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I have a doctor's appointment later this morning. To discuss my weight loss and mental health following my wife's sudden death in early April. The weight loss could just be the result of my heavy, physical workload over several months. How many other 75-year-olds swing 10lb sledge hammers? [Splitting maul for firewood.]
My fluid intake, without contribution from food, is 3 litres per day. I am a creature of habit. So it doesn't vary. ½ litre of low fat milk with breakfast. Half a litre in morning coffee. No sugar intake except for chocolate biscuits after dinner. Another bad habit I have recently developed. It used to be only two-three digestives per day.
I am not eating much in the way of vegetables any more. An apple a day. When I remember. Lettuce once a week, occasional tomatoes, cucumber. Frozen peas even less often. I could have broccoli with a fish dish instead of the [now routine] tinned tomatoes and beans.
I am throwing a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables away. Simply because they go off because I am not eating them quickly enough. My evening meals [dinners] are very haphazard in choice and probably becoming too repetitive. I should be eating more potatoes. They usually go off too. Even in a dark cupboard.
Fish I do like. Several times a week. Fish fingers, cod in breadcrumbs, salmon pasty with spinach sauce and mackerel in tomato sauce [on toast.] My toast intake has dropped dramatically. While 4-5 wholemeal [?] bread rolls are a daily staple. With marmalade at morning coffee. Two every lunch time. With jam, honey and cheese. Another with marmalade for afternoon tea. With dinner to soak up tomato juice or tomato soup. No shortage of tomatoes from tins.
My loaf of wholemeal [?] bread usually turns green by half way through the packet these days. It was an easy choice with mackerel, eggs or even baked beans. That was back when I was completely inexperienced at cooking for myself.
I am probably not eating enough eggs. Poached is now my standard choice with a weekly salad. It could become scrambled eggs on toast. As something slightly different. With halved tomatoes on top and [perhaps] baked beans. Fried eggs and mushrooms on toast? We stopped eating bacon years ago. No reason to encourage evil animal welfare practices and foul shit spreading for a profit.
Fried mushrooms are nice but keep going off in the fridge. As does the lettuce and cucumber. I don't think the opened tinned beans, chopped tomatoes or soup come to much harm after two days in the fridge. I consume only half a tin each time.
5.45 Very early breakfast. Naughty!
6.45 An early walk? The sun has just risen through the clouds. Denser in the east but speckled on blue skies overhead.
My recent conversations with friends and family. Highlight the very great importance of socialising. If only for gaining refreshing ideas. Things which would never have occurred to me are freely offered in conversation. Such insights can change my whole viewpoint concerning the house and garden.
These ideas are extremely valuable. To shake up my [often] very narrow perspective from my years of isolation and fixed habits. It is not enough to just let the light in. New ideas are equally vital. For providing valid, new perspectives. Thank you for your input.
7.15-45 60F/15C. Walked to the lanes in warm sunshine. The traffic was unusually busy in the lanes. Cars, vans, lorries and an old man on a tractor. The latter was towing the usual, fruity silage. In an equally old trailer.
11.00 66F/19C. Veiled sun. I have had a shower, a nap and did yesterday's washing up. I have a lot of shopping to do.
13.30 Shopping done and lunch is over. The doctor thinks I will probably survive and that I should continue to expand my social circle. He came up with an interesting idea. A volunteer van driver for a charity shop or chain. They never seem to have enough drivers for collecting furniture from donor's homes. I can't see myself behind the shop counter though.
Inspired by a friend's attempts to wean me onto a broader diet. I have invested in pasta, cauliflower, small brown mushrooms and broccoli. Now I just have to do some research on what to do with them all. Not to mention how to store them long enough to get round to eating them.
16.30 68F/20C. Windy and the promised rain has just started.
Following the mushroom slime disaster I researched the problem. Avoid plastic bags. It retains moisture. Leading to slime. An open paper bag or paper bag with kitchen towels is best according to one tester. I used a small cardboard tray and paper towels placed in the bottom of the fridge. The original cardboard tray was already wet and slimy. The broccoli has gone into the fridge too. Apples and carrots last better in a fridge. Potatoes want cool and dark. The kitchen may be too warm at the moment.
19.00 I have had another nap to catch up. Which probably means another early morning tomorrow. The dinner problem rears its ugly head. I had fish yesterday so I can't repeat that. Not even with a different mix. It also rules out fish fingers as being too similar.
I wanted to use the broccoli. So I went with a salmon pasty in spinach sauce. I cut the broccoli florets long as advised online. Then dropped half of the broccoli into boiling water and gave it 5 minutes. Not quite long enough. It was crisp but could have been a little softer. I did the knife stabbing test but should have used a fork. Still very edible. The halved, fresh tomatoes were fine. I bought them today.
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