I was so pleased to turn over a new leaf on Thursday and step up to the plate of 2015. I feel like I have been in a trance for most of December.
- The blog was hacked.
- An eye infection took hold and prevented me from reading for more than a few minutes at a time.
- My washing machine ran out of spin on Christmas eve morning.
I was encouraged to go south and spend the few festive days with my sister. The final decision was not made until late on the evening of 23rd, when there was an improvement with my eye. Driving with blurred vision on a day that forgot to dawn or as it turned out: blindingly strong low sunshine took extra concentration.
I spend several days in the kitchen making meals to bring and share..
- Pork Portofino
- Venison pie
- Roasted Chestnut soup
- Onion marmalade
- Cranberry, apricot, pecan & apple cake. A new one to me, but I loved it and so did my sister and her friends who tried it. .
All but the onion marmalade were new to my sister. She was cooking a turkey breast with a piece of smoked ham and all the trimmings for the big day.
Good job I brought so much food, instead of three days I ended up staying a week. I had a ‘pain’ day and my sister refused to let me drive home the next day, then the weather turned the temperatures down to icy and I was not allowed to travel for another few days. All the while my washer was sitting with a drum full of drained but soggy clothes. Never before in my life have I turned my back and walked away leaving a problem behind me.
Yesterday I sourced, found and paid for a new washing machine, had it delivered and a young neighbour installed it for me. I now have the new one in place and ready to go with the old one in the middle of the floor waiting to be collected.
Apart from putting the washer through its paces a couple of times tomorrow, I’ll be lying low. Today was another pain filled day.
Monday I see my optician to have my eyes checked.
After that? Who knows what direction my life will take… but it has to be better than last year.
At least I can drive my car!
Praying for a much better year for you, in health and everything else.
It WILL be a better year, Brighid. I am a tough old cookie!
Eventful December indeed and you must be glad that it is all over and that you can get on with some normal life in twenty fifteen. All the best.
Thank you. First task is to get an engineering degree in order to work the new all bells and whistles washing machine!
Hello from Dublin. So sorry about the troubles. Yes 2015 will be a better year for most of us.
XO
WWW
Looks like our paths have criss crossed yet again. I echo your wish for a better year for all we care for. We will meet for a chat when the time is right!
Sorry you’ve had such a fraught December. I hope January will be much better. And the rest of the year.
Cranberry, apricot, pecan & apple cake sounds delicious! I trust there’s a slice on its way to me?
Nick, the cake is/was delicious. I will certainly make it again… if and when I get fresh cranberries. Mind you a different mix of fruit should work too. It is made with oil and not butter.
Hope 2015 will be a healthy one for you and Jenny with plenty of hiking and travel!
I’m sorry about your troubles, let’s all hope that 2015 will be a better year.
Good luck and good health
Gerlinde, I hope 2015 will be a better year for all of us.
You’ve had a tough month Granny mar! Hoping for better things for you (and me) in 2015.
Rusty lily, I suppose they are all minor issues in the real scale of life, perhaps the dull dark damp days penetrated too deeply and prevented me from dealing with them as I would have in the past. I am back on track and making in roads to deal with all the health related issues!
May 2015 prove a good one for you and all the family!
Your glass was filled with old rusty nails, GM. I’m gonna sneak on over there in the night and fill it up with sunshine … for the whole of 2015. Praying that all goes well with your eye, my friend.
love and blessings ~ maxi
Large rusty nails and I was too distracted to see them. Bring on the sunshine, Maxi, I need it to warm my bones!
The menu you listed had me drooling. Come to think of it, I do that a lot anyway….but it still looked good. Sorry about the washing machine. Did you try holding up the wet clothes and turning around really fast?
Had a couple of eye problems myself in December. It seems to be abating now and guess there is no real concern by doctor. Hope yours is all corrected now as well. Again, Happy New Year!
Al, I have exceedingly long arms, if I only had two more I’d take off like a helicopter and have no need for the spin programme! 😆 Hopefully the visit to my optician on Monday will bring good news.
I’m glad things are looking up and that you had a chance to celebrate with your sister. Hope the eye check on Monday goes well.
I hope so too, Nancy. The days were interesting at my sister’s, with visits to and from relations and friends. The only dark spot was have to spend a morning at the vet’s with an elderly ailing dog, her days may be numbered but she is home and happy to be there again.
It’s good that you were able to spend at least part of a challenging month with family. I hope that the entire year of 2015 presents fewer difficulties for you than December did.
We bought one of those new 21st century washers and dryers a couple of years ago. I wasn’t impressed with the strangeness of how it works. I guess they’re designed to meet some enviro agendas of the EU and California. At first Karen, couldn’t get it to put enough water in for her quilts — she washes them after quilting to get the batting she uses to scrunch up a bit to give the quilt an old fashioned look and also puts some color catcher fabric in to “catch” colors that bleed from the quilt fabric. We finally determined that using the “heavy duty” setting fills up the washer to a level that will do the trick.
Best wishes for the rest of this new year… and beyond!!
Mike over here the washer/dryer combination machine is not widely accepted. I was thinking today of how these machines have changed and advanced since the one I used in my childhood home.
May the year ahead be a healthy one for all of us.
I phrased that slightly wrong. We bought a new washer and a new dryer. They were, however, bought to replace a washer/dryer combo machine. The dryer was broke beyond repair.
I had a similar problem some years ago with a combo fridge freezer. The fridge gave up the ghost while the freezer seemed to be fine. I didn’t take a chance where food was concerned so replaced them.
To get away from your cold weather you need to spend each season you dearly want in the hemisphere that the most positive weather…e.g. if you want sun and warmth, Auckland in New Zealand is your choice. We have had glorious sunny and not too humid weather for nigh on 2 weeks, other than some rain that conveniently dossed fireworks on the 31/1st night!
Cathy, Auckland may have favourable weather, but my daughter and most of my siblings are in this hemisphere. I’ll forgo the warm weather for warm hugs any day.
okay…my family are spread all around this country, and the world…
Cathy, 99.9% of the time I am content where I am, but I am sure we all want the weather to change at some point in our lives.
The Pork Portofino sounds great. Hope to try it someday.
Dianne the recipe for Pork Portofino can be found in the recipes page (under the Header) above. It is tasty and freezes well.
Take care GM – I have a fantabulous 2015 on order – if you like I’ll put one in for you as well 🙂
Cathy
Hoping the eye specialist comes up with a solution to your problem
Cathy, order another one for me post haste!
That sounds thoroughly miserable, GM. I’m glad you were able to spend time with family and get to feeling more like yourself again. It must be the time for washing machines… ours sort of exploded (well, lots of noise and a burning smell) in Dec.
Speccy, you are the fourth person that I heard of to need a new washing machine in December 2014! Do you think it is due to Global warming ❓
Well, that was a fair mix of good and bad, wasn’t it? You have a lovely sister. She takes good care of you, not letting you drive, and then having you stay for a week over Christmas! You clearly have a lovely neighbour, too!
I sister is very caring and there particular neighbours brush all the others into the shadows!