Thursday 27 September 2012

Hormones and hotpots.

So today I am feeling very hormonal - am not quite sure I am ready for the menoapuse ( I hope not anyway) but my feelings today are up and down like a yo yo.
 
I was left alone with the spaniels this morning and they couldn't have been naughtier or noisier - I was a nervous wreck at the end of it and even took a couple of Kalms tablets. They know how to play me - big time. Of course by the time hubby returned they were sitting looking at him with wide eyed innocence and were at their cutest. I read out my list of bad deeds - cat chasing, the odd wee from Freddy, a banana stolen from the fruit bowl, growling at an old lady outside etc etc. They only ever do it when I am in charge and I wasn't impressed.
 
 I am nearly finished our current book group read 'The Kashmir Shawl' by Rosie Thomas. It's a story set in India before , during and after the war and I have already welled up a couple of times and I think the floodgates may open later when I come to the end of it. I love books set in India and the far east but the poverty  and seemingly nonchalant attitude to death is hard to comprehend.
 
I do think however that it's a reflection on how well a book is written if it can evoke such feelings.
 It's easier watching a film because when you can see something, a reaction is fairly understandable but to read a book and to cry or laugh at it means that the author has done their job.
 
 Lots of books have made me laugh ( all the Adrian Mole stories, Starter for Ten, Bridget Jones ) but not many have made me cry - the last one that did was Atonement by Ian Mckewon but when it was made into a film the emotion sadly  just wasn't there for me.
And this is  why I urge all readers, to read it first before seeing the film version!
 
It is also day 3 of being 'good'. I really wanted to make potatoes dauphinoise but despite trawling the internet for various takes on the recipe, there was no way I could do it and stick to my healthy eating intentions. That delicious potato dish required a LOT of double cream and although I suppose I could have used yogurt or egg yolks it would have not tasted how I imagined it would. It would have tasted like potatoes with yogurt and egg.
 
So I stuck with thinly sliced potatoes and made a sausage, bacon and bean hotpot.
 
 My hubby and Martha were dubious and I saw a couple of worried glances exchange between them. I think I even heard a whispered comment and a giggle. I then caught my hubby slipping an emergency pie into the oven too - oh him of little faith! He was also very crafty and had shoved it right to the back of the oven  hoping that I wouldn't notice but he really should know me and my eagle eyes by now.
 
Well the outcome was - Martha is on her second plate and  hubby said ''I take it back, it's top nosh''. I liked it but I am now having a bit of a meat sweat.
 
Oh and Mr Cynical still ate the bloody emergency pie...........................


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