Thursday, December 24, 2009

And a partridge in a pear tree ...

Sometimes Ned's experimental cooking doesn't quite go according to plan.

Chocolate truffle or bird dropping? You decide.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

On the first day of Christmas ...

When I was young (yes, yes, back when wheels were square and the world was in black and white) Advent calendars had festive pictures behind the doors, with a double-sized one for Christmas Eve. Nowadays the commercial ones all seem to contain chocolate (and not very nice chocolate at that) behind the doors. So it's interesting to see a new take on the theme ...

Monday, December 07, 2009

Run run run run run away

If only I could. For years and years I've had a bad foot. One of them's fine and dandy, never a moment's trouble. The other one, though (the same foot from which I had a bunion removed several years ago - well, I think it's got bad genes. When it was only painful occasionally, and only in certain shoes, it was tolerable; now it's really started attention-seeking. The problem is that the toe next to the little toe will feel as though it's been bent right back up onto the top of my foot - almost as though it's nearly snapped off (tempting, believe me). As if that wasn't bad enough there's also the sensation that someone's put half a golfball under the ball of my foot, so that basically every step is agony. I haven't been able to walk barefoot for two or three years, and the number of pairs of shoes I can wear has gradually become more and more limited. Now that I'm reduced to hiking boots and slippers (most of the time) it's gone beyond a joke, so I took the foot to the doctor for advice.

Apparently I'm suffering from Morton's neuroma. And there are several possible treatments, one of which I was offered at the time - a steroid injection, which I thought sounded okay. It was only when I was told that he'd have to poke a needle about in my foot till I told him where it hurt the most so he could inject the right place that I totally bottled it and burst into tears. I think it'll have to wait until I'm feeling emotionally stronger - until then I'll suffer; but the longer I leave it the more likely the damage will be permanent. Bugger.