Hello again!

Yes I have had to take a long break from blogging, again. I feel much better now but have missed you.

My daughter came home with the dreaded swine flu last month! I nursed her through it using plenty of anti bac sprays to avoid it speading. She had tamiflu and it started to work almost immediately. It was rotten for her but not so bad if you know what I mean, I guess she was lucky and didn't have any complications! We seem to have avoided catching it although we did both have a tummy upset so maybe a mild variant? Hope you are all keeping well and have avoided this virus.

I started a couple of new treatments this summer, a new painkiller, which so far has no side effects unlike the last one which made me feel sea sick whenever I stood up! : ( I also started to have oxygen therapy under pressure at our MS centre. Whether it is the pain being eased or the oxygen I don't know but I am getting more done now so it is all good.

We even managed a holiday to Spain with our oldest friends (best man and his wife from 33 years ago!) His brother has an apartment out there so with low fees and Ryanair it was affordable. We all managed to swim every day which was great exercise for me and we also did a fair bit of walking so something was definately working for me.

Bank holiday weekend we had our family over with a few good friends and celebrated our birthdays (Mr C's is only 3 weeks after mine - we are the same age for those 3 weeks every year to his joy! Then he becomes a year older than me again!) We tidied the garden and had a barbecue! It was a lovely day. Then I did the accounts! Shock! we had spent nearly £200 on food and drink! On the plus side there is now plenty of chicken, burgers and sausages in the freezers and more than enough beer and wine for Christmas! It does however mean that money is going to be tight here for a while.

Our sons wedding is now only 4 months away and we have our friends sons wedding in October. Mr C still wants/needs a replacement car which will not be cheap and the hall stairs and landing are desperately in need of re-decorating! So I have to get strict with the budget again.

From today I will be avoiding any unnecessary spending and keeping a spending diary! Yikes! The first step is a menu plan for the week taking into account any leftover fresh food from the barbecue and of course whatever is delivered in the organic box tomorrow (too late to cancel it) and also what is available in the garden - right now a butternut squash, spinach, tomatoes and runner beans. Oh and I also have a fair stock of food from Approved foods deliveries - mainly packet soups, baked beans, savoury rice and cous cous!

Todays menu:-

Breakfast - home made muesli with a gooseberry yogurt for me/with milk for Mr C

mid morning snack - clementines and a digestive biscuit

Lunch - Cheese and coleslaw filled rolls (leftovers from barbecue)1/2 a grapefruit I have 2 left from the last organic box delivery so needs using!

mid afternoon snack - very small piece of birthday cake and a cup of tea (tea bags from approved foods)

Dinner - Pasta bake - using up sliced cooked sausages and a very spicy salsa (again leftover from the barbecue! Salsa is the large container from Approved foods and it is powerful stuff!)served with plenty of salad. Lots of water with this I think! :) ice cream to follow.

5 a day - dried fruit in the muesli and as a snack, grapefruit,clementines, orange juice drink, salad.

My Home made muesli is easily made:- 500g oats, generous handfuls of chopped dates, sultanas, figs, sunflower seeds, few linseeds, anything I fancy and have to hand really. I make this at the beginning of the week and store in a cookie jar.
I have a good supply of oats in and plenty of dates, seeds and sultanas. So that with toast and marmalade/jam is breakfasts sorted!

Total spend today - prescription charge £7.20