not quite to plan...

Why is it that if you have a definite plan for the day, something scuppers it...guaranteed!

Having been at work all weekend, and with just today off before I'm back tomorrow, I went to bed last night with a list of 'intentions' for today:

• Catch up with the washing (where does it all come from!!!?)
• Tidy and clean the house (don't get me wrong, I'm not a housework fanatic but I cannot bear the muddle to go on mounting up and masculine eyes - of which I have a houseful - seem quite oblivious to the bleedin' obvious as far as the hoover and washing machine are concerned, and clearly the bath and toilet are self cleaning...aren't they?!!)
• Food shopping (partly because the fridge was beginning to look a bit sparse and partly to ease my (slight) sense of guilt that I am swanning off on holiday - on my own!!! - at the weekend)
• Bake some cakes (more about the guilt thing...)
• Do some uni work

Now, I look back at this - its made me laugh, this is my day off!!!

Anyway - instead, I woke up this morning after a rubbish night's sleep (even more than usual) and a migraine that refused to go (in spite of every type painkiller I could find in the house) until about 3pm. I have had migraines on and off for years and I am pretty sure that they are worse when my terrible sleep pattern is particularly bad - which it has been of late - but I still get caught out by how debilitating they can be. For me, its not so much the headache - although this morning I did feel as though something was trying to explode behind my right eye - but its the accompanying nausea that gets me, I feel as though I cannot move without waves of nausea washing over me. Really horrible.

The trouble today was that I felt so fed up that I tried to plod on - got up, sorted washing, first 2 loads on, went to supermarket... then, lost the plot. Took me 2 hours to do an inefficient load of shopping - couldn't think straight and came home without several things I went for! Not entirely sure how I drove home (I don't know what happens to other people but I get this overwhelming compulsion to shut my eyes - not ideal in the car!) but then had to crash for a couple of hours on the sofa.

Such a waste of a day!

I'm sure there is something therapeutic about baking though, I definitely felt less cross with myself after making these...

Flapjacks - with a difference - I threw in a few seeds and some leftover Christmas mincemeat I found lurking at the back of the cupboard. Haven't tried them yet, but they smelt yummy.

Then I thought time to do something with the bananas that no one was ever going to eat...

I love these old scales. I've had them for forever. They did get relegated to the cupboard at one stage when the boys got me a natty little electric scale - I think it was when they were cooking at school and had to measure everything in grammes. The thing is, I don't really go in much for precise measuring - I'm more of a 'looks about right' kind of girl - so I was never too bothered about getting spot on 150g or whatever. And when the natty electric scales died, back came my old Salter ones. I have got metric weights as well as 'old' ones but I think in pounds and ounces as far as baking is concerned!

I never think banana bread looks that promising before baking, but when it comes out of the oven...!

Plus a tea loaf in the background. Not bad for a late start I thought! And should keep the snackers going for a bit.

I thought I'd earned a quick cuppa...

...in my Christmas CK mug. Am currently enjoying redbush tea - lovely and refreshing. Can't help thinking my teapot could do with one of Alice's gorgeous tea cosies - she has some fabulous designs on her blog, might have to have a go at one of these at some point...

Re-energised I ploughed on - quick hoover round and look what I found upstairs...

...Jemima and Basil trying to be inconspicuous on son 1's bed. Sorry about the poor photo quality - it has been such a grey day again today and I didn't want to startle them with the flash. Note to self, must let B know to turn his pillow over!

I know not everyone is enamoured with cats - and there are certainly times when they drive me nuts (you would not believe the amount of fur these two leave on my navy sofa!) - but how could you not fall for this cute boy? He had caught wind of dinner cooking and was somewhat optimistically giving me the 'anything for me?' look!

His sister is a bit more difficult to capture...

Several goes later tis was the best I could manage - she just hardly stays still! (I promise my kitchen floor is really not that orange!)

All in all, I think I eventually got most of my list done - uni work bottom of the pile again, I'm afraid...

And now must head for bed - can't bear the thought of a repeat of the headache from hell again tomorrow!

Sx