Several things to report back on today. I have been quiet I know for a week, but I have an excuse Miss!

There is a lot of colon cancer in my family, much of my Dad’s family dying from it, so I am monitored on a regular basis. Two years ago they found something that was benign, but that needed to be removed, so I had some bowel removed. The official name is a semi hemi-colectomy. This week, I needed a follow up colonoscopy. The colon needs to be cleaned so they can inspect it, I had to have what they call a light diet last Thursday and half of Friday. This involves having no fibre, so no fruit and veg at all. I can’t tell you how desperate I was for a vegetable by Saturday afternoon!

On Friday I took medication to flush everything through which basically means inhabiting the bathroom for a day. Then on Saturday, I had the procedure. They give patients what they called ‘happy juice’ during it, as it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world.  Happily, everything was perfectly fine, with not a sign of anything. DP drove me home and I slept off the happy juice for most of the rest of the day.

I have to do the whole thing again in two years time.  If you need to be monitored for this disease, I do hope that you are.  Take the faecal tests sent through the post, go to any examinations, let the professionals help you. We have rather a taboo in the UK about talking about poo and the working of our bowels, but please don’t let embarrassment prevent you from doing what needs to be done. Colon cancer is much more treatable if found early.

So to continue with my excuses. On Sunday, DD2 and her intended came up and we had a lovely day. I decided to do a vegetable mezze from Hugh’s latest book, Light & Easy. As you probably know, I am rather a fan. This book has lots of vegetable based recipes, and many things that I want to try.

I went for the Nutty Green Beans (green beans with garlic and hazelnuts), Sesame Roast Carrots with orange and raisins, and Squash, Onion and Butter Bean Roast.

Plus I did Yorkshire puddings for the men.  It was a very scrummy mixture and I would definitely do it again.

Forgot to take any pictures, but here are the leftovers, not as good a picture as the professional one taken from the web above!

Then for pud, we had a lemon self saucing sponge.

There are all kinds of variations of this. I have seen versions using coffee, or chocolate, or coffee and chocolate for a mocha version.  All the citrus flavours work particularly well, so orange, or lime, or even grapefruit.  Or you could branch out into fruit versions, so apple, or pear and raspberry, use frozen summer fruits, blackcurrant, gooseberry etc etc.  Then there are the sticky date versions, ooh, yum.

 

Going forward through the week, on Monday, we had an electrician here putting in new wires for lighting and sockets. Tuesday saw the arrival of the new worktops – TaDah! I love them! Don’t they look fabulous with the units.

 

The workmen left at about 2pm, but DP still had to fit all the pipes and whatnot to the new sinks.  So it wasn’t until 4pm that I could start the prep for the AGM lunch on Wednesday of my WI, for 40 people.

We were having local butcher sausages, buttery mash and slow braised red cabbage. No spices as I didn’t want it to taste of Christmas. I used the red cabbage, red onion, some of my apples, and cooked it all slowly in butter. Adding some balsamic at the end.

Then for pud, I did a  panna cotta. I left out the blueberries, used half buttermilk and half plain yogort, serving them in the little Gu: dishes I collected from WI members. I topped the panna cotta with a tsp of crab apple puree (apples foraged from the tree in Tesco car park) and some slow cooked pear slivers, and sprinkled a few chopped, toasted hazelnuts over.  It looked very pretty, and tasted divine.

I forgot to take the potato peeler, salt and a list I was supposed to give to someone else. I am getting very forgetful!
I did have what felt like half the kitchen with me!

By the time I got home last night, I was worn out, and went to bed at 9 o’clock!  It all went very well though and lots of people said nice things about it.

After the meeting, our craft group did a little decoupage and I did a small pot and tiny heart shaped dish in yellows and blue.  The dishes were found by the organiser in local charity shops, and she brought all the makings along with her, so it was a pleasant and relaxing way to end a lovely day.

In between all this activity, I have been doing the little Christmas stockings. This is some of them. When I have done them all, I’ll connect them all together so I can hang them somewhere and they should look lovely.

There are both a new U3A group and a WI opening up in Heathfield. The WI I go to is in Waldron and about 5 miles from my house. I went along to the U3A meeting and there were a great many people there, so we should get some interesting groups going with any luck. The new WI will be meeting soon and I shall go along to that as well. I don’t have time to get deeply involved with either of them, but I shall attend in the hope of meeting some more people from Heathfield.

Right, I’m off to watch Masterchef, the Professionals. Back tomorrow