3 March 2024

Good day, bad day, bad day, good day, bad, bad, bad, day, etc. And so it goes on. Dr Google only has about another week for his prognosis to be accurate. To be fair though, he/she did say “most people’s symptoms” disappear after four to six weeks. I’m not holding my breath. I have an appointment with a consultant at the end of this week so we’ll see where that takes us.

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3 March 2024 – Amusements

A salesman telephoned a household and a four-year-old answered.

Salesman: May I speak to your mother?

Child: She is not here.

Salesman: Well, is anyone else there?

Child: My sister

Salesman: O.K., fine. May I speak to her?

Child: I guess so.

There was a long silence on the other phone. Then:

Child: Hello?

Salesman: It’s you. I thought you were going to call your sister.

Child: I did. The trouble is: I can’t get her out of the playpen.

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Creamy Gnocchi with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This Creamy Gnocchi Recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Made with store-bought gnocchi and a few simple ingredients this tasty, creamy dish can be on the table in under 30 minutes. Great for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium brown onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic very finely chopped or put through a garlic press
  • 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
  • 10 pieces of sundried tomatoes thinly sliced
  • 30 g / 2 tbsps of butter I use salted butter
  • 1 x 500 g / 17.6 oz pack of gnocchi
  • 300 ml / 1 ¼ cups of vegetable stock made with 1 stock cube and 300ml of freshly boiled water
  • 150 ml / ¾ of a cup of double cream (heavy cream)
  • 60 g / 2 cups of fresh baby spinach
  • 50 g / ½ a cup of Grana Padano cheese finely grated
  • 2 – 3 tbsps toasted pine nuts optional
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the chopped onion along with a small pinch of sea salt. Cook over low to medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the onions are translucent and springy.
  2. Next, add 1 heaped teaspoon of dried oregano and 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic. Then add the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a minute.
  3. Now, add 30g of butter to the pan then add all the gnocchi. Break up any gnocchi that has stuck together. Toss the gnocchi in the butter adn the onion and sundried tomatoes. Let the gnocchi cook for a minute or two so that it absorbs all the flavours that are in the pan. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Next, pour in the stock. Stir well, catching any pieces that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then pour in the cream, and stir it into the stock. Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes stirring often.
  5. Once the sauce has reduced and thickened add the spinach. Stir in the baby spinach, it should wilt very quickly.
    Once the spinach has wilted remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the grated cheese. Once the cheese has melted into the sauce the dish is ready to be served.
    Top with toasted pine nut, if using, extra grated cheese and some freshly ground black pepper.

Notes

  • Cooking gnocchi – You do not need to cook the gnocchi before adding it, the gnocchi will cook in the sauce.
  • Storage/reheating/freezing – If you have any leftovers you should store them in an airtight container in the fridge and use them within two days. The sauce for this recipe thickens once it cools so you will need to add more cream or stock to the dish if you want to reheat it It is best reheated on the hob. This dish is best made fresh and does not freeze well. The cream has a tendency to split or go grainy so I do not recommend freezing this dish.

Creamy Gnocchi with Sun-Dried Tomatoes PDF

25 February 2024

Good day, bad day, even worse day, better day, not bad day, bad day, etc. I think the sciatica pain is a case of peaks and troughs – some days I think there is definitely an improvement and other days I think this is worse than ever! Still, on the whole, I think we are making gradual progress and perhaps Dr Google’s prediction of four to six weeks will turn out to be about right. Fingers crossed.

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25 February 2024 – Amusements

The wife and I were sitting around the breakfast table one lazy Sunday morning.

I said to her, “If I were to die suddenly, I want you to immediately sell all my stuff.”

“Now why would you want me to do something like that?” she asked.

“I figure that you would eventually remarry and I don’t want some scumbag using my stuff.”

She looked at me and said: “What makes you think I’d marry another scumbag?”

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18 February 2024

We’ve had quite a few nice days with some reasonably bright and clear skies and Spring-like temperatures. In mid-February. What’s that about? Lady Penelope was even out pruning roses the other day. Me? I’m still more or less confined to quarters with the sciatica pain. Small improvements – it seems to go from “not bad” to “unbelievably bad” to “not too bad” before reverting to “brutal” again. Nights are the worst, of course. There seems to be no position in which I can get comfortable.

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18 February 2024 – Amusements

An elderly couple, who were both widowed, had been going out with each other for a long time. Urged on by their friends, they decided it was finally time to get married. Before the wedding, they went out to dinner and had a long conversation regarding how their marriage might work.

They discussed finances, living arrangements and so on. Finally, the old gentleman decided it was time to broach the subject of their physical relationship. 

‘How do you feel about sex?’ he asked, rather tentatively.

‘I would like it infrequently’ she replied. 

The old gentleman sat quietly for a moment, adjusted his glasses, leaned over towards her and whispered, ‘Is that one word or two?’

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11 Februry 2024

Sadly, the numerous chiropractor and acupuncture appointments have not resolved the issue of my sciatic pain and we had to take the disappointing decision to abandon our trip to Hawaii, LA and New England. Thank you to those who got in touch to wish me well – those of you who have suffered similarly know how absolutely brutal it is – and the plethora of donkey tranquilisers our GP gave me have only marginally dented the pain. So, we’ll look forward to making that trip on a later occasion.

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11 February 2024 – Amusements

My friend returns from Africa and is feeling very ill. He goes to see his doctor, and is immediately rushed to the hospital to undergo a barrage of tests. My friend wakes up after the tests in a private room at the hospital, and the phone by his bed rings. “This is your doctor. We’ve had the results back from your tests and we’ve found you have an extremely nasty virus, which is extremely contagious!”

“Oh my gosh,” cries my friend, “What are you going to do, doctor?”

“Well we’re going to put you on a diet of pizzas, pancakes, and pita bread.”

“Will that cure me?” asks my friend.

The doctor replies, “Well no, but it’s the only food we can get under the door.”


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