Fridge clearing

I was quite proud of my fridge-clearing effort for lunch. I started out with the idea of making œufs en cocotte. I made this sauce with onion, garlic, leftover ham and mushrooms, a tin of tomatoes, some herbs and smoked paprika, and the last of the spinach. Then I remembered that there was a minuscule amount of the gratin dauphinois left, so it became œufs en cocotte surprise as I added a hidden layer of potatoes to the bottom of the dish. Covered with the sauce, added the eggs, poured over most of the remaining cream, and topped with grated cheddar before baking in the oven. It was really tasty.

First thing this morning, S pumped up the tyre and we drove cautiously to the rental place. They offered us a discount on our next rental, and the clerk also gave us a lift into town in the defective car, saving us a taxi fare. While we had crawled cautiously through town, she bowled merrily along the dual carriage way at 60.

Middlesbrough Waterstones was a disappointment — they had none of the books I wanted, but I still managed to buy two, including a free one with the points on my card. Then we took a taxi to the care home. A was already there, and to our surprise S’s mum was sitting up on the edge of the bed, supported by pillows. She was quite wide awake, and A did well at persuading her to eat more than half of her lunch. Later there was a certain amount of “left hand doesn’t know what right is doing” as a couple of carers came in and were upset that J was out of bed, as she might slip off the edge. However, it must have been some other staff who had got her up, since it wasn’t us! And all three of us were there the whole time she was having lunch. Anyway, she was tired and dozing off, so they got her back into bed and we left her to sleep.

Back home to have lunch, clear up and pack. And our last swim and gym — the pool was a bit busy but I managed 22 lengths. And a few scraps of this and that for supper, with some vintage port.