My NWB diary - 15-31/12/2019

17/12/2019 Tuesday

My sleeping is still a bit hit and miss, but overall better than the worst nights I've had (i.e. waking up four times in a night). I just need to accept that tinkering my right leg has become my nightly ritual.

And I can't wait to see my right leg again this Friday.

18/12/2019 Wednesday

My French class has broken up for the holidays. I start to feel that I am being left behind while my classmates are edging ahead.

It's frustrating but I know it's not about who getting there first. I may have to start the whole B1 from the beginning. That's ok. I will still progress.

19/12/2019 Thursday

Something mundane but more joyful given my circumstance is that we now have tasted panettones from three major supermarkets this December. We prefer the classic version so that's what we got from Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco. One key difference among all three is the content of the butter, which somehow is reflected on the price. My personal favorite is from Sainsbury's, nice flavor all around, sufficient richness from the highest butter content from all three supermarkets, tender and moist crumb, gentle citrusy flavor without heavy handed with the spices. Tesco is our second favorite, not as buttery as Sainsbury's but overall good. Il Vecchio from Asda is quite heavy with vanilla and cloves to my taste, and uses no butter. Although it's moist, it has no the expected richness from a christmas treat. Although it's the cheapest among all three, I don't think I would go for that in the future.

Well done, Sainsbury's.

20/12/2019 Friday

First appointment with the hospital since the surgery. I had been anxious to see my right leg again, after imaging all the terrible things which could have happened. Well, when the back slab was cut open, nothing dramatic came out. The skin is in pretty good condition, the foot remains a bit swollen (and is likely to be for the next few months), and the wounds are healing properly (great!). As for the scars, they are very visible and I have no problem of showing them.

The Xray show that the alignment remains excellent, although one can't tell the bone growth/healing. We just have to assume that a healthy fit individual like myself will follow the text book trajectory of recovery. 2-3 months, for the bone to regrow, I was told.

Strangely, I feel much at ease now, after seeing all that. I need to be on NWB for another two weeks and start using my right leg little by little afterwards. Better start looking into physio side of thing from my private health insurance.

A relief.

22/12/2019

Following doctor's order, I've started simple ankle exercises to get the range of movement (ROM) back. It's been two days since I did the exercise and my ankle is still quite stiff. Moving the foot forward and backward is a lot easier than turning sideways or making circle. At the moment, the latter two exercises are simply not possible. Looking at my X-rays again I start to understand why. The metal insertions are close to the ankle joint, on the left and right side of my ankle. I am now a bit anxious about to walk in two weeks time. What have I done to myself?!

No time to despair. I know. I just have to keep at it until I get my ROM back to normal(ish). Reading through the ankle fracture blogs, "back to normal" may be a fantasy but I will do as much as I can to be independent.

23/12/2019

Now I try to do ankle exercises 5 times a day. That forces me to fragment up my routine in finer pieces. Not convenient but it's good for the recovery. I know my goal is to get back on my both feet asap (literally and metaphorically).

24/12/2019 Tuesday, Christmas Eve

This is probably the simplest CE dinner we've had. With store bought items and the duck basically taking care of itself, it's relaxing and still festive.

Pate and pickles

Chinese 5-spice roast duck
Thin flour pancakes/small tortilla wraps
cucumber sticks
green onion slice
Hoisin sauce

Blueberry cheesecake with cranberry topping

We got the cheesecake from Sainsbury's. Wow, it tastes just great, the right balance of richness and freshness. The blueberries bring a very nice twist to the cake. Despite the negative comments on the web, this is possibly one of the best desserts from Sainsbury's. Will come back for more!

25/12/2019, Wednesday, Christmas day

Smoked salmon with cream cheese

Roast beef sirloin
Brussels sprouts in soy and balsamic vinegar
Horseradish cream sauce
Roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes

Cheese platter (Morbier, Tomme de Savoie and Fourme d'Ambert)

We ordered the beef from Marks and Spencer. Wow, such a nice piece of meat. We cooked it following the instruction and it came out juicy, tender and flavorful. The cheese platter was assembled with a selection from Cambridge Cheese Company. We did not disappoint. The quality is just excellent.

26/12/2019, Thursday, Boxing Day

No shopping for me, not even an online one.

Last night I discovered a nice trick to improve the efficiency of the ankle exercise. So far, I've been doing the exercises by willing the ankle to move on its own. It works ok for moving forward and backward but I feel my ankle hardly moves sideway or draws a circle. I decided to use my hand to guide the ankle to "remember" how it should move. I first get a feel how my hand should guide the ankle by simulating on the normal one. After that, I put my left hand under the right foot, at the heel, gently moving the injured ankle. Instead of willing the injured ankle to work, I make sure my ankle is doing the expected movement by assisting with a hand, in a very gentle way of course.  I think it's working, certainly better than just willing it.

Recovery is certainly a long process but by the end of the first week I start to see the difference in ROM. I wish I had realized the "assisted" exercise earlier but it's still early days. I have another week to go before trying walking. Let's hope my injured ankle will be awakened quickly!

27/12/2019 Friday

Second week on since the post-surgery visit and more than four weeks on since the surgery.

Today I received my first physio appointment lettre!! My very efficient NHS, thank you! I'd mentally prepared for a long wait but hey, Addenbrooke's did not disappoint me.

Now, I have to speed up my ROM exercises!!

31/12/2019 Tuesday, New Year's Eve

Seafood paella

Cheese platter (Gorgonzola, Taleggio and Cornish cheddar)

Vanilla cheesecake

Ching-ching!

My NWB diary - 1-14/12/2019

28/11 Thursday

The swelling has gone down a bit, I think, as last night I felt my foot was bursting out of the back slab cast. A day of lazying. Nothing intellectual, just being grateful for my body's healing power and the wonderful teams at the hospital.

01/12 Sunday

I can allow myself to start thinking about Xmas. Feel more legit now.

03/12 Tuesday

Many people think I would get bored by resting at home. I really wonder why?

Finally I have the time and space to read the books I always want in one go, not just a few pages before sleeping. And I still intend to keep up with my French. I need more disciplines for this. I shall use this forum to remind myself. And, of course, there are some drama series I've bookmarked for so long that I finally have time to watch it.

I start the day by reading my chosen book (only a few chapters left now). Pause for a mini lunch. Do some emails/admins/news reading. Start my French in the afternoon. If I get tired afterwards, I rest for one hour. Then the night falls. Dinner (prepared by hubby these days) and some unwinding for both of us. Then it's the drama time. Sometimes I may read more just before going to the bed, if I am in the middle of highly irresistible part of the book.

I am quite pleased with the routine so far and it works reasonably well.

08/12/2019 Sunday

2:30am

Recently I have had problems sleeping during the night because of the cast leg position. It seems every night I need to find a different position to alleviate the build-up pressure from the leg. The leg or rather the foot firstly starts to feel very warm. I feel lots of blood has been trapped at the foot so I raise my leg up in the air for a while and lower down. I have to do this many times over while readjusting the support pillows many times over too.

It's exhausting as it can take hours before I find a decent position to sleep again.

09/12/2019 Monday

4:30am

Last night was a better night of sleep than the previous. It seemed that positioning my cast leg near the edge of the bed prevents the pressure build-up at the heel. With just a pillow underneath the calf, the edge of the bed seems to support the ankle/heel sufficiently without making me feeling uncomfortable. Let's hope that my leg likes this position for the next few days.

8:30am

Morning, feeling relatively refreshed, certainly more than previous days.

I finished ''Becoming'' yesterday. Such an inspiration book, feeling truly honest, straight from the heart and full of hope. This is the kind of book which I want to read it again and again.

Today I shall start ''Matisse, the life''. I always like Matisse but it's only after seeing a documentary about his later life which elevates him to another level for me. He spent lots of time in bed due to illness when at an older age. But that didn't curtail any desire to create and creativity. No longer being able to use brushes and paints, Matisse used scissors and color papers instead. He generated a series of wonderfully joyful and remarkable cut-outs. I can feel he's pouring over his passion and every last zest of life onto those cut-outs. I also realize that when you want something badly, you find a way to do it, irrespective of the circumstances. That, for me, is the meaning of living a meaningful life.

11/12/2019 Wednesday

I slept through the night!! Possibly the first since I became NWB. The first half hour was a bit hard as I was trying to find a perfect cast leg position again, although now just with fine nuances. After that, I woke up around 6:30am. I think not having extra liquid in the afternoon (no warm tea then) also helped as it prevents the need to go to the loo.

Ecstatic!

12/12/2019 Thursday

Election day.

In a deeply divisive and polarised society, there is little choice for moderate voters. I still hope to perform my civic duty despite having one leg functional.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, I voted.

13/12/2019 Friday

Friday, the 13th.

I don't know what to say about the election results. Despite people say this election is not about B*t, the results clearly suggested otherwise. Looks like we are stuck with BJ for a while.

Despite all that, this week we continue our warming exercises with Christmas roasts. Last week we tried roast duck, served the chinese way with pancakes, cucumber sticks, green onion slices and hoisin sauce. A simple and elegant dinner and everyone had fun.

Today, it's the turkey. I am usually not a fan of turkey but this "basted" turkey crown from ASDA changed my view. When I opened the packet, I couldn't see where the basting mix was. The turkey skin was clean and nicely dry already, no extra pouches to remove/open, no sign of smeared mix anywhere on the turkey. I did notice the tiny holes regularly dotted on the turkey breast. I figured that might be it? I followed the roasting instruction and served with roasted sweet potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce. When we bit into it, wow, the meat was juicy and actually had some taste. And the skin was well grilled and crispy. Everyone agreed at the table, no discussion. This is a tasty turkey, the nicest I've ever done.

Now, what should we try next week?

My NWB diary - 11/2019

14/11 Thursday

The rain finally stopped over night. The sky is clear with a little bit sun. I'm going to the gym.

Parked in a bay higher than usual as lunch time tends to get busy. Engine off. Bag on and off we go.

There are many leaves on the ground. Found a wooden slope on the edge of the leaves, wet but no leaves. Hesitated for a few seconds, I told myself I will just walk slowly.

First step ok, second step, oh no, violently fell to the ground and twisted my right ankle completely 90degrees left, flat on surface, as if I could walk on it.

And I heard a pop.

In shock for 5 seconds, not really sure what to do, my instinct told me to twist my ankle back to the normal orientation. So I did.

Luckily a work colleague just came out of the gym. I managed to get his attention and that's when I discovered my right leg can't support any weight now.

Long story short, I am now in A&E and the Xray confirmed two bones have been broken on both sides of my ankle.

I need a surgery.

Cast on, in the hospital green gown, wheeled to a bed, waiting for my surgery.

This is the start of my non-weight bearing (NWB) journey.

15/11 Friday

Woke up in the hospital not sleeping very well. The non stopping beeping machines, the nurses diligently checking vital signs every 2 hours throughout the night make it a bit hard. Around 9am, the orthopedic surgeon came to examine (with his entourage). Cut the cask open and told me that the swelling is too severe for the surgery. Come back in a week.

I was given crutches, shown by the physiotherapist how to use them, and 3 boxes of meds including two types of pain killers.

And I went home.

I had a very good night sleep, feeling better.

16/11 Saturday

Waking up and realised that every simple daily routine now takes extra long. Just getting out of the bed took me a few tries to figure out a routine. No matter, I am a scientist and I can think.

17/11 Sunday

The hospital called in the early afternoon. Informing me to get ready for Monday afternoon op.

Feeling eeriely excited. I am back in the system and about to make the next step (no pun intended).

Yes, I am ready.

18/11 Monday

Arrived at 11am to get prepped for the op.

 - Medical questions, answered.
 - Samples, given.
 - Vital signs, taken.
 - Anesthesian, spoken.

I'm getting close.

The chief nurse came to inspect the swelling, she said it's borderline.
Then the surgeon came. No. When he compares my good ankle to the broken one, I know there is no argument.

Sent back home the second time.

Use ice packs, elevation and rest, he said.

19/11 Tuesday

Feeling really defeated, even though it's for the best outcome. I just need to be patient.

20/11 Wednesday

We decided to cancel the Xmas holiday in France and my Chinese new year trip in mid January. My brother had planned a trip to Japan but that I can't go either.

I'm also gutted to give up my French classes. H is the best teacher I've had, ever, and I had to give up after just one term. So lots of emailing and calling during the past few days.

21/11 Thursday

Called to confirm the surgery on Friday. I hope my nightly ice treatment so far would get me under the knife smoothly (as ironically as it sounds).

22/11 Friday

Reported to L2. You would not have imagined it's 7am as every seat has been taken in the waiting area. I am on a wheelchair so just need to find a place to park.

Got seen quite quickly first by the anesthesian and by the surgeon. Judged by the area just above the ankle, the swelling is too visible to ignore, even for the untrained eyes. The skin is "shiny" and not in the usual color.

Yes, going home the third time. I feel like really defeated. I have tried all I could and it's still not enough. Maybe it's a bitter medicine I need to swallow.

Wait for another call on Sunday.

24/11 Sunday

Got a call around 11am. Being pushed back to Tues. One more day to fight the swelling.

25/11 Monday

I'm slowly getting used to do delteparin injection. It makes me see diabetic patients in awe.

26/11 Tuesday

Surgery, yes, really. Anesthetist came and then the surgeon, too. Finally the consent form.  Going in now. Excited.

27/11 Wednesday

I remember waking up in the theatre with a head still full of some drugs. Cloudy and not in full fledged pain. I had a hunch that the op went well.

Today my surgeon came to see me. He said the surgery was a success and he was able to fix both sides of the ankle as the swelling had gone down to an acceptable level. He will see me in 2 weeks to follow up the recovery. Going home today.

La récupération, quel doux le mot!

2019 weekly - Week 46

13/11/2019

Into biscotti this week. The taste from the following recipe is great, even though a bit crumbly as it contains no flour. I will keep on playing with it until the process is less messy.

Ground almond and oat biscotti

- 1 cup ground almond
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup sugar (1/4 cup + 2 T stevia)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup chopped apricots

Note to self: after the 1st bake, cutting the main dough into slices with a sharp kitchen knife doesn't work well for me. Perhaps reduce the b.p to 1/2 t next time.

2019 weekly - Week 45

05/11/2019

Finished my French assessment tonight. It's still hard but I'm very lucky to have a good teacher this year. So the test nor the lessons demoralizes me.

I feel fortunate to have H who is organized, teaches thoughtfully and effectively. She gives us lots of homework but that's really to help us meet the expectation of B1. Now I have someone correct my writing and chain of logic every week! What more can I ask?

Merci mille fois, H.

07/11/2019

Every other year I have my 4-day a week starting from November til the end of the year. This is just so good!!!

2019 weekly - Week 44

A late post for Week 44. Been under pressure for an "assessment" of French. Totally forgot.

More later.

2019 weekly - Week 43

23/10/2019

Good to be reminded to learn to treasure these tiny victories.

If I have not thought about any negativity or unwanted thoughts thing for 30 seconds or even a few hours, this is my tiny victory. Life is a fishing net full of holes and lets all kinds of things in. It ain't perfect, sometimes painful, frustrating, numbing and demoralizing but it can also be wonderful. Let's keep focusing on the light sipped through and treasure tiny victories.

25/1082019

I've made Alison Roman's chickpea stew three times this month. It's that good. The recipe calls for very gentle and simple spice combination, coconut and turmeric. That's it. There is no need to bring up the volume by adding extra. Let the gentle coconut and turmeric warm you through this autumn. The great add-ins for me are spinach and grilled paneer cubes.

2019 weekly - Week 42

14/10/2019

Feeling really silly now.


16/10/2019

2nd follow-up exam at my dentist. Within 20 minutes, I was out of the door. Not too bad.


17/10/2019

Music is my true salvation and my escape. I can easily lose myself for hours, forgetting what's wrong with me and this world.

Can't.Live.Without.Music.

2019 weekly - Week 41

07/10/2019

You have the kindest gaze, warmest smile and most gentle voice. I behave like a giddy 17 y.o. because I melt every time the moment I see you.

Thank you, for lighting up some dark nights.


09/10/2019

How can one be not cynical when the compulsory appraisal workshop hosts dodge the question on trust?


10/10/2019

Still visibly and audibly sick, but I think I gave a not bad performance today.  That aside, I am working with a group of people who are smart, humble and hard working and another group who are arrogant, lazy and limited. The contrast couldn't be larger.

2019 weekly - Week 40

02/10/2019

Naively I thought after today's check-up, I don't have to see my dentist again for another 6 months. It turned out that before the final stage of dental implant, there are some intermediary steps to get the final caps on!

Well, my dentist is nice (and has mesmerizing blue eyes) but I just dread the visit every time. Thanks to each visit, I manage to lose some stubborn kilos steadily because I just lose the appetite each time afterwards. That's my silver lining.

2019 weekly - Week 39

22/09/2019

I can feel the swelling is under control today when I woke up. A relief. So the swelling peaked yesterday, exactly as my dentist predicted, 2-3 days after the surgery. I didn't feel pain, just uncomfortable and quite ugly. It's good to see the light of the tunnel.

I also tried a croissant yesterday (dipped in liquid), quite naughty, I know. And it was not the right time as oozing started again. So today I'm back to smooth food, apple banana puree with yogurt. So far so good.

I saw something rather beautiful and touching yesterday. I thought I would share it here as a reminder:

Yes, Emerson was an American philosopher but this excerpt sounds so much better in French.

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded".

2019 weekly - Week 38

18/09/2019

Had two dental implants inserted today. Ouch, indeed. One side was left it too late, which made everything more complicated. My fault entirely. The surgery was completed, perhaps not exactly according to plan but the Xrays on the day look seemingly fine. Will see what comes afterwards.

Local anesthetics was a god-send. Don't even want to imagine the operation details but just to marvel (again) at the magic of modern medicine.

Muse's music (from their Simulation Theory) was playing in my head while the surgery was going on. Their music soothed me.

Got back home around 18:00. Anesthetics had eased off on right side, feeling actually alright (minimized swelling and discomfort). The right side, the tricky side, was another thing entirely. It's twice as swollen and definitely more painful. I was given a cocktail of drugs to self dose. Well, let the recovery begin.

20/09/2019

Got my dentist's call this morning at 9am. A nice surprise. He wanted to know how I'm getting on. I described how I feel and my symptoms. I guess he was glad/relieved to hear that I don't feel any numbness. The tricky right side was a bit of struggle for him. On the day of surgery he told me the implant might have gotten closer to the nerve than he planned. Well, so far I don't feel anything funny, just a face even bigger than I like.

21/09/2019

Been on baby food since the surgery. It's really not fun.

2019 weekly - Week 37

10/09/2019

First french class, new teacher and new classmates. And I understood 90% of what le prof said tonight. Pretty good start.

11/09/2019

Parents are flying back today. Although it's nice to have them, it's definitely good to be on our own as well.

2019 weekly - week 36

01/09/2019

Bonjour septembre, c'est difficile à criore qu'on est fermement à l'autome.

If it's Autumn, it has to be the season of apple cake. Apples are my favorite fruit in cakes, more than anything else. Yes, blueberries are nice in cake but apples have better texture for me in cakes. Here is another apple cake recipe I tried and liked.

Gâteau aux pommes

For the cake:
2-3 medium-sized apples (slightly larger than your fist), peeled, cored and sliced
100 g sugar (or 50g sugar + 2 tbsps Stevia)
2 eggs
60 ml oil or melted butter
100 ml milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of rum (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
150 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

For the butter topping:
80 ml melted butter
50 g sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven at 180C.

In a mixing bowl, beat sugar, eggs, oil together. Stir in milk, vanilla, rum, cinnamon, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well before adding all the apple slices. Stir to combine.

Pour the batter into a round cake tin and bake for 30 minutes. At the same time, make the butter topping by mixing everything together.

After 30 minutes, the cake should pass the toothpick test. If so, pour the butter topping on top of the cake and put back to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Cool before serving.

2019 weekly - Week 35

21-28/08/2019

Les Vacances d'été

We had a great time in Dordogne. Going through villages and visiting Lascaux cave (my dream!).

There is so much to see in Dordogne. We will be back!

28/08/2019

While on the train back home, I was greeted with this blood boiling news: BoJo suspending Parliament. Not even a month in the office, BoJo revealed his true color: dictatorship in scruffy hair. The whole point of Brexit, according to Brexiters, is to have "control" back. I thought they meant back to the people?! How naive was I?!

2019 weekly - Week 34

Homemade falafel is easier than you think! This is second time we had it in a week. It's easy and tasty.

Homemade falafels and tahini sauce

For Falafels:

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (>12hs)
1/2 cup roughly chopped onion (~1/2 large onion)
a big bunch of coriander (or parsley or a mix)
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of middle eastern spice mix (any type you have in the house), or 1/2 tsp of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of salt
2-3 tablespoons flour

Grind everything together to form a coarse paste. If the mixture is too wet (i.e. can't form a ball after gentle squeezing), add more flour to the mix. Rest the mixture in the fridge for an hour. Shape into a size of ping-pong ball and fry for 2-3 minutes.

For Tahini Sauce:

1/3 cup of tahini paste
1.5 cup of plain yogurt
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tablespoon of sugar

Mix everything in a bowl and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or until serving.

2019 weekly - Week 33

11/08/2019

We made "Taiwanese burritos" tonight :-)

It's a Taiwanese dish eaten traditionally on Tomb Sweeping Day. The wrap is made with flour, just like crepe. An assortment of vegetable and meat dishes are prepared to be rolled up. The key is crushed peanut powder with sugar. We like to add extra sweet chili sauce and coriander. Yum!

Easy Taiwanese crepe

100 g bread flour
150 g water
1 g salt

This is a portion of batter for one person, sufficient for 3-4 crepes (dia. 24cm). Mix everything well in a bowl. Rest the batter for 1 hour before making the crepes.

There are a number of ways to make the crepes. The French method, swirling the pan around (from 4:47) or using a wooden stick as shown below, works very well.

Alternatively, you can brush the batter in a non-stick pan to form a crepe. Either way, make sure to spread the dough out when the pan is warm but off heat. Only back on the heat when a whole crepe is formed.

Mom's sweet chili sauce

1-2 tablespoons of miso 

1-2 tablespoons of ketchup

1 tablespoon of Gochujang (Korean chili paste), or 1 teaspoon of dried chili flakes

2 tablespoons of sugar

150 mL water

Salt to taste

Dissolve all the solids in a pot of water (150mL). Put the mixture on low-medium heat. Stir until it comes to a gentle boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. We like it sweet and spicy with a bit sour note.

2019 weekly - Week 32

09/08/2019

The place where I study French texted me to say that I passed DELF A2! Hooray! It's not unexpected but it's good to know finally. I can't wait to see my scores!

2019 weekly - Week 31

28/07/2019

Last week was quite eventful, heatwave and a new record high, cousin's visit, my swollen foot, visit to the dentist, gym shower work for 6 weeks. I hope to get some rest this coming week.

With 10 hrs of rain, clouds, wind, 16 degrees outside and chattering from the trees, I feel better.


29/07/2019

I know I will sound ungrateful but I'm sick of my mom's cooking now. Always the same, daily broccoli, soya pork or grilled salmon. And never changing rice. I've had that for a month. I don't think it would change much for the next 1.5 month. If I want to eat something different, I have to cook. This is really not a problem for me. I would rather she asks me to cook.


03/08/2019

I was supposed to be in London with an ex-colleague for a Prudential FreeCycle today but she just had an eye surgery. Better not to risk.

2019 weekly - Week 30

22/07/2019

A dear cousin visited us on route of his business trip. He's from hubby's side. A very friendly and generous person who I've met a number of times. He invited us to his summer house in the Alps three years ago. That was magnificent. Took my breath away. Today is his second time visiting us in Cambridge. Can you believe it? Family is never a bother or a trouble for him. Thank you, M.

Here is what we planned tonight:

Apéritif

Crémant de Loire

Crudites with olive sundried tomato paste

Grilled halloumi sticks

Breadsticks

Mains

Thick-cut steak

Roasted potatoes

Garlic creamed spinach
Slow roast tomatoes

Dessert

Eton Mess

23-25/07/2019

I got two insect bites probably from last night sitting in the garden. One on the top of my right foot looks innocuous but has made my whole foot swollen! I couldn't see the bones nor the veins underneath and I couldn't put on my shoe properly without feeling pain. My right foot looked just scary on the second day (24th). So scary that I'd suspected the worst, cellulitis. But I didn't have fever. So I went to the pharmacy to ask for some advice. She gave me some anti-histamine tablets and a tube of hydrocortisone. Until the night of 24th, I had prepared for cellulitis and ready to call my GP the next day. But, there must be a god somewhere, 12 hours after I took the anti-histamines and applied the hydrocortisone, my foot started to look better. When I woke up on the 3rd day (25th), the redness is almost gone. So was the pain. As the day goes by, I started to see the bones and veins underneath. So pleased and relived.

So, I had to concede that I may be now allergic to bugs?! Or just the freak heatwave triggering the freak incident?

By the way, today we reached 37 centigrade.