Well this is it. The last week of ‘work men’ in the house. All redevelopment will be complete by Friday. Next week will be the first time since last September that we have not had to make brews for builders, plumbers, electricians, joiners, tilers, kitchen people etc.


We have bought more sugar in the past few months than in the five years before they started. Teas and coffees have not been a problem, still lots of sachets left from the hotels before I retired. But sugar, had I been a good project manager I would have thought ahead and ‘borrowed’ the sugar tubes from the hotels as well as everything else but it’s hard to think of everything.


Although the kitchen isn’t quite finished yet all the equipment is functioning, so we now have the dishwasher, freezer, fridge and cooker all working. I have realised that there are downsides to most things and that even applies to the new fridge. It has something called a 'Bio-Fresh' compartment with Humidity which can keep cabbage fresh for 180 days! Why would you want to do that? You can buy it every day you want it, fresh from Tescos but because it can be keep in the fridge Christine has been out buying large quantities of cabbage.


Now I know I grumble about food and I think I have made it clear that Christine and I have different tastes in most things but can anyone tell me why you would eat cabbage? Apart from broccoli, it is the most tasteless vegetable that has ever been invented. Particularly when the principle of ‘can’t boil the goodness out’ is applied, this only ensures that it reaches the plate tasteless and chewy. Now in the old days when my old mother used to cook cabbage and vegetables in general, today’s dinner was put on to boil yesterday, so when the stuff reached the plate, it was a pile of mush, still tasteless but at least no need to chew: much better.
I mentioned this to Christine and she still insists on minimum cooking being better for me because they retain the goodness. I think I may have said this before but I fail to see how chewy vegetables that I don’t eat are any better for me than mushy vegetables that I would eat. Christine, as usual, ignores me and serves the carrots, which I honestly believe, if planted would continue to grow.





But all of that had nothing to do with today’s story, it was meant to be about the new all singing, all dancing, cooker. Range Cooker, that is, with six hobs, two ovens, grill and warming draw. For ten months of the year there are two of us but this cooker was essential because Christine now has time is to start baking scones, bread, cakes. sausage rolls etc. How this is going to happen is beyond me as she could never bake them before even if she had time, but I live in hope...


The cooker didn’t have the most auspicious start to its working life. It was up and ready on Thursday last week but because it became active only late in the day we had Marks & Spencer microwave meals for one, bangers and mash, excellent. On Friday, because we had already bought them just in case, we had Marks & Spencer microwave meals for one, braised steak, excellent. By this time I am wondering how many of the meals for one we could have bought and saved the cost of the cooker.


So Saturday arrives and Christine is cooking tea but some incompetents over in Germany fail to finish the match in normal time (England vs. Portugal) so tea has to be held over until after extra time and then postponed again for the duration of a penalty shoot out. Thankfully, from Christine’s point of view, Lampard, Gerrard and Callagher who could all be prosecuted under the trade description act for calling themselves footballers, cut short the last delay by taking penalties that Joe, my eleven year grandson, would have been disappointed with.

So by the time we got to eat tea it is probably fair to say that delays coupled with disappointment and vast quantities of alcohol did not make this the best occasion for the for the inaugural meal from the cooker. But we all ate it none the less.


Sunday we were out so no cooking, followed on Monday by fish and chips from the chippy because we forgot to defrost the meat, so no cooking. Now it’s Tuesday, still had no scones, fresh bread or cakes but I am sure they will arrive sometime.


Tonight, I believe Christine is cooking. We will wait and see