Thankful – Day 16

Posted on November 16, 2011 by nicdempsey

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A day spent with Max and Murphy, catching up, playing with Murphy and making chilli jam! All good things…

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Kale..

Posted on November 16, 2011 by nicdempsey

My lunch for the past month has been some kind of soup. It’s normally lentil or some kind of vegetable. I add a dollop of plain yogurt, some seeds and nowadays a couple of tablespoons of raw kale.  The kale is chopped up so defrosts in the heat of the soup, looks pretty and is a really useful way of getting extra veg and kale is amazingly good for you. Most of the useful things I do in the kitchen come, like this idea, from Tina who is one of my cooking gurus. Excuse the pictures, it was late and they were taken with my phone.

So take your kale, wash and stuff in the food processor

Chop it up and spread it on a baking tray

Put in freezer for a couple of hours, once it’s frozen, put in a bag and back in the freezer.

Sprinkle on your soup. Easy, simple, healthy and it’s not often I can say that about my cooking!

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Thankful – Day 15

Posted on November 15, 2011 by nicdempsey

No photo for this one.

Today is 15th November (hey I can do simple maths!) and is my grandfather’s birthday, or would be if he was still alive. He was the only one of my grandparents still living by the time I was born, the 4th of his grandchildren and the first one that, like him, was left handed!

I don’t want to be too mushy about him, he could be a complete pain in the backside, he liked routine, was always early for everything and couldn’t keep a tune to save his life but that didn’t stop him from singing loudly. He wasn’t easy to live with and my mum and uncle had a difficult time with him. I didn’t know that, he was my Grandad, source of sweets, cuddles and occasional trips out.

As I got older, he was an example of faith. He had mo issue with us being raised Catholic (any way to God is better than none.) and always came to church with us at Christmas, despite having to get up and down all the time and the different words of the hymns and the Our Father.

I was with him when he died, unafraid and certain of eternal life, even though in a typically grandad move, he let us and God know he was ready on the Friday and didn’t actually die until the next day!

He was the best man he could be given the times he lived in and today I’m thankful I got to know him and have a grandad.

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Thankful – Day 14

Posted on November 14, 2011 by nicdempsey

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If autumn and winter mean that I lose cherries and other summer fruit, I get pomegranates!

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Thankful – Day 13

Posted on November 14, 2011 by nicdempsey

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I’ll take sunshine whenever I can get it and the weather has been drear and yuck, actual fog people! So the warm for November and sunshine requiring sunglasses, fabulous!

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Thankful – Day 12

Posted on November 14, 2011 by nicdempsey

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Day 12 of November was not a good day. I had a migraine. Just to clarify, if I can do things like read, watch TV or be on the computer, I have a headache. When I can’t focus properly, night to be in a dark room and/or am throwing up, I have migraine. If I had been capable of coherent thought I’m not sure I could have found anything to be thankful for. On Sunday it came to me. Headache pills, the ones in the photo aren’t the ones I use for migraines, but painkillers are fabulous things!

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Thankful – Day 11

Posted on November 11, 2011 by nicdempsey

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This is a very bad photo of my Grandad’s Terrritorial Army medal (for efficient service!). There were other medals but my brother has them.

I don’t know much about Grandad’s army service. This is what I do know. He was in the TA in 1939 so when war was declared he was called up straight away. (The same thing had happened to his father in 1914), he was stationed in Norfolk at some point, where he met Bill and introduced him to his sister, Edith! We think he was in Normandy at some point and maybe Belgium.

I do know it changed him, even though I don’t know how because Grandad didn’t talk much about his war experience except to say that no-one should be proud of killing others.

So today, I’m thankful for him, for what he did, for what it cost. That he taught me that war isn’t something to do unless it’s a last resort and that there is no glory in killing another, whatever the reason. In being thankful for him, in knowing the man he was, I’m thankful for all the others who did and continue to do the same.

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Thankful – Day 10

Posted on November 10, 2011 by nicdempsey

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Today I went for an eye test. Because I’m still unemployed, it was free. So I have 2 things to be thankful for. That I live in an era where being as shortsighted as I am isn’t a handicap and that I live in country that broadly agrees that healthcare is a basic right for all it’s citizens, regardless of how much money they have.

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Thankful – Day 9

Posted on November 9, 2011 by nicdempsey

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The clouds finally clear and the sun comes out. I go for a walk..

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Hours of fun

Posted on November 9, 2011 by nicdempsey

Drinkify

Especially if you’re not drinking through most of November…

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