Friday. 10.35 a.m. I'm currently attempting to make a cheesecake. It's for the 'bring-and-share' lunch at church on Sunday. I made one some while ago and I was quite pleased with it. But it was an American recipe and all the measurements are in crazy American quantities. How do you interpret such things as 'a cup' or 'a spoon'? I would rather have a recipe which uses metric measurements, as they are far easier to deal with. I'm making the biscuit base but underestimated the quantities and so have had to make far more. I think the secret is to put the butter and caster sugar in the pan and heat it until it does a bit like toffee and then add the biscuit crumb. This is made using my food processor. Easy to make crumbs and very fast. The base is now cooling in the fridge, which I spent the whole morning the other day cleaning it out as it was a necessary task, but now it is sparkling. I know it's boring, but in some ways I find it therapeutic, because it turns a dirty or untidy situation into something better, cleaner and life is improved. In this case, the fridge is, hopefully, safer and at best, free from bacteria which can turn food that is stored in it, bad and possibly give me food poisoning. It also makes me feel better, and I look at it and think, 'a job well done!' Apart from that, it passes the time. How many jobs such as this have been done during lockdown, due to the pandemic? I imagine quite a few people cleared out stuff from their loft or garage during lockdown, or got rid of stuff which they no longer had a need for.
4.00 p.m. After quite a bit of effort, the cheesecake is finished! It remains in its tin and will remain so until I get to church and release it. The tin is one with a loose bottom and a spring catch which released the metal ring. Hopefully, and I say, hopefully, it should come out of the tin in one piece. I now intend to buy some raspberries which I shall get in Sainsbury's as I need to go and pick up a repeat prescription from Lloyd's pharmacy which is within Sainsbury's store.
6.15 p.m. The flat is exceptionally warm-again. My digital thermometer currently reads 82ºF. That's with my electric fan on full, a window in the bathroom and absolutely no other heating on. Why would I have the heating on in the middle of summer?
Saturday. 6.40 a.m. It's a good deal cooler in the flat this morning. The digital thermometer currently reads 77ºF.
10.30 a.m. We met at Morrisons at Westcroft for our monthly Men's Breakfast. It was scheduled to begin at 8.30. I got there extra early and because it was a bright and sunny morning there seemed no excuse. This particular store has been upgraded, and the café is now far more modern and laid out differently. I used to bring one of my people here when I was a home carer for Guardian. He used to do some shopping and then we'd go into the café for a snack and cup of coffee. Another situation where they were short-staffed. This is becoming a real problem, not helped because of the pandemic and people either being laid off or leaving to work elsewhere. We had to queue up to order our breakfast and then go to another counter to get tea or coffee but there was a real hold-up. If they'd had a couple of extra members of staff it would have been so much quicker. Then we went into what they term the 'Community Room' which seems to be a new addition since the recent make-over. Like a boardroom with a large table in the centre with chairs all around, whiteboards and somewhere to make tea and coffee and a sink. It made me think of 'The Apprentice' on television and Lord Sugar pointing at one of the participants and shouting 'You're fired!" We ate our breakfasts and it was good to share stuff with one another. It looks as if we're going to use it on a regular basis and it's free which makes it even better.
3.25 p.m. A walk around Oldbrook Green mid-afternoon. A couple attempting to fly a kite and making a real hash of it. If he had a shorter string and walked backwards from the direction of the wind he might have got on better.
Sunday. 5.40 a.m. Alfie and I were out on the grass alongside Strudwick Drive around 5.15 this morning. It's another really fine and sunny day and it looks like it's going to stay that way for the rest of today.
4.30 p.m. I have earlier mentioned the bring and share lunch at church. It was this morning. We had worship as usual and I don't think I've seen the Oaktree Centre so busy. Absolutely packed. I took the cheesecake with me and all the food was stored in the kitchen ready for it to be put out on tables in the café area and then, once the service was over, everyone came through to serve themselves from the tables, which was set up as a buffet. I got to try the cheesecake. I have to say it was something of a let down. It tasted fine, but it was just boring. Pity it was chocolate or fruit flavoured, but there was a certain amount of lemon in it. It must have been a success in some way, because it all went and not a single bit left, thankfully, as I didn't want to take any of it home with me.
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