NOT A PERFECT ENDING TO A PERFECT DAY

Having returned home from my wonderful spa day(see below), I started to feel a little green! After about 1/2 an hour my lunch revisited - sorry! Thus began a horrible evening and night of throwing up every 20 mins or so. I thought maybe it was something I'd eaten, in the past I've have similar experiences when eating lamb in restaurants. But at 2am Alice decided to join in, so maybe it was just a bug after all.

I spent Sunday in bed, leaving poor Christian to deal with Alice. We were supposed to be at a Christening with Christian's parents but obviously couldn't go. We would have missed half of it anyway, as when the food was being served, Christian's Mum was hit with the same bug and just made it home before disgracing herself! My brother-in-law had it all Saturday night aswell!

It seems we are all better today, if not a little weak and a lot thinner!

EDEN HALL DAY SPA

On Saturday, the girlies and I went off to Eden Hall in Nottinghamshire for a wonderful spa day. As 7 of us went (poor Bev couldn't leave the baby), I drove us there in the Briddon mobile and a day of constant gossiping began! We arrived just after 9am and were quickly changed into our robes and slippers as most of us had treatments starting at 9.30. It cost £70 for the day, that includes a 3 course lunch and use of the pool and all the sauna and steam rooms. Clair and I had opted for the pregnancy massage, as we both knew we were pregnant when we booked and paid for the day last August (Anna & Lisa only found out their good news recently!). This was the best deal by far as it consisted of 1 1/2 hours full toe to scalp massage on very comfy bean bags for £54, whereas the other girls had different massages and reflexology treatments for about £40 that only lasted 40-50 mins.

After my massage, I found the others and we had coffee and juices in the conservatory before having our lunch at 12. I had duck confit with celeriac and apple puree, then roast lamb with a very unusual set up - you went and got a plate of potatoes, veg and salads, then they brought the main course, so you had 2 plates (Ruth had got crab claws & all sorts!) anyway it was very nice and I ended with a chocolate and cherry pudding.

After lunch we were all very stuffed so we decided to go and lounge around the pool to read and snooze but mainly talk some more! After the obligatory 1 hour after eating, a few of us went for a swim. It was a salt water pool so floating around was very easy and very relaxing. We even braved to outdoor pool! You only had to swim under a barrier to get to it and it was heated, bloody cold if your shoulders came above the water though!

At 4pm ish we went back upstairs for more coffee and cakes before getting changed and set off home at about 6pm. I've never been to anything like this before and we are definitely going again, it was a really wonderful, relaxing day.

If only the rest of the evening could have been half as nice.....

WISPA'S ARE BACK!

I've just had a Cadburys Wispa, they are still miles better than an Aero. Welcome back my little textured chocolate friend!

NOSTALGIA IN THE KITCHEN

Today we have been making our Christmas pudding and Christmas cake. This time I'm not ahead of myself (like with the present buying!), they will need storing for 3 weeks at the very least - so 2 months should be just delicious.

It took me right back 25/30 years, to when I used to help my Nannie make the same things. Alice had her little apron on and was stood on a dining chair up to the kitchen worktop helping me stir all the ingredients together - just like I used to help her each year! Ahhh! I'm so pleased that just happened!

CHUNKY CHILLI BEAN SOUP

We've just come home, cold and hungry and I've just made this soup which is gorgeous. As it's that time of year for "winter warmer" food I thought I would share it.

1 tbsp oil (I used rapeseed)
1 chopped onion
3 diced carrots
1 diced red pepper
2 chopped cloves garlic
1 chopped red chilli (I used 1 from Philli the Chilli - seeds and all!)
1 tsp cumin seeds
400g can kidney beans - rinsed
500g passata
1 pint stock - chicken or veg.
1 tbsp brown sugar, salt & pepper

Fry the onion in the oil for 5 mins, then add the carrots, red pepper & garlic & fry for another 3 mins. Add the chilli & cumin & stir for 1 min.
Add the kidney beans, passata, stock, sugar, salt & pepper & bring to the boil.
Simmer uncovered for 25-30 mins until thickened.

It's from a pregnancy book, so it's good for you and low fat but you wouldn't know!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Today is Christian and my 5th wedding anniversary. 5 years - can you believe it was that long since we all got bladdered at Hassop Hall that Friday afternoon/night?!

To celebrate we are going out for a meal on Saturday night to The Walnut Club in Hathersage (yes I know it's the rugby final & I did offer to change it to Friday night but Christian said no). We've been meaning to go for ages, but it's quite a way from home and as we both like a drink we usually go somewhere nearer (Christian is too tight to pay large taxi fares!), but as I'm knocked up I will be driving!!


I have also taken this opportunity to practice making tiered cakes. This one is a brandy soaked (I try to get a snifter wherever possible these days!) fruit cake on the bottom and lemon sponge on top - I'm sure some will be winging it's way to SDL next week. Christian has bought me "French For Dummies" as I'm re-learning French and I got him a bottle of Balvenie single malt.

A DENTAL RANT

My nephew Joseph, went to the dentist yesterday - although it's a private dentist, children (he's 13 next month) still get free/ NHS work done. He found out that he needs a brace, nothing wrong with that, we thought he would anyway. But - and here's the crappy bit - they will put him on the NHS waiting list for about 16 months, then he has to wear it for about 18 months ( the poor sod would be turned 16 before it comes off!) OR my Mum can pay £1500 and he can have it more or less straight away! That's disgusting, obviously Mum's paying so it can be doing it's job straight away, but why should she have to? It's supposed to be free treatment to the same standard as private. There's little wonder people have started doing DIY dental treatment.....

SLAPPED CHEEK UPDATE

Yes, after a trip to the doctors, Alice has slapped cheek. Not to worry though, after speaking to a trained medic, rather than reading the internet, it isn't that bad. Only if I(or anyone pregnant) actually contracts the virus, then there is about a 10% chance that anything would harm the baby.

So I have had a precautionary blood test, all pregnant friends have been informed ( no one seemed duly worried) and Alice is fine. So there we have it, Typhoid Mary strikes again - what's next Alice? chicken pox?...

SLAPPED CHEEK SYNDROME

It appears that Alice may have "slapped cheek syndrome", it's a disease that sounds worse than it really is. The symptoms are a red rash on one cheek ( hence the name, she looks like she's had a backhander - she hasn't - honestly!), a fever and sometimes swollen joints. It was pointed out to me today by the teachers at pre-school, I'd never heard of it. It hasn't been confirmed yet though, I will have to do battle with the dragons at the doctors in the morning to get an appointment. There isn't any cure, it's a bit like a cold. It's also highly contagious 4 - 20 days before the rash appears - ooops, any damage will already be done! Apparently 90% of us will have had it as children and are therefore immune for life.

The main problem is pregnant women, 20 weeks or earlier. It can cause red blood cells to stop producing in unborn babies if the mother isn't immune. As we have 3 friends under 20 weeks pregnant, that Alice has been in contact with, I feel terribly guilty and must find out if she is diseased or not! I'll let you know.

A DISTURBING NEW DOLL

There is a new doll on the market at the moment that is really quite disturbing. It's the Chou Chou Mummy Make Me Better Doll, you may have seen it advertised with all the other Christmas adverts that are on TV.
This one however, is all about making baby Chou Chou better. You take her temperature, give her medicine etc, fair enough lets teach our children to care for people there's nothing wrong with that.
But then comes the "bruise feature". You bruise the baby on the arm, then rub it better (ie apply heat to the bruised area) until the doll laughs, then all is well and no one need know.

Correct me if I'm wrong (& I don't think I'm reading too much into it this time), but is teaching your children to bruise babies, then to cover it up really what we should be doing?
P.S. Toys R Us have already sold out of this doll - and judging by the types of people you generally meet there, I'm not surprised!