Thursday 19 February 2009

WALKING THE WALK

It was always going to take a lot to top snow day.

That sounded like the start to an amazing post didn't it?

Now I'm supposed to tell you how I have been searching for the recipe to end all recipes for the last two weeks, how I have not left the kitchen except to shop for exclusive ingredients with which to wow you.

But I'm not going to.

The snow was just too good. Nothing has beaten it yet, I don't think anything will until the first day of Spring.

Valentines Day was nice. The brunch at Albion was delicious (even if I suspect that the queues will only get worse). But it was no snow day.

The two big bowls of pho last weekend were yummy and left us sated with fragrant cleansing broth. But it was no snow day.

The packed lunch project has been going well with an average of two lunches a week coming from home (this is a big improvement on the previous average of zero) but not even the joy of enough roast beetroot and butternut squash mixed with feta and chickpeas to last not just me, but me and Chris, not just one, but two whole lunches was enough to outshine the snow day.

So with no more snow days on the horizon and too long to wait for a holiday and Spring still feeling almost unbearably far away the only thing I have to report is that I have signed up for the Edinburgh moonwalk. I did it two years ago and at around 21 miles I was asking myself why, why, why couldn't I just hand them the money and be done with it, why did I put myself through this, why were there people saying (cheerfully) 'only five miles to go' (every time they said it I wanted to throttle those otherwise lovely volunteers in their bright yellow tops). But true despair only really kicked in when I thought, for one irrationally joyous moment, that we were almost finished until realising that there were still 1.2 miles to go. I could have cried. So why, why, why, why, why? Sadism perhaps? Or maybe some sick twisted part of me actually enjoyed the torture, the lack of sleep? Maybe...

I'm trying to raise at least £500 which will go to breast cancer charities and, as I am doing this all alone, your pennies will really help me to stay motivated (I hope). If you want to see how I'm progressing just check out my justgiving page.

3 comments:

Shauna said...

Hi Gemma, my whole body hurts just thinking about that bloody Moonwalk so I take my hat off to you for daring to do it all again! :)

I made your bulgur pilaf last weekend and finally used the sumac that I've had for three years and never touched... SO GOOD! I used some of it to stuff peppers and it was amazing!

Alicia Foodycat said...

I've been gagging for pho. Is that the best of the Kingsland Rd pho places?

Gemma said...

Hi Shauna, I know, I know. I can still remember the agony all too well, not sure what I am thinking! Anyway, glad you like the bulgur, stuffing it in peppers is a great idea.

Foodycat - I wouldn't be the person to ask as we have only just started trying the Vietnamese places and I have zero experience of Vietnamese food prior to now! Suong Que is always packed and has good reviews and that's the place we're going to try next but Tay Do was delicious. It's so cheap that you can afford to try a few out to see which you like best!

Gemma x