Happy birthday, blog!  I posted my first blog last year, on the 5th November.  It was all about why I was not writing, and more to the point not illustrating, my cookery book that I had been planning to write for 3 years.  I am pleased to announce that this is my 52nd post, so I have averaged one a week. Now all I have to do is include weekly snippets in the coming year's blog, showing that my book is actually happening. That could be a little tricky at the moment.
Watch this space! I need to devote a specific amount of time each week to start those illustrations.  Ideas are moving around in my head, but in a hazy, translucent way . No bright ideas as yet demanding to be released, and put on paper.

This is my last blog of the first year, and the last one written during my convalescence.  It doesn't contain much evidence of hard work, unless you count eating!  It does drift through my birthday in a haze of food and alcohol.  I know it was my birthday, and not the usual drifty days of food and alcohol, as there were cards and presents involved, and many treats which don't usually happen.
Here goes then……..

The day of my birthday was bright and sunny.  I opened my cards, from my bros, my mum, my friends the Lemons, and Mr Cooper, and my presents from Mr Cooper.  Exhausted and overwhelmed after all that unwrapping, I then got ready to attend my second 'Creative Writing for Gourmets' event, at Tuppenny Barn. http://www.tuppennybarn.co.uk/
Like getting married twice in 2 weeks (to Mr Cooper, of course) which does extend the pleasure, we decided (well, me really) to extend the pleasure of a birthday by having an actual birthday, then a sort of Boxing Day birthday to follow.  One in sunny Nutbourne, and the other in sunny Stockbridge.

Although the weather was perfect, I was not feeling really in the mood for a 4 hour writing workshop.  Nothing at all to do with my age, and decreasing faculties, I had at least remembered where I was going, and why, but because of the disruptions battering my life from without.

But, Tuppenny Barn gave me a marvellous present.
All us gourmet writers provide an item for lunch, and today mine was a birthday chocolate feast,
Nigella's 'Cloud Cake', containing no flour, made only out of loads of dark chocolate, many eggs, a good helping of butter, and a little sugar for good measure.  Fill the sunken top with lashings of whipped cream, and it is a cake to savour, small helping by small helping.

Coming back to the writing, our first exercise was to spend 6 minutes writing about anything in your head, which would not be read.  I spent 6 minutes writing about the feelings surrounding emotional happenings which are beyond my control, and how this has had a 'freezing' effect on my creativity, and in the process of this, I experienced a definite thaw, and the day passed with much writing, reading, munching and laughter.  I was to have put the actual passage of writing at the bottom of this blog, as an optional read, but that might not happen, as at the moment I cannot find it!  All will be revealed at the end of the blog.  Or not, if it still remains hidden.

The rest of the day passed peacefully, duck breasts with ginger were eaten (thanks again, Nigella)
and television was watched.  You must remember, that although the evening sounds fairly boring and mundane, we have been experiencing a period of convalescence which has, for the most part, led to boring and mundane evenings watching the telly.  But that will change next week!

Birthday Boxing Day!  A dry day, perfect for our trip to Stockbridge.  A regular occurrence for me, but a treat for Mr Cooper.  And the first treat of the day, lunch at Woodfire, cooked by that exceptional chef, Sam Hofman.  It was all done by Sam too, as he was the only chef in the kitchen!

Thinking back to when we went out once for lunch on Mr Cooper's birthday, and ended up having a drunken buying spree in Gunwharf Quays, which included the purchase of a great pair of black Levis 501s (expensive) and 2 full-sized purple tinsel Christmas trees (absolute bargains), we decided to learn from our mistakes, and not to eat or drink too much, or buy any more trees.

Here is that wonderful chef Sam, preparing one of the four mezzes that we ordered, Baba Ganoush.

We started out with the best of intentions, as we often do.  Though sometimes, we do start out with bad intentions, but not when convalescing!  We chose only four mezzes, we ordered only one large Peroni..

…………..but then, the freebies from the kitchen came out.  Oh well, we said, we may as well tuck in.
 In fact, lets go on to have a dessert.  In my case, Gorgonzola ice cream and a large Malbec.  Mr Cooper just stuck to coffee and brandy, forgetting caffeine is a banned substance for the next 9 months!

After that, time to see my other son, and settle down to receive more gifts.  Sam's gift to me is still in the making stage, but progress is looking good.   John gave me a beautiful and thoughtful selection of presents, plus a largish metal birthday card which is going to have a pair of legs welded onto it, so it will adorn my garden.

Time to go to the Greyhound, (thanks for our birthday drinks, Bex) and to the best room there.
Birthday Boxing Day hadn't ended, as my friend Juliette, from the exclusive 'Young At Heart' club, had left a wonderful assortment of gifts in our room (thanks for the room, Lucy).  Thursday just kept getting better and better!

Well, what could we do but 'enjoy', and relax, and then get ready for dinner.

A real treat to be seated in the dining room, receiving food, rather than in the kitchen, washing up from the dining room and the kitchen. After much deliberation, we made our choices from the new menu.  Hard choices, as there was so much we wanted to taste.  http://thegreyhoundonthetest.co.uk/food-drink/
After our starters,  carpaccio of buffalo for Mr Cooper, scallops and ox cheek for me,  and before our mains, the boys in the kitchen sent out a duck breast treat.  Venison and cod to follow, with a bottle of number 3. And to finish off, or more accuratley, to finish us off, peanut butter and chili icecream, which is just perfect, as long as you love chillies and peanut butter.  Just perfect.

Lovely to return home the next day to find more cards and presents. Thanks Sarah and Ali, thanks Rachael and Ben!

After all that, treats and laziness were put away with a little sadness………..work was very much on the horizon.  So, all my unfinished sewing projects were completed and put away, work dungaress, both for pigging and painting were found, plus swimming costumes.

We both approached the pool with trepidation, as it had been four and a half weeks since we had done any swimming, but all was fine.  I still remembered how to do it, and did it for a quarter of a mile! Mr Cooper remembered how to do it too, but then went to the jacuzzi to recover. We both remembered that was a good thing to do!

So back at work now, which is a relief. Goodbye inactivity, and hello wages and studio!
I hope you have a week of the activities you want to do, even better if they bring in your wages.
Looking forward to having your company in the year ahead.

Ps, I haven't found my writings from the workshop, perhaps it is their intention to stay private for the moment.