Blood Test - Ikea - Shopping - Chilli

It seems quite a while since last month but I feel sure that this must be the 'Harvest Moon' because we are just about on the Autumnal Equinox. Indeed it seems like it, getting light at around 6.30am and dark around 6.30pm.

First thing this morning after Karen's arrival was my blood test, and the clinic have since telephoned me to say that my morphine-patches don't seem to have messed things up too much and my INR is within range even if a little low.

Then we went to Ikea for their incredible breakfast - a full English for 95p and as much coffee as you can drink.

From The Times Online:

" But this isn’t the only reason to worship the Swedish god of bookcases. Because Which? magazine has just put Ikea top of the supermarkets’ breakfasts league. Oh yes, you will find no better value than its 95p plate of bacon, beans, hash brown, sausage, scrambled egg and tomato. At £2.49, Sainsbury’s breakfast seems, by comparison, positively scandalous."

Decided to cook a 'chili con carne' from scratch, no mixes and discovered I had run out of chili powder. I bought some in Lidl and it is useless. Very weak and my recipe calls for 10ml which usually results in a meal definitely on the 'hot' side. Mine tasted reasonably but I guess to get some clout I would have needed 20ml. It is destined for the bin and I will get some genuine stuff.

A good discovery though has been Rington's Tea which we shall probably stick with for a while. We've tried several since Morrisons Gold Label ended and haven't really loved any. I remember their vans coming round although my memory doesn't extend to to the horse-drawn job illustrated in the link.

Yes Jill we remember you driving over to The Richmond Gate to collect Y and she confirms that your trip was to Syon House. Must be over 20 years ago ! Due to the unfortunate temporary absence of Bungus you will have to rise to the challenge of 'commenter- in-chief' but I am sure you can handle it. Wikipedia claims please click that the 'bullace' is slightly different from the 'damson' but I think if you were eating one you wouldn't know the difference. When cooked properly the skins aren't impossibly chewy but some people find the stones a nuisance. And next time I am printing, I will do you a postcard size print of the sepia artichokes and post it to you.!

It is our Walk on Wednesday day tomorrow with my photographer chums and this quote seems relevant:-

"The ear tends to be lazy, craves the familiar and is shocked by the unexpected; the eye, on the other hand, tends to be impatient, craves the novel and is bored by repetition"

W. H. Auden

Lets hope we get good weather. Sleep tight everybody.