Sorry I’ve not been around these past two weeks, been busy enjoying the nice weather and doing stuff outside. It’s difficult when you live in a normally wet and overcast country like Scotland to stay indoors and do the stuff you are supposed to do (such as write a blog) when the weather is nice outside. We’re not used to it you see, so when the sun shines and it’s warm, our heads are turned and we find ourselves drawn outside. Must-sit-in-sunshine! It’s been fabulous weather the last week or so and we’ve all been really enjoying it.
Not a lot’s been happening lately. Just been working away as usual. Still not got my book up in e-book form yet as am waiting for my cover which my lovely illustrator friend Mandy is doing for me and I have yet to purchase an ISBN number for it. However, my other book for adults, Ham, is coming along and I hope to also launch that soon.
Been reading In Defence of Food by Michael Pollan book which is about how bad processed food is for you and how we should all be eating home-made food as much as possible. I totally agree with what he says in the book. I too believe that man-made food such as sweeteners and processed foods like sugar are extremely damaging for the body. Although I have an extremely sweet tooth and love things with sugar in them. This book is an excellent read, it really brings home just how mixed up our food industry has become and how, despite their best efforts to state the contrary, foods made to be ‘healthy’ are often not healthy (eg margarine) and that we should all return to cooking from scratch. However – and there is a big however -while people are having to work and work long hours, while mums (who, let’s face it, a lot of whom are desperate to be at home) are having to work, it’s going to be difficult for people to do this. I struggle to cook home-made dinners every single night and I only work three days a week. I find that by the end of those three days I am so exhausted by the madness of those days (by madness I mean: getting the kids up, fed and ready; listened to them argue and fight; dropped them at breakfast club; driven the hour through horrible traffic to get to work and back; spent my three days essentially doing full-time hours; bought food; organised packed lunches; organised the kids’ clothes; got a washing on; ironed something for myself; etc) I often don’t feel like cooking…especially on the last day (we had fish n chips from a local chippy this week – guilt!). I would love to have more time to cook things from scratch, but…hey ho! I do my best. If you are at all interested in what you are eating, read the book, it’s really good.
Am still reading Robert Tressell’s The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. I must admit I sometimes find it hard going to read about how poor and malnourished they are. It’s horrible to think that people in this country – our families – struggled like that a hundred years ago. One of my grandfathers grew up in the Govan area of Glasgow, one of eleven (I think) children and he always used to talk about having to walk about barefoot in the summertime because he didn’t have shoes. In the winter, they had really old boots with holes in the soles that they stuffed with newspaper. As kids we used to think he was having us on, but I’m not so sure that he was. I can’t imagine living like that and I know that there are still people in this world that are that poor. Anyway, I am determined to finish the book, it’s just a tad slow for me although I do kind of like it. It certainly makes me appreciate my life more.
God, I’m on a rant today aren’t I? Anyway, I am off to make my own orange barely water. I used to love this as a kid, but can no longer drink it as the brand I used to love now contains sweeteners. I reckon home-made will be so much better anyway.
Til next time!
Dawn xxx
