Planning your food when you're going away takes some thinking. Well, planning your food always takes some thinking, but more so when you don't want to run out of fresh stuff but you don't want to leave things to rot, failing a neighbour. And you don't want to buy too much becasue you need your cash for the trip. Add to that I've been sick and not using up food.

Brief pause while I curse Safari that just knocked off my continuing mediation on food. It keeps doing that. I have come to the conclusion that this continuing irritation may be caused by the new provider my building is installing. My old nemesis, Rogers, is coming this morning to re-install a new modem and rocket (?) and I will talk to you soon, I hope.

Think Leftovers.

Thursday: grilled breast of chicken/leftover cooked sweet potatoes/steamed broccoli

Friday: flame-seared haddock (frozen)//sugar snap beans/grape tomatoes

Saturday: frozen pizzas with Matt, after a movie: add green and red peppers cut up and extra grated P cheese.

Sunday: grilled scallops with bacon, sugar snap beans (I bought a lot), and rice? pasta?

Monday: not sure; maybe eggs? (2 or 3 left)

Tuesday: dinner out with friends

Wednesday: a snack before I leave for the airport at 7 a.m. Won't feel like eating.

I have, of course: 1 apple, fresh strawberries,blackberries and blueberries,and some Greek yogurt, vanilla flavoured, and a little wedge of Brie cheese.

I have to buy some oranges (one-a-day)

Well, I'm not gone yet.

Anon, anon.

Much better, thank you. I swam yesterday and began to get caught up with my life. I couldn’t have done it without the continuing help of my neighbours. Jeff acted as chauffeur in the morning and took me to the bank, the post office and the grocery store. He makes it seem so easy. It was easy – for me.

I have always tried to be independent, mostly because I had to be. I couldn’t sit around and rot while waiting for others to help me. Also, I hate to be a burden. Well, aren’t we all? Burdens, I mean. So I am learning to be a burden and to say thank you.

My neighbours are so gracious in their giving. They made me think of lines from The Prophet (Khalil Gibran 1883-1931). I looked them up and it’s a good thing; I thought the fragrance was that of a laurel tree; it was the myrtle.

"There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;
They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.
Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth."