Sad Week

I've been blogging in one form or another since 1999 and in that time have "met" lots of other bloggers.  Sometimes you come across someone with whom you just "click" and relate to their life in a really personal way.  As you follow their blog, you feel like you really know them so well, as you read about the ups and downs of their lives, getting to know their families and friends and how they live.  My friend Pat is one of those special people (and there are others).  She is a little older than me, but I feel like we are similar in many ways.  Except that she is way, way more compassionate, kind and loving than I could ever hope to be.
On Monday, she lost her husband of 45 years, after caring for him for a long time under often difficult circumstances.  I can't imagine what she is going through as she struggles to come to terms with her loss and the prospect of the life ahead of her without the man she loves.  So I've been thinking about her a lot every day and didn't feel I had anything of interest to add here.

Yesterday was my oldest son's 29th birthday.  I sent him a text (didn't ring him as I knew he wouldn't answer) and of course had no reply.  It's always a difficult day, I am estranged from him and my second daughter, for reasons I'm not quite sure of.  A few tears and a few regrets but that day is passed now and life goes on.

I'm feeling well and happy and life is good here.  Can't describe how wonderful it is to have "normal" when things have been so much removed from that for so very long.  But I am also proud of myself for taking charge of my life and my problems and facing them and dealing with them.  The biggest problem, Emily, is far from solved, but how I deal with it has changed drastically and is my "kryptonite" against the power she was weilding over our family and our lives.
Josh is blossoming.  He is settled at school and doing well, even doing his homework!  And just doing what he is supposed to be doing.  He is growing into a sensitive, caring, intelligent and funny young man who loves his mum no matter what, and that spurs me on to be the best I can be.
I like this big old house now, I've slowly been making it more cosy and comfortable and it's nice, even in this cold Winter with no carpet anywhere except in our bedroom.  I'm glad we have the ducted heating.
I've been updating my recipe blog which is fun, and also a handy record of the recipes I like to make often, all in one place and easy to find.

I had some turkey steaks that I got on special and got the idea of using the leftover couscous stuffing from that Moroccan Style Chicken recipe where the chicken was so so but the stuffing was amazing.  I pounded out the steaks and filled them with the stuffing, then pinned them together with cocktail sticks, rolled them in flour and Moroccan seasoning and fried them before finishing them off in the oven and making a garlic aoili type sauce, which separated a bit and I misread the amount of oil and used too much but it tasted good. 

I've been using a lot of egg whites in Annette Syms's excellent low fat baking recipes and finally found a great way to use up the yolks with a nice sounding lemon curd recipe.

And the Olympics!  Talk about overkill, can't help thinking it's all about $$ these days like most sport.  And they trotted out poor old Johnny Farmhand and shot him from the waist up as he sang one of his decades old songs (he still looks like he is with child).  And the Brits can't hope to even come close to matching the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney olympics.  ;)