my doctor recommended I take high dose Vitamin D.  Do we really need all this stuff?  I don't take them all every day as it would be just TOO much.  I almost forgot, I now have gone back to Cod Liver Oil capules for Vitamin D!  If I feel a cold coming on, I take Boots First Defence followed by a soluble Vitamin C tablet with Propolis royal jelly thrown in for good measure.

I eat a varied diet and although I don't like most fruit I love lemons and limes and have at least one a day.

That Drink Thing!!!

I think my relationship with alcohol has a lot to do with stress.  Yesterday I had an hour's meeting with a solicitor and decided to eat lunch time and have a glass or more of wine, followed by a nap.  I hadn't had much sleep the night before (worrying about the solicitor thing) and slept like a log last night.  I think the alcohol helped.

Today I have been sipping water and drank Earl Grey.  I shall try to avoid wine o'clock, or at least delay it an hour.  I am trying!!!

The Dentist - Regular Check Ups?

It has been a while since I made an appointment with a dentist for a simple check up.  I have had such awful dentists over the years (and a few good ones) and have now developed a bit of a phobia to say the least.  I need to see one and if my front tooth falls out today, I am able to make an appointment, but for more serious stuff, feel I need to find out about being hypnotised.

I think fear of the dentist is fairly common.  At the moment, I have two crowns that don't fit properly, making it difficult to eat certain foods, such as crispy bread or crispy bacon.  I don't want to end up only eating soup or mashed potato, so must find some way of overcoming my fear.

A friend recently had implants done in Spain and the treatment is still ongoing after 18 months.  That seems a long time to suffer.
 

A Week to be Wild - A Mills and Boon book

I am a Mills and Boon Insider and they sent me just before Christmas a proof copy of A Week to be Wild in their DARE series.

I started to read it this week and feel it will appeal to British and American people in particular as it's set in London and New York.  It's typical Mills and Boon romance with more raunch, bringing it up to date.  Nice to see the heroine having her own business.

Morphy Richards Soup Maker

I was given one for Christmas and decided to try it out with some leftover vegetables yesterday.  You can get similar results with a saucepan and hand whisk but I found the end result so much more tasty in the soup maker.  Maybe it retains all the vitamins?  The dried herbs totally melted.

 

Getting on the Wagon

Well, I haven't managed to get off the alcoholic merry-go-round as yet but I have cut the vodka down to one a night.  Maybe today will be the day I skip it altogether.  Having said that, I am thirsty and fancy something with ice.  Must look at the non-alcoholic gin available on Amazon.  Only thing is I don't drink gin.  I prefer vodka.

I have been sipping water with apple vinegar cider all day as it's supposed to be good for the liver, but I didn't buy the mother yet (that's an essential ingredient I am told, also available from Amazon).

The Alcohol Saga

Well, how did I do last night?

Not very well I am afraid.  I normally have two glasses of a measured vodka and cranberry juice most evenings, followed by a glass or two of white wine with dinner.  I did cut the vodka down to just one glass, so I guess that is a start.  I am working my way towards having alcohol free days.

I haven't been so stressed out today, so am hoping to cut down a bit further.  Maybe I should switch to red wine as I cannot drink more than a glass without expecting a headache the next morning.  I don't suffer from headaches, so know the red wine is responsible and have a glass possibly 4 times a year with a spaghetti bolognese in a restaurant.

It's That Time of the Year to think About Cutting Down on Alcohol

Every year I ignore January and carry on drinking but in a more moderate way than over the festive period.

Today I peeped at the book by Clare Pooley entitled The Sober Diaries.  It seems the only way for regular drinkers to reduce their intake, is to give up altogether as the temptation of wine o'clock will take over on a stressful day, even after months of not drinking.