Becoming Sixty years old and finally trimming my bush.

Yes folks I am officially sixty years old (27th Feb) and spent my birthday at work on the meat and fish counters at Tesco, Beeston. "What!?" you say. "Didn't take the day off?" Well as it was I had run out of holidays and so I worked the Saturday that happened to be my birthday and actually, it was fun. My manager Stuart decorated my meat counter and I had a huge 'birthday' badge that wouldn't stay on my apron. I got loads of "Happy Birthday!" greetings from customers and strangers, some wine and cards from work colleagues and the day went by pretty quickly and pleasantly.

"And what's this about trimming your bush? Surely a case of too much information." Did I say bush (singular)? I meant bushes (plural). How remiss of me. Lavender bushes in the garden, they are the ones to which I refer. I trimmed the straggly bits off last Tuesday before the Spring comes and they start developing their flowers.

Trimmed

untrimmed



Bee on my lavender 2015

For my birthday evening meal I made myself a rump steak and black puddings with peppercorn sauce and new potatoes and French beans. This coming Monday (29th Feb) my friend Janette is treating me to a meal at Tarn Thai in Nottingham.

I am grateful to my friends who also sent me birthday wishes on Facebook and privately. Being sixty is actually very good.

Stir fry for breakfast?

I know people are always apologising for lack of blog posts and as much as I try to keep the content flowing on here it isn't always possible. My theatre website takes up a lot of my time and I am still working fulltime. Plus I have had the most awful chesty cough of late (just going thank goodness) and seriously haven't felt like cooking anything - lemon cake and loads of cups of tea have been the only appealing thing. Hence the title 'stir fry for breakfast?'. As my appetite has drifted back I have been fancying the oddest things at the oddest times. Perhaps I am pregnant!!!

One of my days off I did actually stir fry some slithers of pork chops for breakfast and yesterday in a moment of 'cook something quick' I made another stir fry from half price rump steak and Shanghai noodles with stir fry veg and a chilli sauce. 'Perhaps the chilli sauce was a mistake' (thought passing through my head as I ran for the loo this morning!!!

Adding Shanghai noodles

Beef stir fry

Pork stir fry

Having vision - the bigger picture

Of late I have created a vision board - something I heard of a while ago - likewise mind mapping. Both ideas are meant to focus the individual into realising the positives and enterprise in one's life. They are both highly visual and work well with the sub-conscious mind. Yes, you are reading Phil Lowe's food blog, only this time it is about the bigger picture - mainly my life in writing.

The top left hand corner is all about my enjoyment and successes in Germany. The top right concerns my theatre writing and a recent talk I wrote and did at Nottingham Playhouse. The two A4 sheets are a mind map of where I believe my theatre website is heading and the one below is a list of glowing testimonials relating to my theatre writing from magazines and PR sections of professional theatres. The Nat West cheque represents wished for earnings and the middle section featuring my female friends is about enjoying my life as a theatre reviewer and the pleasant company it affords me.

 

 

The bottom left hand corner is about my successes in the world of food and my love of France and travelling abroad to discover more about foreign eating habits and food practices.

 

I am also keeping a journal to illustrate my gratitude for all the positives that come into my life and change it for the better. By recognising these I am already feeling the benefits and associated happiness.

 

Phil Lowe



#gratitude

#visionboard