31 August 2008

Saturday Night Dinner

I had the family (well some of them, anyway) around for dinner last night. They arrived about 5 pm so we had nibbles of guacamole, double Brie and blackberry paste, chive & onion and roasted capsicum dips with the usual crackers. The double Brie and blackberry paste is soooo yummy, the tanginess of the fruit and the sweet taste of the cheese on a Toppable cracker is very moreish indeed. Cooper, of course, got stuck into the guacamole...chilli and all. He's like his mother in that respect who, in turn, is like her father...they love spicy foods. We had pink bubbles with this, although Darryl had beer...he's not a pink bubbles fan...reckon it's "for girls". That's okay...all the more for us.

Dinner was chicken kebabs, Thai citrus salad and potato bake along with garlic and parsley hot bread. Then followed dessert and I cheated...bought Sara Lee chocolate pudding, you know, the one with that lovely choccy sauce, and apple crumble. These were topped off with cream. Mmmmm. There wasn't much left of anything.

I did feel sorry for Darryl though. He'd had his top teeth out and dentures fitted a couple of days ago and was eating very slowly and carefully. Still, he managed to eat the chicken...it was very tender, just melted in the mouth. He even had some salad. But he was able to eat plenty of apple crumble, which is his favourite dessert.

While waiting for dinner to cook, Toni rang Nicholas, her eldest son and my eldest grandson. He's the one who went to live in Holland with his lady love. It was his birthday yesterday so we all sang (bellowed?) happy birthday to him, along with the hip hip hoorays at the end. Toni had a lovely chat with him, interjected by his cousins calling out such things as "Love you, cuzzie", "I'm as tall, if not taller, than you," this from Gabbie, who is 6ft tall, and various other things, until Toni protested that she couldn't hear what Nick was saying. (I wonder how much my phone bill will be next month...)

During dinner, I turned TV on because it was the start of the River Festival and it was opening with River Fire last night. That's where the two F1-11s do their fabulous dump and burn over the city Southbank and there's also a magnificant firework display. We all dashed outside and could see the glow of the afterburners...about 20 km from where I live. I tried to get a photo, but it didn't turn out.

So that was Saturday night at my place.

Younger daughter, Suzie, with her back to the camera, watching Brooke sending an SMS on her mobile.

Darryl with son, Cooper. Coops always "poses" when he sees a camera.


Toni on the phone to Nick in Holland.

Brooke, holding little cousin Cooper, and big sister, Gabbie.
Update on "The Itch"
Well, you know how appalled I was at being told I had scabies. Turns out it's an allergy to fish oil and glucosamine. I'd been taking these supplements to help my back (very effective they were, too). Unfortunately, although I've always been able to eat seafood, in such concentrated quantities I've had this allergic reaction to it.
It flared up again about a week or so ago and I was beside myself thinking it was this awful infestation. I'd washed all my bedding, sprayed my mattress, lounge and computer chair with a pyrethrim spray, put eucalyptus oil in the final rinse of the washing and generally had been absolutely meticulous about trying to get rid of it. When it flared up again so suddenly (because I had gone back onto glucosamine and fish oil), I knew it was more an allergy than an infestation.
So back I go to the doctor prepared to do battle and insist on an appointment with a dermatologist. Fortunately, I didn't need to do that. He agreed with me and gave me some steroids (rules me of the Olympics, doesn't it) in cream and tablet form. What a difference 24 hours makes...the allergic rash is much better. I've thrown out the fish oil and glucosamine capsules and instead I've been given Panadol Osteo SR.
What brilliant stuff...better than the supplements I was taking before. It's sustained release and I've had no pain...I'm fully mobile again! Yahooooo! So, today I feel very happy with myself and the world. Thank God it wasn't scabies...shudder.
I should have realised it sooner because apparently it's very contagious, but none of my family, Jane, Fred or Ken had broken out with it. Never mind, all's well that ends well.

17 comments:

Merle said...

Dear Robyn ~~ Sounds like you had a lovely family dinner and get together
I am glad it was so much fun. And I am so glad that you found out about the Fish oil and Glucosamine. I used to take both, but dropped the latter, still take a Fish Oil a day, so see if I have any trouble with it.
At least it's great you didn't have scabies. Thanks for your comments Glad you enjoyed Teddy Stoddard and the jokes. Take great care, my friend, Love, Merle.

Carole Burant said...

And where was my invitation????? hehe Oh Robyn, sounds like a wonderful dinner and I'm sure all of your guests enjoyed all that food!! I so wish my family lived nearby, we're spread out all over the place except for mom and I.

I sympathize with Darryl having just had new dentures put in. I remember when my dad had all his teeth pulled out and then dentures put in...he had a heck of a time to get used to them and learn to be able to eat with them. Once he got used to the, though, he was eating steak and all:-) xoxo

Anonymous said...

What a lovely family gathering you've had and I'm so happy for you - for you all - nothing is greater than that and one can live on that memories for a long time!

Great pics to show the spirit too - Cooper is posing so well :-)

Wishing you a lovely week ahead!

Anonymous said...

What an awesome Riverfire night Robyn. I was a bit sore that we had to refrain from our usual climb up Mt Cootha due to illness. It was great that we can catch it on the telly instead though. I'm glad you had a great family 'catch up'.
It must be a huge relief to fially find out what the cause of your itches were.. I was allergic to shellfish when I was pregnant! I was fine before.. but a blithering mess during. My mother in law still thinks she nearly killed me when she served me up prawns while I was carrying Isabella. I have something over her head lol.
Nicole xox

Gattina said...

What a nice family you have !

Your house must be steralized by now with all the washing cleaning etc ! and finally it's an allergy. Allergies are so difficult to detect I once had it when I used a new washing powder it took me (and my doctor) a long time to find out why I suddenly had a swollen red face and then again not. It was the bedsheets I had washed with the new powder ! unbelievable !

Peter said...

I saw a bit of River festival on TV
it was pretty spectacular, glad to hear you've quit scratching.

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

Hey I am so glad that you found out what was wrong..so you did all that cleaning for nothing..in a way!! Always good to have clean things though. Glad you figured this one out on your own. Hubby takes both of those but i cannot take fish oil. I get sick to my stomach...hm..Hope you had a great weekend..Sandy

Christine and FAZ said...

Thank you for entering my competition, your answers were almost perfect and you helped us make £34 for The Cats Protection League.

Bigs Purrs
FAZ

CRIZ LAI said...

Gosh... what happened to the Sara Lee Apple Crumble? I'm still waiting for my friend to send hers over from Switzerland.. LOL!

Anyway, I hope you got over with the allergy. I had problem with that too when I had some yam dishes. Eventually, I got out of it and can practically eat anything that's on the table now.

http://crizcats.blogspot.com/

Merle said...

Hi again Robyn ~~ Thanks for your comments about the Letter from God and the sad facts are so tragic. So many people living and dying in very
unfortunate circumstances. The joke about the Tech Support was funny ~ a
power failure. Take care, my friend, Love, Merle.

Irishcoda said...

It sounds like a good time was had by all! That's a shame about the allergies but glad that there's something you can take instead of the glucosamine.

Walker said...

Sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday night.
Great news about finding out about the alergies and not having unwelcome tenants on you.

Ellen Whyte said...

Good lord! Having read this I'm STARVING - LOL. And I can see why the kitties are crashed out. Must be food coma.

Liz Hinds said...

yummy meal! I love apple crumble.

That is such a shame that you're ruled out of the Olympics. I was hoping to see you in 2012 in London in the wine-downing event.

I took St John's wort for a time but it affected my eyes. we expect these healthy suppplements to do us good, don't we?!

Karen said...

That dinner sounded delish. Poor Darryl. I am seeing an oral surgeon tomorrow about having 10 teeth removed. I will be having a full upper dental plate and a partial lower one. I'm actually looking forward to being able to eat with a full set of teeth again.

I'm so glad you found out what the real culprit was for the itch and that it was so easily fixed.

Gledwood said...

your dinner sounds lovely

... wasn't scabies?!? ~ perish the very thought!! I caught scabies a few years ago off the local vulgarians, a highly inconvenient experience

ooer!!

Anonymous said...

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xox Nicole

http://www.thetheftofthursday.blogspot.com