PEKING STYLE NOODLES – KEN HOM
I write this late at night, with a dog and a man lying next to me, both snoring so loudly that I can barely make out which one is the human. I have been thinking a little about Valentine’s Day and how sadly insignificant it is to me these days, in fact it’s truly rather a bore because the date rams home exactly how I feel about my marriage and exactly how much I’d like to be anywhere other than, well…….with him. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes he’s alright but it’s when he drinks I cannot even bear to look at him; slimy, slurry and smelly, adjectives that just about sum the man up after four pints down the boozer, followed by incontinent, defensive and uninspiring.
After an interesting week during which we were told he was suffering from the pre-cancerous condition Barrett’s Dysplasia, I was pretty sure he would calm the drinking down, get healthy, start to see the value in at least semi-sobriety but no, what was I thinking, why on earth would he give a crap when there’s a perfectly good pint of beer sitting on the bar, ready to be downed in one? A much more exciting way to spend money he hasn’t got and of course so hugely entertaining for his family to listen to him rant on about nothing much at all until he passes out at 9pm………..again.
He’ll be sober tomorrow and predictably I’ll jump back on to the wheel of calm until the next time; who really cares about Valentine’s day anyway? Maybe a few but I suspect not that many.
Having received the news as I mention above it occurs to me that I really need to go back to work in the full sense of the word, I should try to earn a proper salary; I decided to put work on hold whilst the children were young but they are older now and I suspect it will do them an infinite amount of good to see Mum out there working hard. It rather puts things into perspective when the big C word gets banded about and even though we’re not there just yet the possibility of the journey sounds both terrifying and morbid for us all. After all the shenanigans that went down in 2008 I don’t think we even have a pension scheme in place anymore, let alone insurance for any sort of horrible illness……………..once again I ask myself, who does?
Onto lighter things, it is of course Chinese New Year this weekend and 2013 will be the year of the snake. Chinese New Year is a time when all chinese will be closing up shop and returning home to their families where they will enjoy huge meals and share their stories. However long the journey home may take everyone will try to make it.
I have never been a very good cook when it comes to Asian food, even though it is without doubt my favourite, so, because I sadly have no recipe of my own to share with you I have trawled the internet for one which I feel I could easily turn my hands to and I’m hoping that you’ll feel the same; this recipe by Ken Hom is the one I have decided upon:
What do you think, are you going to give it a go, because I am?!!
You could also try THE CRAFTY CROW for ideas that the children could indulge in for the occasion this weekend such as dragon making!!
Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy Chinese New Year!)....Ellie x
I feel for you… My other half is an alcoholic as well. “Luckily” for us, he broke his arm whilst trying to get something from the attic, and it turned out to be a very very bad break in that he nearly lost his hand. Three operations later and hospital stays of about a week or more for each of them, without a drink, he’s now finally getting the right help, and has been dry for more than a month. Same story as with you when he was on it though – he’d come home from work, drink, eat, drink a bit more, then fall asleep. That really is not easy, especially as I was working full time as well, and didn’t get any help from him with anything at all. Let’s just say if his arm hadn’t happened, I think I would now be a single mum to two beautiful young daughters!
We’ll see how it goes, but hopefully he will keep off it!!!!!!!
Not so sure what you can do – with him, it was a combination of the hospital stays, getting some help, him noticing in some corner of his mind that I really was going to go if it didn’t get better, but most of all I don’t think he liked himself very much in the end anymore, and wanted to change…
Not sure what your OH is like of course, but I really do keep my fingers crossed for you that at some point he will take stock a it, and he will discover what’s really important??
And of course I hope that his Displaysia doesn’t develop into anything!!!!
x
So, basically, the dog was looking pretty good about then? Having been single most of my life, I don’t miss being attached at the hip like this. However, as you say, all returns to normal with the light of day and a precancerous diagnosis does not often a good day make for either him or your hip. Good luck, thanks for keeping it real.