No 1 - my first blog

Good day to you. Hope you have had a good one up till now, now being 4pm. Normally I would be chilling on our couch but the rugby is on TV so I thought it expedient to move myself to my study which is warm and quiet. My day has so far been quite eventful. It started with me slipping my foot out from under the duvet to test for coldness. I then placed one foot on the floor which was quickly followed by the other, put on my very warm and thick dressing gown and felt around the floor for my slippers. I got up later than I wanted to but it is Saturday and I had no set appointments so I didn’t feel bad about it. I should have mentioned that when I slip out of bed I peek through the curtains to see what the weather is like. This morning it was dry. Wonderful, I could go for a run. After my porridge, toast and caffeine fix I got my running gear on, braved the elements and headed north for what was to be my normal two miler. Not today it wasn’t. I had a sudden rush of adrenaline to my brian and decided to go the scenic route which added a mile to my run. A lorry driver blew his horn at me, obviously he saw the blonde hair sticking out from under the purple beanie hat but had not observed the mature face attached to the blonde hair. The last mile of the run I had the wind in my face and it started to rain. As is usual on the west coast of Scotland, we are not talking here a light westerly breeze. No, we are talking gale force wind with rain which is soaking and stinging. It was like running up a mountain, but I had no choice. I had to keep going to get home and thankfully the rain stopped. Hubby was finishing his annual before winter tidy up which was late this year because we had been away.

After showering, sorting the face out (mine, not hubby’s) I made a pot of soup for lunch. I always make a big pot as we never know when our family will pop in for a visit. They like to have food along with their visit. This fulfills the granny and mother in me which wants to shove food into their mouths whether they need it or not. This is the most awesome soup and I thought I should share the recipe with you. (I watched the Julie & Julia movie about French cooking on the plane!) This is a very healthy and economical recipe and it takes 25 minutes to cook.

Red Pepper & Lentil Soup.

1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1 small leek
1 onion
Cut into small pieces and add to the pot with a little olive oil and simmer for 4 minutes
1 red pepper. Cut and add to pot. Cook for further 3 minutes
Add a can of chopped tomatoes and salt & pepper to taste
Add 3 pints of stock, either chicken or vegetable.
Add 250 gram of red lentils washed and drained.
Simmer for 25 minutes stirring occasionally and serve with crusty bread.
What a feast!

After the lunch our daughter called us from Glasgow. She was at the Apple Store. Let me clarify this one. I am not talking fruit here but I am talking the BIG A!!! The Apple Computer store to which I am led to believe all the progressive and cool people frequent. Now if you are a ‘PC person’ please don’t be offended. You may be equally cool and progressive but Apple people do have the edge. Yes?
The reason for the call was to do with my saga with my new mobile phone but that is for another day. There is not enough time left in this day for me to relate the chain of events that have robbed me of days, not hours, days of my time. Actually, I believe I can say that I have lost nearly a week on this and would not be exaggerating. The calls to a certain network, just the colour ------ is enough to give me flashbacks, so that’s enough on that for now.

I will have to leave you for now. Some of the family are coming and I will be throwing hamburgers at them. Run of the mill stuff for the grandchildren. (One of whom is patiently waiting for my old mobile phone as soon as I get the new upgrade up and running) Forgive please, as you can see, my traumatic experience with the new phone is still very raw. With time I will get better.
We adults will be feasting on venison burgers which I am told are healthier, being lower in fat! If you are a Bambi lover, again, forgive, I really am not a prolific meat eater and prefer fish. That’s another story for another blog.

I once read part of a book called Chicken Soup for the Soul. I always find that chicken soup can be a wee bit insipid. If I was to write a book about life I would title it Scottish Broth for the Soul. You see Scottish broth has substance. It’s rich, hearty, thick. You could stick a spirtle (A wooden implement used to stir porridge, one end of which has a thistle carving if bought in a tourist shop) in it and it would stay upright.
My life has substance and I hope yours does too. I have actually made a decision about all the aggro with the mobile. I am not going to be stressed out and lose my peace over an inanimate object. I refuse to get angry and upset with people. Sometimes stuff happens which no one has control over. So be happy and lighten up. I do want to bring joy and life to others as much as is possible and while doing that I intend to make the most of my time. It is the one commodity that you can’t get back. Use it well.

There is a Proverb which says, A miserable heart means a miserable life, a cheerful heart fills the day with song.

That’s it about life. It’s so daily, so make the most of it and enjoy.

Nan