Flower power...

D was on the phone to the health centre at 8am to speak to a GP about Alan.  Took about half an hour to get through, which wasn’t too bad considering it’s the first day back after the holiday.  
 
GP called back a little while later and spent 15 mins discussing Alan’s symptoms and what’s been happening with him healthwise over the last few weeks.  She feels he has one of the nasty viruses currently doing the rounds and has suggested we increase his fluids, also giving him small amounts of milk diluted with water to see if he keeps it down.  She also arranged for the on-call GP to call in and sound his chest to rule out a chest infection.  She arrived just after 10am and confirmed his chest is clear.  Phew!  
 
I am delighted to report that he has tolerated increasing amounts of milk throughout the day without being sick, and has seemed a good bit brighter.  More vocal (always a good sign) and not wanting our company so much. I think he’s on the mend.
 
I spent a little while in the studio this afternoon finishing this little loose floral watercolour to go on the front of a friend’s birthday card.  Two other paintings for January birthday cards almost completed.  

I am glad I am not the only one with a January birthday, which I’ve always hated as people are usually all partied out and any celebrations planned nearly always end up cancelled because of bad weather.  This year we have booked a local restaurant for my birthday and Ele, Kenny, Agnes and Adrian are joining us.  They will stay over so we can make up for the cancelled Hogmanay get together.  Hopefully.
 
After thinking about it for a long time, I have finally signed us up for meal packages from Mindful Chef.  
 
Ingredients for five meals a week, ethically sourced from small UK farms, which are healthy and nutritious (low carb no refined sugar) and no waste, meaning I don’t have to stress over what to make for dinner every week, sounds good to me!  Twenty-five percent off the first four boxes so that’s a month’s supply.  We will definitely know whether we feel it’s worth continuing after that.  Also it’s only five meals per week, which means on the other two days I can use meals from the freezer, meaning the freezer stops being a food graveyard.  Again a win 
 
We shall see how it goes.