You have good days and then you sometimes have...

... not so good days. Today started out fine. Really, it did. The usual - laundry, ironing, making pancakes with Helen for their breakfast. Nothing to rave about but certainly nothing to complain about. Nor was there any problem going shopping in town for one of their friend's birthday presents and for Helen to get a new book. Then there was Emily having her dance class. I made it all the way past noon with a perfectly ordinary day. It all went wrong when I stopped to fill the car with diesel.

I am not sure what was a bigger shock. Paying £107 to fill our tank old Land Rover. Or, having come back from paying the cashier that exorbitant sum of money, finding myself suddenly sprawled very painfully upon the forecourt surface as the runner board/steppy thing for climbing up into the beast snapped off and flung me to the ground. I hurt. Lots!

The shocker of it all was only one person in the packed petrol station asked if I was okay and she shouted it from over at the pump where she was filling her car. The man parked behind me waiting patiently for me to pull out didn't even bother to lower his window and inquire if I was mobile enough to drive. The girls were in tears and I wanted to just lay there and bawl my eyes out but I didn't because (a) the kids were witnessing the whole sorry incident, and (b) I just wanted to go home. So home we went. I cried when I got there, between rather loud squeaks of pain.

So here I am, not a happy camper but if I am propped up in a certain chair in the sitting room and don't move anything much at all I am only uncomfortable rather than in big pain. I sat there for three hours though and I got bored. How sad is that? I finished crocheting the wee blanket. I played on my iPad and then I got restless - so here I am. I am not staying around long and am not sure how much you will hear from me over the next few days. On the other hand if I can't do much other than crochet, watch telly and get bored you may get sick of hearing from me.

On the bright side, everyone is being really, really nice to me. I like that! And I don't have to cook dinner as we are getting an Indian takeaway. See, a silver lining to every cloud. And I have enough yarn to keep me crocheting for a long time yet. Won't be getting down on my hands and knees to pin the quilt though. Not for a few days I think.

Before I go and look like a Victorian invalid with my blanket draped over my legs I will tell you that yesterday's ginger cake was a huge hit. Here is what was left after the devastation that happened to it during dessert last night -

And that's the cook book I got the recipe from. Dad bought it for me yesterday. Thanks Dad. I played with the recipe some because I am like that. I added quite a bit more ginger than listed, plus I added some cinnamon and allspice. I like my spice cakes to have spice in them. What can I say? I would give you the recipe courtesy of the Two Hairy Bikers but the book is in the kitchen and I'm not. I am not up to sprinting/strolling/crawling that distance right this moment so you will either have to wait or go out and buy the book yourself - unless you have a father handy who wants to buy it for you.

I would send photos of the completed blanket but, as above, that is beyond my capabilities right now. I took the cake photo while still in one piece this morning. Thought I had better before the whole cake was gone.

I had better get back to my invalid's chair and crochet hook or they will start thinking that I am well enough to cook dinner. (Nah, even they are not that insensitive.) Joking aside, they have been wonderful - husband, daughters, and father. The only thing I am in trouble for right now is moving out of said chair.

Hope you are having a better day than me!

Susan