Happy Monday!
People I’m done with winter. I seem to always hit this spot after Christmas, the days ARE slowly getting lighter but, and this is the kicker, it’s actually darker in the morning for a bit and while I don’t like the darker days in general, I really hate dark mornings. It generally manifests as a complete inability to get the hell up in the morning which I know right now is not helped by PMT. Several times this week, I have had to remind myself and have my mother remind me that I do actually love my job. It was that kind of week.
In other news, we went to see 1917, which was good, beautifully filmed. Some of it didn’t quite work but overall it was difficult to watch and sad but worth the time.
Ma and I finally got to have the much delayed Christmas dinner we had planned to have in December, which was fun and I have not lost my touch in Yorkshire pudding making!
Plans for this week are all about work and sleep and being much less grumpy! I’m out to dinner next Friday but other than that it’s all much as usual for January!
So I needed to pluck and draw the bird. I have a vague recollection of trying to pluck a chicken as a kid but I have never plucked a whole bird, YouTube is fantastic, I watched 4 ‘how to videos’ but actually doing it is harder and takes longer than you think.
The plan was to have it roasted on Saturday night, however that 
After the bustle of December, the break that comes at Christmas allows me to spend more time in my flat. That combined with taking down the tree and all the tidying that entails, means that I notice things I need to do and have the time to do so the space becomes more manageable, and tidier.
I enjoy the space more because being outside is grim and I need to find space for new things that were Christmas presents. 
In fact, if I had to spend January, in my house, it really would be lovely. As it is, I have to leave occasionally and that makes me love my cosy space even more!
January is not a good month for the Dempsey’s. For the last couple of years, Ma and I always get sick in January. I thought that I’d escaped this year but on Wednesday night had another episode of fever and being sick. That’s four straight months, so it’s time to go to the doctor’s and get it checked out. First available appointment is February 10th!
I’m also feeling really grateful for the NHS for stitching Ma up and that we didn’t have to worry about the cost of it. The Urgent Care Unit is privately run for the NHS and while it was great, I’m not sure we all truly understand how much of the NHS is already run by private companies and how much more it will be if the US get their way in a trade deal (and they absolutely will).
It’s not something I would say to her face (she’d tell me I was being ridiculous) but the Gauld kitchen and the way that she and Jo cook is one of the influences on my own cooking life and the reason I first tried my hand at baking bread!
Nic Dempsey 