Wednesday 17 February 2016

The trip to Valerie Ann Worwood went very well but.. she left the chicken stock on the gas when she went out..

The alarm went off at 08.30am this morning.. ugh.. I thought 'rather her than me' and went back to sleep. But she actually got up and disappeared off to switch on the water boiling machine and then headed for the bathroom.

With boiled water she made a percolator of coffee and came back to bed to drink it and wake up. Then she insisted on me getting up but bribed me with all manner of goodies like a piece of poached chicken, I know, it is a most unusual thing with which to break a nights' fast but I AM unusual. We all know this, yourself included.

A quick look outside told her it was bright and clear.. huh.. Romford will be colder, so an extra layer went on plus her long boots. She gave me food and water, kissed Beaky and was out of the house heading for the Knightsbridge Underground station, Piccadilly Line to Holborn, a change took her onto the Central Line and whoosh, she was at Liverpool Street Station.

Dear TFL had cancelled their two day strike and our house to Liverpool Street took her 22 minutes! Much quicker than fiddling about with a bus which would have taken 22 minutes just to get to Victoria Station.

An obliging number 26 came along immediately and soon she was on the Hackney Road and off the bus and walking down Columbia Road to Angela's shop.

In and upstairs for a cup of tea, then they were into the cab back to Liverpool Street and having flashed their Freedom Passes, they were soon on a fast train to Romford, whoosh, the second stop was Romford, out they got and found a mini cab to take them to Valerie's.

Angela to Valerie, mama to Emma.. oh, lordy she truly is her mother's daughter. Her hands are quite magical and her knowledge of how to treat all skin types is phenomenal. Mama answered a question that she has been noticing 'crunchy' noises coming from her neck, so Emma went in there to explore and to see if there was any degeneration of the discs.

Luckily the report was no.. phew.. but a slight amount of tightness in one shoulder muscle is possibly responsible for pulling her neck on to a strange position. Emma asked "how are you sleeping?".. "with difficulty", was the answer, "I seem to be having problems finding the right type of pillow, the ones I have always loved just don't suit my sleeping pattern any longer and it's driving me potty".

Emma laughed and said she understood exactly what mama meant as she, too, was hunting for a new pillow.

Turn over time.. time for her facial.. oh, it is such bliss to be in the hands of a beauty therapist of such a high calibre and expertise.

"Wow.. your skin has changed since your last treatment, your back is dryer but your face, goodness me, I'm going to have to change your formulas completely! You've never been dry skinned on your face and now you are. Has there been any dramatic change in your diet, or home? Please start taking 3-6-9 Fish Oil and up your Primrose Oil, I hope you're still taking it, to a stronger dosage?" said Emma.

"Not so much a change in my diet, although I have lost a lot of weight but I think it is because the central heating is now working at home.." Emma replied, "that'll do it, especially on a cold and damp winter like this one has been, we don't keep a window open and our skins really suffer".

Sadly, all good things come to an end and having slithered back into her clothes, she went out of the treatment room to find a peaceful looking Angela waiting for her. Valerie is off to China to teach and the appointment book will need to be looked at for an appointment for Michele.

She put in a request for Michele for 75 minutes, new clients need longer, and booked herself another session with Emma in six weeks time. They called the mini cab company, said their "Goodbyes and thank you's" and went back to the station.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I could murder egg and chips and a mug of strong tea" said Angela  and mama's response was "there's one right where we come out onto the high street.. follow me" and they slid into the local cafe.

Strong tea in large white china mugs with non-greasy chips and sunny-side-up eggs, yummy.

A fast train back into Liverpool Street and a fast black, aka a London taxi, took them to Columbia Road, upstairs for a cup of tea and to settle Angela in. It was a lot to handle in a few hours and my mama was fading fast, getting up early, catching tubes and buses, collecting Angela, the responsibilty of taking care of someone else on a major jaunt, catching two trains and four taxis, plus, of course, the hopes and anticipation that Valerie would be able to work some of her magic on her dear friend..

And.. having had a deep tissue treatment and facial herself.. which always knocks her for six.

Mama kissed her "bye-bye" and left to come home on the tube, as she was walking up the escalators, she remembered she had left the chicken stock on the stove. Oh no! It had been on all day since 09.00.. GULP.. she raced home and ran down the steps, fearfully opening the front door.. to smell? Nothing. Thank God.. there was no smell of burnt chicken bones OR gas!

What there was, was an amazing looking pot full of dark golden chicken stock which smelt and tasted simply divine. Having divested herself of all her outer clothing, she had a mug of this amber-nectar.. talk about slurp-the-durp.. and two oranges.

And now she's in bed.. talk about being exhausted. She'll sleep well tonight no matter which pillow is used. And tomorrow, you'll be getting two recipes for Borscht.. one with Sour Cherries! Which is, I can assure you, truly extra-specially slurpy.

I'm due a clementine, then we're turning out the light at 20.30, I know it's early for us 'grown-ups' to go to bed but it's been a 'long' twelve hours and.. she's tired.. she's reallyreally tired.

GeeGee Parrot.
February 17th, 2016.

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