The baby's ill!

Our little cat has been really ill this week. He nearly died on Sunday and then during the week we were given the option of paying through the nose or having him put down. We have paid for him to have all the treatment he needs and we're still just sitting with him with our fingers crossed.
I always thought people were mad to get to upset when they lost a pet, but now I understand. There have been tears and a general air of sadness in the house this week, which is really awful.
He's had an operation and needs to recuperate over the weekend so we're in charge of caring for him. We have to check various things every FOUR hours - even through the night. I thought I was tired last night but it's nothing to how tired I am now
I am not sure I could have children if this is how stressful it is when they're ill. Keep your fingers crossed for the baby/cat!

New job update

September flew by. The new job has been going well and there has been a lot going on.
I was surprised with the new job with how different it is from my last one. Before, I was in a comprehensive for children aged 11-18. Now I'm at a College so most of the kids are older.
I have been shocked with some of the kids at my new College. I have been used to a variety of kids, mostly pleasant but many of them with problems.
I figured moving to work at a College would mean I wouldn't have such issues to deal with. Surrey is, after all, prosperous. However with that other problems are brought to light. For example, those kids who are used to being molly-coddled and having their coursework written for them have had a shock. I don't do that.
Then there are the kids who think that they are the bees-knees. I'm not sure they all have the same reasons for behaving like that but they all need sorting out too. They can't wait til March when they get their first set of AS results back to realise that they need to knuckle down.
However there are still the majority of kids who are similar to those I taught before: motivated, friendly and hard-working. They just seem to be lost amongst the others.

End of August bento

A bento to celebrate going back to school! This bento (starting from the top right) contains:

• chinese leaf salad with mandarins
  
• spinach wrapped in omlette
  
• grilled rice patties
  
• soy boiled egg with seaweed
  
• blueberries (centre)

Okonomiyaki Hiroshima fu

This was a lunch I made myself a few weeks ago based on a recipe by Harumi Kurihara. She said in her book that this is "almost a complete meal in itself", well it nearly beat me! It was gigantic. It's made of a pancake filled with mangetout, sweetcorn green pepper, and springonion, there should then have been some meat/fish but I didn't have any so I skipped it. Then there's a layer of fried noodles and a plain omlette on top.

I served it with ketchup and pickled daikon on the side. It's probably not a traditional Hiroshima style okonomiyaki but it tasted delicious.

Soft shell crab

I was treated a delicious meal by my love a few weeks ago at a posh place called The Thai Terrace. It was a great meal, and the star of the meal was... soft shell crabs.

I'd seen them cooked on tv and they looked interesting. I can't say tasty because it went against my better judgement to eat the shell of the crab when I am so used to prising the little morsels out of the shells with regular crabs.

I took the plunge and wasn't disappointed. They were so tasty! I was so inspired that I made it my mission to hunt down some soft shell crabs of my own to cook. They were in my local Thai food shop so I bought them, defrosted them, and then panicked! How do you prepare them?!

A little research on the internet revealed that you need to remove the gills and some dark stuff. So I did that and then prepared a light batter to fry them in. They smelt amazing. The taste? Dreadful! I'd clearly not removed enough of their insides! The best part of them was their legs that were crabby and delicious. The rest tasted like a bucket of sand.

Another attempt is required, I think!

Butterfly cakes

Mmm butterfly cakes. The kind you used to make at school, only a bit posher. REAL butter not marg! Luxury!

These were giant cakes really because the plastic cake cases were that size. They are so clever. I am a convert because the plastic cases can be squashed together in a drawer and so take up so much less room than a traditional fairy cake tin.

Nanny

After 3 years of being unwell and frail my Nanny died on 20th August 2008. She was 85 years old. It was expected and yet a total shock as the whole thing accelerated and few people had the opportunity to say goodbye in person.

That is the role of the funeral, isn't it? So we all gathered to say goodbye. My cousin did a really good reading. When I've looked it up I'll post it here.

May Nanny be happy wherever she is. She's not in pain and her family love her.