In the long run

Hmmm, well I give thanks that my cooking is usually better than it was last night...dinner was minging! But I was hungry and grateful for food, so it had to do. To add aggravation to annoyance I managed to spill the sauce on my clothes three times, once when serving, once when eating and, then again when washing out the pan! I give thanks for modern laundry products and a washing machine...

The clouds thickened as darkness fell and instead of Perseid meteor showers we had rain showers but they dampened the enthusiasm of a rather loud karaoke barbecue down the road so I was quite grateful really. There was lots of lightning too so I could lie in the darkness and watch that! Quite a treat anyway...

I'm grateful I remembered to have cider vinegar and manuka honey today...and that I managed to get the proportions right. Not liking things very sweet or sour this can be a challenge and even though I know they are both good for many things, I dread my 'dose' and tend to put it off and forget, accidently on purpose as we used to say as children. I give thanks for a fairly successful first attempt at sun dried tomato and olive bread using a some mixed grain mix and stuff out of jars. It would have been a better texture if I'd used drier ingredients but it's the first time I've made any kind of bread for years and it was the thought of the additions that spurred me on, along with the not too kneady instructions including frequent five minute rests. My kind of recipe! Very yummy with leek and potato stew for lunch...

I was so happy that Tom was so happy with his medal. Diving's such a crazy dangerous thing to do and it's easy to forget he's so young still, he's been around so long, but he's a teenager whose dad's died apart from anything else so I always want him to do well, and his whole family needed that. Also lovely to see so many people lining sunny (and surprisingly leafy!) London streets for the marathon, and the aerial shots of the city too. One last day not to feel lazy watching daytime TV...must enjoy it while I can!