Pram Time

The past few days have been quite interesting in terms of potential career development. Indeed, just as I thought I was going to have to go back to being a full-time waitress, I got a call regarding a job in London I applied for three days ago. A Newcastle agency wanted to see me yesterday morning to discuss the position and make me take tests. Scary but also very exciting!

After a short night spent stressing out and worrying about everything that could go wrong I headed to town super early to make sure I was there on time.
It was that weird time of the morning when most people have made it to the office and the city seems to be undergoing a short time of transition where not much is happening.
I headed to an M&S café for a large americano (no milk, no sugar for maximum result) and was pleasantly surprised at how quiet it was in there. A few old ladies were sipping coffees with their friends and biting on fruit scones smothered in jam. Civilisation at its best!
Some 1970s tune was playing in the background, nice and inoffensive. I got my book out and started reading long Proustian descriptions of childhood memories. The coffee was quite good and, amazingly, I wasn't feeling too stressed.

Progressively, the peaceful sanctuary for coffee lovers I had just settled in was rudely invaded, the mothers had arrived! A steady flow of pushchairs started pouring through the doors of the café, some expensive, some cheap, but all noisy! The prams are coming! Make room for the mini-people, move the tables, move the chairs and, above all, cover your ears!
The place soon turned into a total creche and I lost all concentration (more than needed when you read Proust). It was like witnessing a club I didn't belong to, like turning up to a AA meeting and realising it's actually church choir practice.
I felt out of place, like a fraud cos I wasn't either retired or accompanied by a toddler and thus decided to down my americano faster than I had originally planned to.

I got to my meeting early, took the required tests and went home wondering when I would feel ready to let the pram into my life!

I had soup that evening, a lovely lentil one (purchased...shameful!) to which I added fresh spinach cos I could have spinach with anything! I made little peshwari naans to go with it and they were absolutely lovely. It was my first attempt at making this type of naan bread and I think they're gonna become regular guests at the table.

I grilled them for 2 minutes on each side just before serving and they went great with my dinner.

For the naans (makes about 5)
250g plain flour
125ml of semi-skimmed milk
2 tbsp of sunflower oil
2 heaped tsp caster sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

For the filling
50g ground almonds
a few sultanas
25g caster sugar
a few almonds to decorate

There will be blood

Today I broke the no-cake for a week pact I made with myself two days ago but for a good cause. Indeed, earlier today I was a good citizen for 10 minutes and gave blood! When you give blood in this country you HAVE to eat a couple of biscuits before you're released back into the world. I seem to remember that in France you get a sandwich and a pastry so maybe next time I'll couple my trip to the homeland with a blood donation.

It might sound a bit weird to some but I genuinely enjoy giving blood. The pain is sometimes a bit 'annoying', for lack of a more appropriate adjective (and lack of a thesaurus within handreach) but the whole experience leaves me feeling lighter (obviously, since I just shed 10% of my blood) and somehow cleansed.
What I seriously hate about it is the horribly cheap cordial they make you drink beforehand, which tastes like toilet bleach mixed with a dash of aspartame. The biscuits you get afterwards are not too glorious either, individually wrapped digestives which, judging by the packaging and taste, could have easily gone off in the era of Florence Nightingale. 
A raspberry millefeuille served with a cold glass of homemade lemonade (no alcohol for 2 hours after the donation so forget about the prosecco) would definitely make up for the blood loss and the little scratch on the arm. I think it would also attract more donors!

Still, it's nice to do something good that might benefit someone! I shouldn't even be giving blood as I'm under 8 stone so whenever the nurse asks I feed her a little lie but again it's all for a noble cause. I don't really understand the weight restriction anyway especially when I saw today two rather big lads having to lie down afterwards cos they felt 'a bit dizzy for some reason'. I suppose I have a good diet (when I don't pig out) which might help in those situations...that or I am just so wired on coffee most days that it's actually the caffeine doing the driving!
Before the donation I had my usual lunchtime salad but today I made it a big one.

The nurse told me to take it easy for the rest of the day so what a good excuse to not do any aerobics! I feel a bit drained anyway so I might just follow her advice.