Green

I am sitting in my favourite spot with Alice asleep on my lap. In our old house, my spot was the bottom of the stairs; here it is Carl’s spot on the sofa. Alice doesn’t usually like to sleep on my lap. She likes to feed to sleep then go into her Moses basket or crib. Hold her too long, and she will wake up. Except for yesterday and today. She has a snuffly cold and woke from her nap distraught after only half an hour or so. Both times I gave her another little feed, and she fell asleep again, and dint want to be put down…which is more than ok by me. A lovely warm snuggly snoozing baby, what could be better?

The view from the window is the reason I love this spot so much. Today I can see that some if the treetops have their first hint if the green of returning leaves. On our walk to school this morning we noticed that a thick twiggy hedge has started to sport little green lead buds. In the garden the daffodils are blowing in the wind, and it strikes me that the blue-green of their leaves is just as pretty as the startling yellow of their flowers.

I wrote this wrapped up cosily in my new cardigan. I bought it half price in the sale at Sainsbury’s yesterday. It is such a beautiful shade of bright emerald green, I knew I had to have it as soon as I saw it. I love a big cardigan for wearing at home, and this will make a nice change from my red one. It is so, so warm that if it was less blustery outside I could almost wear it instead of a coat.

Alice’s hands are open in her sleep, and I can’t help putting my finger into her palm. The skin there is so soft that it feels like a rose petal.

I am on day three of my fourteen day pre-op diet. Let me say that while 800 calories a day is not fun, and by later afternoon I can feel the brain fog creeping in, it has had some interesting points. For a start, when you are only eating very restricted meals, you really look forward to them, and eat more slowly, and savour and enjoy the food a lot more. You pay it attention. Undoubtedly aside from the liver-shrinking effect which is the whole point, I am definitely benefiting as I am eating more vegetables than before. Oh how I miss the root vegetables though, and let me tell you now that 50g of potato at dinner time is not very much at all! The first two days I have not had any snacks between meals,malthough the nutritionist said I could have vegetable sticks. Yesterday afternoon I made a huge saucepan of the most vibrantly green soup. It had an onion, some celery, half a leek, a huge bag of spinach, and a small bag of watercress, along with a stockpot. The whole pan has around 160 calories by my calculations, and I am having a small bowl at a time, so probably 30  calories or so. If I wasn’t on the regime I am on, I would almost certainly add a potato or two to thicken it, but as it is, it tastes heavenly, and is warming and comforting, as well as being cheery to look at, so bright in the bowl.

To my surprise, Jessica asked to try some last night and loved it. Alice was being a bit fussy with her tea, so I offered her a spoonful, and she started kicking her legs and smiling and leaning forward for more, so she had a small bowlful of her own too…although ended up with a green moustache and beard!

I think that even when this diet is behind me, and my gallbladder is out, I will be regularly making a pan of this soup to keep in the fridge for between meal boosts. I remember reading the wonderful Diana Henry’s A Change of Appetite a few years ago, and in it she talked about the deliciousness and health benefits of watercress, and the thought of a daily dose of it is pleasing to me.

It has taken me a long time to write this, one-handed, and now Alice is awake.

  
We are having a gentle day at home today. On the agenda is tidying the kitchen, putting on some washing, and having lunch. Lunch according to the plan I have been given is 1 medium slice of whole meal bread or 2 crispbreads, a choice of 75g chicken/fish/lean meat or 2 eggs, or 25g fat reduced cheese, with salad (4 cherry tomatoes allowed). After two days of salad, I am going to have boiled eggs and soldiers, with a bowl of my green soup, so I am in effect drinking my salad rather than eating it!

Tonight I have book group, and tomorrow we have a nice quiet day with nothing particular planned. 

Wherever you are, I hope that you are warm and cosy too,

Love

Mimi 

Xxx