Hello, the Lurgey and bit of a catch up

Big wave to everyone  - I am here really!

So sorry I have not been about this week I have had a very bad attack of the lurgey which I have had trouble shifting.  I first encountered said lurgey 5 weeks ago and quite simply has not wanted to budge.

I have been rough this week in bed for most of it and so have not been in to work. When I got home a week last Friday I felt ropey and descended to bed early and to try and sweat it out.  My temperature has been up and down like a yo yo and have had a migraine so I have kept in the warm and have been regularly taking hot drinks of homemade Rosehip Syrup and Elderberry Rob as well as hot Ribena as well as the occasional hot toddy, fresh mint tea and ginger and lemon tea  I had a lot of liquid in my tubes earlier in the week I was gurgling well although it has not been strictly a chest cold it seems to have been for the best part in my throat I have been croaking well.

When I have a cold I keep off the milk as I think it makes my cold thicker and I have problems enough in any event and so say no to milk when I have a cold  - which for me is a bit of a hardship as I love cold milk.  I have not been eating much but I have been drinking a lot and regularly taking paracetamol so as to keep my temperature at bay.  I still have the cold but not as bad and I am starting to feel a little bit more like myself.

Today has been the first day I have done anything.  We went shopping to the Cash and Carry ostensibly for my soap powder and fabric conditioner but picking up two Pork Bellies and one or two other bits as well including two bags of frozen brambles for £1.69 a bag to pop into home made apple and blackberry pie or crumble.  I looked for forced rhubarb but they did not have any.  Will have to keep my eyes open as that is definitely on the list to bottle for February..

We have also been to the butchers and picked up a few things not as much as I had hoped for as they did not have what I was after although we have quite a few goodies popped into the freezer including a tray of double lamb chops for £10 which will give us approximately three meals, two trays of mince at just over £10 which has been split into 6 bags which is more than plenty for the two of us for either a cottage pie or a pasta dish, a tray of stewing beef yet again £10 - have split into two bags  both at present designated for either a stew which is the more likely or a home made pie.  Some sausages, 6 gammon steaks, some beefburgers and two bags of Frozen Blackcurrants which will either go towards some jam or be used on top of cheesecakes.  I have a couple of packet mixes in the pantry that need using up.   The Blackcurrants were very good value £2.50 a bag so I snaffled a couple of bags.

We always split whatever meat we get into portions big enough for the pair of us and repackage.  We cut one of the bellies up into four flat belly joints and split the other belly into two generous bacon joints  for streaky bacon. They are currently "curing". We had hoped to do a plain and a honey bacon but in the end have done both plain due to time constraints. We also got two sets of ribs which with the size of the bellies one of the racks is more than big enough for the pair of us - I only have  few ribs so one rack is more than enough.  We have a second rack in the freezer for another meal.

I have not bought as much as I would have liked to due to bills, but we have enough together with what I already have in the freezer.  The freezer is starting to fill up nicely which is how I like it.  

Later on I nipped to the Co-Op and there were a couple of bargains to be had in both the meat and vegetable sections.  I bought two packs of mince reduced from £3.50 a pack to £1.50 each and two packs of meat balls at £1 a pack.  Two heads of broccoli reduced from 90p a head to 90p for the two, some asparagus at £1 a pack and two bunches of mini bananas at 50p per bunch so I did not do too badly.  Oh and I bought  gammon for sandwiches.  I will have to go up to the market and the meat market sometime this week to see what they have available as well as getting some sausages and liver from the Butchers.

Right upwards and onwards

Hopefully catch you soon

Pattypan

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