Archive for the ‘Drink’ Category
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 29, 2012
Heartbreak Hotel Restaurant (Photo credit: Thomas Hawk)
Saturday was another very hot and sunny day. I got up early and went for a run on my treadmill. My treadmill is in one of the rooms in the cellar (basement) but so is the hot water and central heating boiler! As it is now warm every day the central heating is inoperative but the boiler still comes on to maintain a hot water supply to our storage tank upstairs. The room gets warm of course but not as warm as it does in the winter months when the boiler is running for many hours in the day. If it gets too hot I can open the door leading to the garden and it becomes much cooler. Anyhow I digress. I did my stint on the treadmill and then went out into the garden and sat on the patio to cool off. After returning indoors and getting dressed I had a late breakfast which doubled as my lunch. I had nothing to do in the afternoon so I raised the canopy over the table in the patio and sat there all afternoon drinking red wine and listening to the radio, switching between Radio 2 and Radio 1, later Classic FM. I don’t much listen to pop music these days but I needed cheering up. I quite enjoyed the old songs they had been playing and they brought back to mind some lovely memories of the days when I first heard them many years ago. I felt really happy and relaxed but at the same time a little lonely. The genre began to change from happy-clappy to romantic love songs and it was then that I found myself crying involuntarily in response to the words. I needed to go indoors to visit the toilet and discovered that E had left the house, probably to visit her mother and that left me alone with no-one else at home. It often happens of course and under normal circumstances it means nothing but at this time when I was feeling so lonely with no-one to talk to it made me feel even more so. A song by Brian Ferry was playing when I returned to the garden, a love song and then more love songs by other artists the names of whom escape me now as I write this on Sunday morning. I was now being reminded of the fact that I was a member of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a visitor to Heartbreak Hotel, a Lonely Girl (lonely and blue) and all alone in the big wide world. I made a call to one of my friends, Jane, whom I hadn’t seen for a couple of months and who now has moved to another part of the country. I just wanted to know how she was and that all was well with her. She is managing ok it seems which I am so grateful for as she hasn’t had an easy ride lately. It was later in the evening when another friend, Lotte, called to let me know when she will be coming to see me today (Sunday) when we will be driving somewhere for a meal together. We have lots to chat about as we haven’t seen each other for 14 months or so. She had been on an extended tour in the far east for three months and on her return was busy settling in to her old job with some extra responsibilities. She had been busy finding somewhere to live too, thankfully she found somewhere nice. It’s funny how friends and family drift apart sometimes but we all have our lives to live haven’t we? For me, friends are most important and I make every effort to maintain contact with them. Family are a different matter aren’t they? They say you can choose your friends but you cannot choose your family! I love them all though, family and friends alike whether they reciprocate or not. A friend to me is a friend for life, a family member a cherished blood relative I could never reject. As it is though I see very little of any of them and that is why I get lonely sometimes. So here’s to my family and my friends…..I love you all
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Celebration, Drink, Family, Friendship, Love, Relationships | Tagged: Family, Friendship, Heartbreak Hotel, Love, Music | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 24, 2012
A woman on a treadmill (Original caption: “Wendy Beeler, Palmer chef, runs on the treadmill in the one-room gym at Palmer Station.”) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tuesday morning I got up quite early dressed and went down into the cellar to do a stint on my treadmill. I have been quite busy on the treadmill lately so it came as no surprise that I found my session fairly easy to get into. I usually spend between 20 and thirty minutes on the machine burning off plenty of calories but it isn’t so much the calorie burn off that is important as getting my heart to work hard for a time. This builds stamina and keeps the heart and circulatory system in good condition. For quite some time after exercise calories are still being burnt off as the metabolic rate has been increased during the exercise routine. It’s like having a breakfast without the calories! After my exercise I returned to my bedroom to cool off before I could bathe. I watched the news on television for half an hour then bathed and got dressed for the day thinking I was going to be working. No sooner I was dressed I received a call to do an electrical job which I did around ten o’clock before returning home to cook the chicken we had in the fridge. It needed to be cooked on the day so I decided to have my main meal for the day once it was cooked at 12.30. After my dinner I got changed out of my working clothes and into something more appropriate for an afternoon at the pub. I just had to do that because I hadn’t been out of the house throughout the weekend and Monday too. I spent a lovely afternoon meeting and speaking with at least five people I’d never met previously and then with a few friends whom I see quite often. I returned home by 8.30 as I had to get my rest and sleep for a busy day on Wednesday. During my stay at the pub I saw many people coming and going, some dining out for the afternoon or evening and some just coming in for a drink or two. I love people watching, it’s a fascinating hobby of mine and I can almost predict what they will do each time they visit the pub. It was a hot and sunny day on Tuesday and many folk sat outdoors to eat and drink but I stayed indoors, preferring to keep out of the sun.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Rest and relaxation, Socialising | Tagged: Calorie, Drink, Fitness, Health, Physical exercise, Rest and relaxation, Treadmill | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 17, 2012
English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When I was younger I didn’t much consider the consequences of eating the wrong kind of food and as far as watching my weight was concerned that wasn’t a problem. Being in such an active occupation I never gained weight and was always slim. Gradually over the years I gained weight but was never overweight at any time. As I grow older and less active I have to keep check on my eating habits but not only for keeping my weight down. Since my transition I have had to maintain a healthier attitude to what foods I put in my mouth for other reasons. It’s all about cholesterol levels and looking after my liver which now has a greater task to perform daily, the processing, the metabolizing of the hormone tablets I have to take put extra pressure on that organ. Not only that but it has to deal with the alcohol I drink too! That is one of the reasons I limit the frequency of my alcohol intake. Of course eating all the wrong food doesn’t help in keeping both my weight down and my body healthy so I make sure that I have the right kind of food in my meals. In my page above I list many of the foodstuffs I like to eat (see Healthier recipes for you). I am a little more relaxed these days when it comes to food and what I eat, not denying myself the occasional treat. When I was told that I had to only eat certain foods and cut down or eliminate many of the things I’d previously enjoyed, I took it all to heart and was for a few years very strict with my eating habits. I have stopped being so strict with myself and now I enjoy the occasional treat. I still have cut down on many things and some things I will no longer eat at all. Basically foods high in unsaturated fats and sugar I try to avoid completely. I prefer savoury food to the sweeter variety but I do eat plenty of fruit. The government health authorities encourage us all to eat our ‘five a day‘, that is fruit and/or vegetables and I often go far beyond that recommended amount sometimes reaching twice as much. So most of the time I eat good healthy food but occasionally I give myself a treat. I do exercise regularly too.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Food, Health, Transsexual | Tagged: Cholesterol, Eating, Food, Health, Saturated fat, Transsexual, Unsaturated fat, Weight loss | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on April 28, 2012
Relative risk of an accident based on blood alcohol levels. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Many years ago when I was young and stupid, yes I was once young and very stupid at times, I would drink and then drive without giving a thought about the consequences. I never realised the havoc I could have caused had I been involved in an accident due to my drinking or given a thought about somebody losing their life through my stupidity. When one imbibes alcohol it most certainly impairs judgement and capability and can result in mayhem if we take to the wheel after indulging. It has been many years since I deliberately drove a vehicle after taking a drink but when I visit my local pub, on foot I might add, I come across many people who still maintain that they can handle their drink and that it doesn’t affect their driving capability whatsoever. Today, Wednesday, I spent the afternoon at my local pub drinking red wine with diet cola on the side. I walked there and back as it is only a matter of 900 yards or so each way. If I lived further away I would go by taxi and would never consider using my vehicle for transport. Now I know a few people who frequent that pub who have no qualms about driving to and fro from the pub and today I met up with one of them. The discussion between us turned to driving under the influence for some reason. It wasn’t engineered that way but it just came up in conversation. I mentioned that I didn’t hold with the idea of people drinking and driving but I couldn’t easily express that as I was talked down. Eventually though I was able to speak my mind by saying that it wasn’t so much a problem that people do drink and drive but those that do have no control over anyone who might run into them too thereby revealing their involvement as drink-drivers and subsequently being prosecuted. The person I was talking with was a middle-aged woman who, in my estimation should have known better but she drives to and from the pub at every visit, which is several times every week. One day she may be involved in an accident perhaps not through her own fault but it also might involve some innocent person losing their life because of that fact. To me it shows complete selfishness on her part and in the same way everybody who flaunts the law in this way. They are gambling with other people’s lives when they take to the wheel whist inebriated. When I left the pub to go home I had drunk a bottle of red wine and some diet cola but I walked, I didn’t drive. She had consumed two pints of lager and three glasses of white wine spritzers and was still drinking when I left. I know she will have driven the mile and a half to her house afterward but in that distance somebody could lose their life. I hope that doesn’t happen but the risk is too great for me.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Driving, Morality | Tagged: Alcohol, Cola, Drink, Driving, Driving under the influence, Health, Responsibility | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on April 18, 2012
A pair of high heeled shoe with 12cm stiletto heels. Category:Shoes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The new-found friend I met on Thursday last week met with an accident on Saturday night. I’d telephoned her earlier in the day to thank her and her fiancé for their hospitality on Thursday night. I hadn’t phoned on Friday as I was out of the game and not feeling well myself. It transpires that she treated her fiancé to an evening meal and dance to celebrate his birthday which was actually on Monday. On returning home in the early hours of Sunday she decided to fix them both a drink of coffee and whilst doing so trip over the cat! She admitted that she had been wearing high heels and was probably feeling a bit ‘tipsy’ so blamed herself for the accident for not removing her shoes when at home. Unfortunately she hurt her arm so much she visited the hospital emergency outpatients department to see what was wrong. She had X-rays taken and was told she had broken her arm in three places and might need surgery. However, as she told me on Sunday evening, she has problems with her liver and she says the doctors consider it too risky to operate. I took some flowers and a card to her house on Monday morning but got no answer. I assumed she was still in bed, although is was after ten o’clock, so I left them inside her porch. Now she didn’t tell me how high the heels were that she was wearing but it does tell me that wearing any heel that is high, especially if it is slim like a stiletto, can be dangerous. I like wearing high heels myself but don’t do so very often but it only takes a little slip or stumble and anything can happen. My friend broke her arm but she could well have easily broken her ankle too, probably a much more serious accident. I know a couple of women who wear high heels very often and without any problems so it isn’t simply that high heels are dangerous, they are far more dangerous when the person wearing them is a little under the influence of alcohol! I have worn high heels many times and I have stumbled once or twice whilst wearing them but those incidents were more to do with the pathways I was walking upon rather than my drinking habits! I actually find it easier to dance in heels than to simply walk in them. I feel sorry for my friend and perhaps she wasn’t totally to blame for her accident but that is the nature of accidents isn’t it? We never know when they might happen, one moment’s lapse in concentration or one pussy cat wandering beneath your feet unawares and hey-presto another mishap.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Fashion, Health | Tagged: Clothing, Footwear, High Heels, High-heeled footwear, Shoe, Shopping, Stiletto heel, Wikipedia | 1 Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on April 16, 2012
A picture taken, of Champagne. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ve not been enjoying the best of health lately and it’s been mostly due to the common cold. All the usual symptoms, aches and pains, lethargy, dull headaches, sneezing and runny nose as well as cold sores have been my lot this time around. One day I’d be feeling fine and the next day not so good. Added to all of this I have toothache, one of my fillings needs replacing I’m sure but I had a toothache in the same place a few weeks ago and it disappeared. Perhaps it is just an infection. On Thursday afternoon as with the rest of that day, it was warm, sunny and cloudless. I felt like some company so I took a walk to the pub. The place was almost empty so I bought a soft drink, a diet cola to be exact, and I sat on one of the large sofas they have there. I could have sat outside where there were people eating but I don’t much like sitting in direct sunshine and as they were eating and I didn’t know them anyway, I stayed indoors. Lots of people eat there during the day but many of them are simply passing or they are not regular customers there. I sat and waited and as I did I began to see more and more people enter as the afternoon wore on. I did break into conversation with a couple of people eventually and my drink became a bottle of red wine. Once the wine was finished I took the walk back home, it was about seven o’clock. En route I called into a friend’s house to ask if he could fit my roller-shutter door for me as the guy who is supposed to be doing it keeps giving me excuses as to why he hasn’t been able to come. As it turned out my friend who incidentally fitted my gates and railings said he refers people who want garage doors fitted to the same guy who in return directs those who want electric gates and railings to him. A bit of a coincidence! He said he would pursue my case for me and see if it can finally be fitted. This same friend as it turns out is a brilliant guitarist, far better than I am and he demonstrated some of his talents while I was there. I told him that his talent is being wasted and that he should take it up professionally. His wife in the meantime poured me a large glass of red wine. I stayed there a short while and was persuaded to return to the pub with them as it was quiz night. I could hardly refuse but I think it was more for the company than the drink nevertheless I ended up having more wine there which I shouldn’t have done. I met two new people who sat with us and are neighbours to my friends and we got along like a house on fire. When the evening was over I walked with them on my way back home but they pleaded with me to go to their place for a nightcap. I said I would but didn’t wish to stay long. Their house is literally less than one hundred yards (metres) from the pub, a large house with a Rolls-Royce parked in the front gated garden. They obviously weren’t short of a few shillings as they say! As it turns out they plan to get married in August, I could get an invitation, who knows? The house was lavishly decorated inside and I got to see quite a bit of it. I got very friendly with them both but the woman more so. She showed me her collection of dresses and I was admiring one in particular. I was gorgeous, a summer dress with a full skirt in a large floral print. She told me I could have it! No way would I accept such a gift in the circumstances. When back downstairs she showed me a lovely framed photograph of herself hanging on the lounge wall. I like it so much she presented me with a smaller framed photograph exactly the same and insisted I took it. How lovely is that? Even the smaller one is around 8 x 10 inches in size. The three of us sat together and drank a couple of pink Champagne bottles between us. How naughty is that? I was asked if I liked John Bishop (a Liverpool-born comedian) to which I replied that I liked him a lot. Out came the video and we had a good laugh for a half hour or so. At the end of the video John starts dancing with others on the stage whilst the three of us joined him in our lounge! I was asked if I wanted to stop over but of course I declined. A taxi was called to take me home but I would rather have walked the few hundred yards home. There was no way I was going to be allowed to do that so I graciously accepted and said my farewells. I arrived home around 2.20 am, the taxi fare had been paid by my hosts. I wasn’t feeling tired although I should still have gone to bed and I ended up sitting at my computer until six. I couldn’t stay up any longer and grabbed a few hours in bed sleeping soundly until just after ten. My phones were ringing but I didn’t answer them. I was feeling a little uneasy when I got up, a few aches and pains attributed to the cold I knew I had. I had a late breakfast/early lunch of kippers. I just fancied kippers. Mistake number one, I suffered the rest of the day with trapped wind and an acid tummy. I resorted to drinking warm glasses of milk to settle my stomach and eventually things improved. I felt lousy still having aches and pains and a toothache. I just cannot shake it off. Well that’s what I thought. It is now Monday and I am back to my normal self.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Enjoyment, People, Socialising | Tagged: Champagne, Cola, Common cold, Friendship, Fun, Health, Herpes labialis, John Bishop, Liverpool, Socialising, Soft drink, Wine | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on March 31, 2012
A thatched pub, the Williams Arms at Wrafton, near Braunton, North Devon, England. Taken by Adrian Pingstone in July 2004 and released to the public domain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
These last two years I haven’t been out as often as before, to the pub that is. Today, Wednesday I decided to break the habit and I went along to the pub, my local pub, to enjoy a drink or two and hopefully meet some friends and acquaintances there. It was such a pleasant day so after doing a couple of small jobs in the morning, returning home and eating my lunch, I changed my clothes and took a walk in the warm sunshine, ending up at the pub. It wasn’t long before I was engaged in conversation with people there, most of them new to me. Later I met with a couple of friends and chatted with them too. I didn’t wish to stay the whole evening as I’d drunk enough and as they say, enough is enough! I am trying my best to be a good girl by placing a limit on my drinking habits when out and about. Apart from the obvious health issues it is good for my purse too! I do enjoy good company and I will speak with anyone who has the time to respond to my contact with them. I have said it before but reiterate, people seem to like me! When I returned home E was already eating her evening meal (she doesn’t like the idea of pub life as much as I) so I had to prepare something for myself. We had an uncooked chicken in the fridge which needed to be cooked that day so I popped it in the oven and resigned myself to waiting the hour and a quarter for it to cook. I spent the time online catching up on emails and blog visits and by 8.30 I was able to sit down with my chicken and vegetables. I don’t know when I shall visit the pub again but I know that whenever I do I will be assured of a good time with great company. Life is what we make of it and I try my best to make it worth living.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Enjoyment, Friendship, Happiness, Lifestyle, People | Tagged: Bar (establishment), Drink, Friendship, People, pub, Public house, Restaurants and Bars | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on March 27, 2012
I accompanied Jane to the venue for an evening meal with her archery club friends on Saturday and we arrived a little late, the last to arrive in fact but we settled down and soon found ourselves enjoying each others company. A few of the regulars came over and greeted us personally which was nice. I suppose there were about forty or more guests in our group but in other areas of the restaurant were more groups of people celebrating birthdays. It appeared to be a popular place and I imagine the restaurant to be filled most evenings. I am not sure when Jane and I left but it was getting late when we did. Jane took me back home before returning to Liverpool for the night. She said she would be travelling to Brighton sometime on Sunday as I recall but using the train services rather than her car. I seem to remember her saying she hadn’t as yet received her residents parking permit so was leaving her car in Liverpool for a couple of weeks. I gave her a hug and she was on her way. I didn’t go to bed immediately as I wasn’t that tired but eventually hit the sheets around 4 o’clock having forwarded all the house clocks by an hour so technically speaking I really went to bed around 3 o’clock I suppose. I was dressed and eating my breakfast at 9 o’clock but was still a little tired. Around noon I decided I had to get motivated and mow the grass which was by now getting rather long but I hadn’t taken into account that it was still mostly wet with dew. The sun was shining but only half the lawn was in sunshine. Part of the lawn, that which is closest to the rear of the house, doesn’t receive full sunshine until we are nearer summer and then only in the morning or around sunset. The rear garden is on the north side of the house but most of it is in full sunshine at some point in the day and some parts all day during the summer months. So I set up the extension lead and mower and began to cut the grass. I got about a quarter of it done, that part which was in full sunshine and then began to struggle somewhat because of the dew that had elsewhere remained. I took a break for lunch and returned to complete the job later hoping that the grass had dried enough by then. It hadn’t. I struggled but found I could still cut the grass by pulling the mower backwards rather than forwards as it didn’t clog up the blade as quickly. It still took me a couple of hours where normally I could get it done in forty minutes when it is dry. It may have been easier with the larger petrol-driven mower we have but it was out of fuel and it needs servicing. What I might do is purchase a hover mower for use when the grass is damp as they are not affected in the same way as other mowers but they don’t really cut the grass as short as I’d like. Nevertheless having one would enable the grass to be cut much more quickly and I could always use the other mowers when it is drier weather. By the time I’d done the lawn I was really exhausted but I found the strength to get out the heavy wooden garden furniture that had been stored in the old garage over the winter months and put it into the patio area. I noticed that the floor paint I’d put on the patio concrete floor had peeled away in many places. The concrete had been treated with a sealant to keep out the water and the paint is supposed to be suitable for outdoor use but eveidently it isn’t! I doubt I shall repaint it though. I didn’t rake off the grass cuttings, I was too tired but that can be done during the week. Gardening is hard work especially if it hasn’t been done in months! The garden plants are in full bloom and I took some photographs while the sun was still shining on them…..
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Food, Friendship, Gardening | Tagged: Brighton, Drink, Food, Friendship, Garden, Grass, Lawn, Lawn mower, Liverpool, Mower | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on February 20, 2012
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Well what else? I am not a drinker, honest! On Friday, I took to having a day off, free from all work and left to my own devices! Yeah, sure, who would leave me to my own devices? As it happens, me! I had no work scheduled so I invited E out to lunch. No problem there because E is usually very accommodating as a dining partner, especially if it is free. As is usual I let E decide where we were to go and she has no shortage of places in her preferences. We ended up at a place we had come across some time ago when out looking for somewhere nice to eat and we have been there on a number of occasions since but it has been some six months or more since we were there last I think. I’d had a vodka-laced coffee about a half hour before we left and on the way to this restaurant, which lies about fifteen miles away from home, E dropped me off in the village in order that I could collect my hormone prescription. We call it the village and although it was once a village it has now become a part of Southport as there are no natural boundaries now between them both. The area in which we live comes under the same name as that of the village and our house is just over a half mile from the centre of the village. The main rail link between Southport and Liverpool runs through the village too so it is easy for those commuting. I digress. After I had collected my prescription I had to walk some way to where E had parked her vehicle as there was no available spaces near to the chemist (drug store). We drove out-of-town to our destination. I ordered a bottle of red wine, a Merlot, and when I tasted it I got a pleasant surprise. It was mildly sweet and had a soft fruity bouquet, something I like in a red wine rather than the drier varieties, although I like those too. I like to try new wines so I am not always aware what they will taste like. Sometimes I choose a wine by name. This wine was made in Chile and like so many of the new world wines, it was very palatable. We spent quite some time in the restaurant and soon the wine bottle became empty. Now any sensible person would have stopped at this point but I fancied having a glass or two of cider and had some when E left the restaurant to visit a cash-point about a mile down the road. For some reason the card reading machine wouldn’t work and rather than leave my card details for the restaurant to debit my account later I asked E if she wouldn’t mind getting some cash for me. I gave her my card and off she went. We stopped for a short while then drove back home but on the way E dropped me off at the pub as I was desperate to use the toilet. I met with some friends and had one or two more drinks of cider. I really must stop doing this stopping off at the pub business, seriously, I end up drinking far too much and although it is very infrequent it is still unnecessary. I am going to promise myself not to do that in future which will be easy to do, all I have to say to E is don’t drop me off and I know she won’t! If I want to visit the pub I shall have to walk which is probably not going to happen if I’ve been out dining. One thing is for certain, I am determined to limit my alcohol intake when I dine out!
On Saturday morning I went out to do some shopping collecting more materials for the new wet room, cable for the shower unit, a wall mounting fan heater suitable for bathrooms, switches and accessories, some mortar and plaster and piping for water supplies and such. I hope to do some more work on the wet room during this week.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Food, House and Home | Tagged: Chile, Food, Friday, Liverpool, Restaurant, Southport, Wine, Wine tasting descriptors | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 14, 2012
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The end of the week usually brings a release from the working week and a chance to relax, or used to! When I worked for an employer I didn’t have the same freedom as when I started to work for myself but the pressure became stronger. So although I used to look forward to my Fridays and my weekends to myself when I became self-employed those feelings became stronger even though I had the freedom to choose how I spent my time working. There is a greater sense of urgency when working for one’s self I would suggest. That being the case and especially now as I am kind of semi-retired or at least only working part-time I relish taking time out to engage in some self-indulgence. Last Friday afternoon I went dining out with E and yesterday we had a repeat performance but at a different location. Yesterday morning I did an electrical job repairing some lighting and replacing fittings and returned home sometime around noon. We had already planned to dine out so I wasn’t prepared to take on any more work for the day. We tend to eat a little later into the afternoon as many places by then are not crammed full of other diners and the pace is subsequently much slower and more relaxed which makes for a better afternoon I think. I tried a new dish this time. Even though the sea bass looked very tempting I decided together with E, to have pork rump in a plum sauce with steamed vegetables and new potatoes. E had tasted this dish before but it was a first for me and she told me that I would enjoy it. I always thought that pork and apple were good together and I had reservations about pork and plum. I was pleasantly surprised when the dish arrived and I tasted it. The pork was very tender and the sauce was sweet. The two things go well together. However I did find the sweetness of the sauce a little too much by the time I’d finished and I think it would have benefitted from being a little less so. I pushed the boat out with my dessert too trying a lemon based dish I had never ordered before. Its name escapes me but it was basically sponge soaked in a lemon sauce topped with something resembling custard but not custard mixed with white chocolate and meringue chippings. It was too bitter for my liking but I ate it. I probably will not have it again. I am usually open to trying new dishes up to a point but I will draw the line at some things. We left the restaurant about two and a half hours later with the other half of the bottle of red wine because for once I behaved myself by not drinking it all at the table. We stopped by a supermarket on the way home to re-stock on cola and some foodstuffs. A very nice afternoon was had by all.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Food, Lifestyle, Rest and relaxation, Work | Tagged: Cooking, Drink, Food, Friday, Meat, Pork, Potato, Rest and relaxation, Sauce, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 8, 2012
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I had the day to myself on Friday as I was released from my jury service until Monday. Not wanting to let the opportunity pass by to enjoy myself for the day I invited E out for an extended lunch, well they are always extended when I dine out. I love the experience of wining and dining out and generally socialising and it is nice to do that with friends and family but it is nicest when in the company with someone very special. In my case that would be my ex partner E whom I love dearly. I take the opportunity to dine out with her as often as I can so that not only do I get to enjoy myself but that she can enjoy life more than she usually does. As is the case I often ask her if she is happy so that I can help her to be happy as much as I can. She is hard to reach sometimes but I persevere for I don’t want her to feel unhappy if I can do something to change that. I wonder sometimes what makes her tick, what it is she wants out of life because I feel she is missing out on things when she should be getting the most out of life. I know she enjoys her outings with me but she is often reluctant to show that. So it was that we both went to one of our favourite haunts in the next town on Friday and had a carvery lunch with dessert and drinks. I polished off a full bottle of red wine and later had a liqueur coffee with a cream topping, similar to the picture on the right. We both had soft drinks too, she was drinking Pepsi-Cola and I was drinking the diet version in-between my sips of wine. I like the taste of the cola following the wine and sometimes I mix the two in the same glass when I am tired of drinking the wine neat, which isn’t often (LOL). We arrived at the restaurant/pub at around 1.30 and we left just before 5.00 stopping off at the supermarket for some rum, whisky and cream. I wanted to enjoy another glass or two of a liqueur coffee! I am off to work on Saturday morning which will be yesterday by the time you read this so I will not be able to have a drink, if I want one, until late in the day. I probably won’t indulge as I value having a healthy liver which needs a break now and then! I might have a drink today, Sunday but then nothing until the end of the week when I have finished my jury service. Mind you, I may get on a case that lasts longer than this coming week but in any event I will enjoy a drink or two at the weekend. I might even surprise the staff at my local pub by paying them the first visit for over six weeks. I love life and I love people who are prepared to enjoy it with me. Life is too short not to enjoy it.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Enjoyment, Food, Happiness, Leisure, Life, Lifestyle, Philosophy, Values, Wisdom | Tagged: Alcoholic beverage, Drink, Food, Friday, Leisure, Life, Lifestyle, Monday, Pepsi, Philosophy, Saturday, Soft drink, Wine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on October 16, 2011
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I have just read one of my daily ‘words’ from Scripture the essence of which tell me that even though I may strive to be perfect in every way I know that I shall never attain perfection for as long as I live. The reading points out that I should be telling myself daily that I know I am not perfect but that I am better than I was before. A good philosophy to be sure. There are areas in my life though where I struggle to get better for I will forget the promises I make to myself and over-indulge. On Friday I spent the afternoon, late afternoon that is, at the pub. I sat there for a couple of hours watching people come and go whilst I was reading a newspaper and having a drink. Eventually the pub filled to capacity but I remained seated and alone by choice. Later I began to mingle and before long found myself in the company of friends. Drifting along with the conversations, meeting new people and generally having a good time robbed me of my sensibility and I ended up shall we say, slightly inebriated! Horror of horrors I hear you say but it is all so easy to forget one’s promises not to get drunk when one has had too much to drink and therein lies the danger. Switching to soft drinks is the better solution and one that I should endeavour to embrace more often. Let’s hope I eventually learn my lesson and be a little more responsible in future. I arrived home in the early hours after the fifteen minute walk from the pub and was so hungry I rustled up a meal. Still not tired after my escapade I took to surfing the Web and posted comments on other folks blogs. I was beginning to doze off when I made my way upstairs at five in the morning! I remember looking at the clock at five-thirty and then fell asleep, in the correct attire for the occasion I might add and not in my normal clothes! I awoke at ten fully refreshed and most definitely not with a hang-over. I drink far too much water after drinking alcohol to end up with a splitting morning-after headache. Dehydration or lack of it is something I have under complete control. It only remains for me to keep myself under control when out enjoying myself.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Behaviour, Drink, Enjoyment, Friendship, Happiness, Leisure, Lifestyle, Philosophy, Temptation | Tagged: Alcohol, Behaviour, Drink, Friday, Friendship, Leisure, Philosophy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on October 12, 2011
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I went to the pub on Sunday evening, more of a rarity than a regular habit these days although at once or sometimes twice weekly isn’t exactly rare. I could have gone during the afternoon but I know what the place is like at that time. It would have been packed to the seams and had it not been raining most would have sat outside because the weather was quite warm. There is a very large ‘smoking area’ outside which is usually packed with those who still cannot give up the habit. Usually, if it is a nice day but not hot and sunny, I sometimes like to sit outside. I prefer sitting indoors though, especially if it is too hot outside. As I went there at eight o’clock there were only a few people there. One group sitting close to the door all know me and although I said hello I was more or less ignored. I sat at the bar and was greeted by the staff and the manager who chatted with me on and off all the evening. I entered into a conversation with a couple of men at the bar and later two guys came in and stood at the bar close to where I was sitting. They engaged me in conversation too. It turns out that the younger of the two had been a professional footballer and played for Wolverhampton until he retired from the game at 36 some 15 years ago. It isn’t unusual for professional footballers to appear in the pub as there are quite a few living in the vicinity and quite famous ones too. I won’t mention any names of course but many of them play in the Premiership. The only women in the pub left after an hour of my being there and I was the only female customer left. The remainder of the punters were men, about fifteen of them! I had gone there with the hope of seeing a couple of friends but it appears that everyone had spent the afternoon there and were gone before I arrived so in that respect it was a waste of time. I did enjoy myself though, albeit mostly in my own company. I left just before the pub closed and returned home. The pub is a very welcoming place and regulars, including myself, are greeted by name on arrival and bid farewell by name when leaving too. Sometimes though I think my trips to the pub are a waste of time but it is better than sitting at home with no-one to talk to.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Leisure, People | Tagged: Bar (establishment), Landlord, Leisure, People, Restaurants and Bars, Sunday, Wolverhampton | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 22, 2011
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Some people say that I have some strange eating and drinking tastes. According to them my habits are a bit weird but it’s all down to personal taste. I stumble across things by experimenting. Many years ago now a friend and I were drinking at a bar. I was drinking cider and she diet or normal cola, I can’t remember which. Not watching what she was doing she poured the cola into my drink but rather than throw it away I tasted it and liked it so much I ordered a cola and cider and mixed them 50% equal measures. Later I discovered that the cola would actually sit on top of the cider if poured slowly. The resulting effect is startling and when drunk it starts off tasting sweet and gradually the cider can be tasted until almost all of it is just cider. A bit of a novelty which I still enjoy today, if the bar staff have the time to pour the cola slowly but now I only add diet cola. That original discovery led to two more concoctions, diet cola with Red Bull and cider with Red Bull all in the same proportions as before and all with their own distinctive taste. Now here is a really odd thing. Many people drink ‘spritzers’ which is white wine mixed with soda water or lemonade but there isn’t, or wasn’t a similar drink using red wine. One day a couple of years ago I had a diet cola as an initial drink at the dining table but ordered red wine to accompany my main dish. When the main dish had been eaten and I had almost drunk what was left of the red wine I took a sip of cola. Because I still had the taste of red wine on my palette it mixed with the cola and a new drink was born! I poured a small amount of cola in the remains of the red wine in the glass and tasted it. I was amazed that it tasted so good. Nowadays, when I dine out, or as I did on Monday evening in the pub, I buy both cola and red wine and when I am tired of drinking the wine by itself I mix the two together. People think I am mad but it is all a matter of taste.
As for food, I tend to experiment at home with what I have in the refrigerator or larder. I try different things to see if they go well together before including them in a dish together, just as I would with drinks. Many things can be put in an omelette and I often have more than one of these, peas, sweetcorn, mushrooms, onion, tomato, potato, almost anything that tastes well with eggs. Then I lay the omelette on a bed of cold lettuce and it tastes delicious. I mix fried chopped onions with baked beans, put black pepper and herbs in with cabbage when cooking it (the water is a nice savoury drink). Stews can have lots of strange things in them when I cook them here’s one I cooked a few days ago containing, fried onion, garlic, capsicum, minced beef (could be any meat), water, peas, sweetcorn, carrots, mixed herbs, beef stock cube, vegetable stock cube, paprika, ground black pepper, salt, sage and onion stuffing mix, gravy browning, sunflower oil (cooking the onion and meat). A dash of malt vinegar was put on the dish when served in a bowl. It all sounds a bit too much but the taste is worth the effort and it really isn’t an effort, taking only twenty minutes from start to finish. I get bored eating the same old dishes all the time and that is why I experiment. Variety is the spice of life they say.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Food | Tagged: Cider, Cola, Drink, Food, Home, Red Bull, Vinegar, Wine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 10, 2011
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So I spent Wednesday afternoon/early evening down at my local pub. After visiting the place about two weeks ago after a long absence and promising that I would go more often I have returned there twice since. My workload is very low just now and I was feeling so bored sitting home alone I decided to do two things. One, was to go for a walk and two, was to go to the pub. I did both. The weather at home has been rather a wet and windy affair so walking too far was out of the question, especially as I was wearing (small) heels and wasn’t dressed for taking on the elements. Fortunately the streets afforded quite a bit of shelter from the wind until I walked westward but even then it wasn’t too bad. At least the rain held off until I was back indoors, that is inside the pub! On arrival I found but a few patrons inside so I grabbed the local newspaper and sat down with my drink on a lovely leather sofa near to a window (I need daylight or bright artificial lighting to read comfortably) so that I wasn’t straining to see the script. My eyesight is quite excellent and I don’t need glasses as an aid, just good lighting. After an hour I began to feel hungry so I looked at the menu. For a small establishment they have quite an extensive choice of meals and snacks. I chose a smoked salmon sandwich with a salad as I wasn’t hungry enough to eat a large meal. It was delicious and enough to satisfy me for a few hours. By the time I had finished eating many more folk started to arrive and all but a few (those I don’t know) greeted me. I don’t know about you but I love ‘people watching‘ and I was quite contented to just sit there across the room watching them come and go. Finally though some wanted a little more contact with me and came over for a chat. By early evening I was up and about chatting with people myself. I am a very gregarious and sociable person and I find chatting with people so easy. Of course I had to watch my alcohol intake as I can get carried away sometimes by overdoing things. It was getting late and I decided that I must return home so I said my farewells and off I went for the ten minute walk to my house. I got home just after eight-thirty and found I had mail and a parcel containing the new shoes I had ordered a few days ago. I tried the shoes and they are a perfect fit but I doubt I shall be walking to the pub in them as the heels are just over four inches! I shall take a cab if I wear them out.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Enjoyment, Exercise, Food, Friendship, Leisure, Lifestyle, People, Rest and relaxation | Tagged: Bar (establishment), Drink, Entertainment, Food, Friendship, Leisure, Lighting, Newspaper, People, Rest and relaxation | Leave a Comment »
