Where was I??

Well, I just had to update for fear that SSD will send me a virtual smack with the missing koboko. Have been "just there". Can't seem to shake off this holding pattern feeling I have. And this too shall pass as Gramps used to day.

Thanks for all my birthday wishes. Had a good time with Lope insisting we had a cake. She was dissapointed that there was no party as she thinks birthday and party are one an the same! Did not eat loads but after 3 days off my diet plan, I hopped on my new toy, A nintendo wii fit and it had the audacity to ask why I had gained so much weight and to pick one reason from the list. I shamefacedly confessed to eating too much. Not my fault as Daddylopes took me out to an Indian restaurant which I have put down as a labour of love as he does not really love Indian food. As an aside, I seem to be slowly fading away. Have so far dropped 11kgs and feeling quite good with myself :) Still a way to go but one step at a time.

So far May has been good. Lovely weather and hot sunshine. We had an impromptu bbq yesterday and I would have put up some pics of the very authentic suya we made, but alas we scoffed the lot. While we were out shopping pre bbq, Lopes and her cousin decided to do some tap dancing in the supermaket in their flip flops. The problem was that they shouted for all to watch their "Lap" dancing. I did assure the viewing public that I had no idea where they got that from.

I finally got round to calling the Intensive driving school to make an appointment as I have to be driving in September when Lopes starts school. I must have a deeper fear than I thought as I was sweating buckets while I was on the phone. God help me. So you all won't say you were not warned, I will be embarking on the intensive driving course starting on the 2nd of June (Ta Ramy). So if you are in North London, stay at home!!

Food Glorious food, High School Musical...

Well as you all know, I slowed down on the cooking front and got a lovely lady to bulk cook for me. I am a fantastic cook, even if I say so myself, but only love cooking when I have the luxury or spending a whole day uninterrupted in the kitchen. Seeing as that will never happen and Lopes cannot go through 5 minutes withou asking questions or letting you in on her numerous observations, I have decided to get back in the saddle. So in the last week or so I have cooked:

Okra Ogbono with chicken, goat meat, shaki, smoked fish and fresh prawns

Assorted Meat and Chicken Stew

Beans and sweetcorn.

Efo Elegusi

All packed and put in the freezer, ready meals Naija style.

I also have some wateryam waiting for the Ikokore treatment and ordinary yam waiting for the Asaro treatment. And then I found a Fish Market and they sell fresh Red Bream and Tilapia. Fish soup coming up.

Now the irony of all this food is that I cannot eat most of the food as I am cutting out my carbs. To good effect, one day, I will post a before and after pic :)

High School Musical, HSM
Lopes loves HSM and that is an understatement. So in a fit of madness, I bought her a game for the Nintendo wii, which is basically a Karaoke game with all the songs from HSM1 and HSM2. We now fight over the mic and shamefaced Mum, or shameless Mum even, waits till she goes to bed and pretends to be a Rock Star in the making.

Birthday Alert.
Please beg God on my behalf. I do not mean to appear ungrateful for my forthcoming birthday but I always get a bit down near my birthday or New Year. This year, I will try to be cheery, So Help me God. PS. I expect presents, real and not virtual on the 28th of April when I will be older and wiser, we hope!

I need to start reading again.

I had been looking forward to watching "The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency" on the BBC on Easter Sunday. I say had, because even though I am still looking forward to watching it, I was most upset to hear that the Director, Anthony Minghella died yesterday. For some reason, the news of his death really moved me. I have never been a fan but I just liked him.

So in his honour, I am going to start reading again. Real books and intend to start at the front and not jump to the last few pages after an hour. So I will start with some books by Alexander McCall Smith, the writer of the The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. Any suggestions welcome. I have to warn you that I do not want deep, meaningful, sad books. Life is enough for that. I want humour, not too chick lit, some depth and meaning but not enough to make me want to slit my wrists. My Amazon basket needs filling so get commenting.

Off to hunt for Frejon beans and a good recipe for Easter. Might have to cook with the phone to my ear, listening to Mama Kemi's instructions! I see confused looks, Frejon?? Mashed black beans, cooked with coconut milk and sugar. Eaten with sieved gari and fish soup. I want my mummy!!

Mummy Jesus is a sheep

Continuing on from Lopes' God is...... series.

Our church has a a newly revamped junior creche and Lopes' went for the first time 2 Sundays ago. They had the pictures, the paintings and made a cotton wool glue picture of a wooly sheep.

The text for the service was that Jesus was the Lamb of God. But not according to Lopes. According to Lopes, Jesus is a Sheep. Go figure :)

Have had a funny old past week, very bad cold and had the flu for the second time in 2 weeks. I kid you not, had it the week before, was fine for a week and then Wham, off again. I wonder if I qualify for a flu jab. Might just go and whinge at my GP. Off work again, I think my body just wants to stay at home.

At the moment, I am puffing 2 different inhalers, steroid and the ventolin and might be getting addicted. Dr Naapali, what is the prognosis? Have the dreaded smokers cough and have only ever smoked 3 cigarettes in my 35 years. I think I need a holiday. :)

Diet going excellently, must get to the exercise phase soon. But in this last couple of days, I have no taste buds and so want to eat all the nasty things that are not too good for me. So far, 6kgs down but I am on a plateau way to soon and need to kick start it once I get rid of these bugs for good.

Got the most amazing news recently. My Godson, got his place at his school. God is a good God

The last one is gone.

I thought I knew you

I staked my life on many things around you

You were the one termed perfection in making
The last bastion

And yet a very dark cloud overhangs
No tears, no pain, only resolute anger

We mourn the innocence of ignorance
The erstwhile blissful ignorance

But we know now and accept the cessation of life as we knew it.

The last one is gone.

PS. Thank you all for your comments and phone calls. A minor blip that I am told happens from time to time. Clouds have turned into rain and now I think I see a rainbow :) I have my umbrella turned upside down to catch those pennies from heaven.

As my grand daddy used to say: And this too shall pass.

Normal transmission starts soon.

Mummy, God is a Girl

As I had been a bit busy over the last few days and did not spend loads of times with Lopes, I decided to veg out this morning. Also nursing a mini headache due to falling of my lower carb wagon with a whole heap of dim sum and cocktails. I could never hold my liqueur, but one cocktail is all it took. I digress.

Anyway we were listening to our fave DVD set given to us by Aunty Ramiji (my friend Ramota who absolutely loves Bollywood, another post), "100 Sing along songs for Kids", a mix of nursery and Sunday school songs and the song "He's got the whole world in his hand" came on. While trying to explain the concept that God is all powerful and has it all under control, Lopes said "Mummy, God is a girl" while pointing at the girl singing. My little feminist!

While watching, my friend knocked on the door with a steaming bowl of Ogbono/Spinach and stockfish stew. I need to learn more non-Yoruba stews, so please point me in the right direction or at least offer to cook it for me.

So, I have been clearing out the house. If I did not know better, I would say I was nesting but it's fun to clear all the junk and clean all surfaces. Getting there and finally accepting that BabaLopes and I are pack rats. But the man is the one with two wardrobes while Lopes and I have one each. I refuse to tell you how many pairs of trousers I counted in BabaLopes' stash. Hmm.

Back garden all clear of BabaLopes shed rejects. Got Mr Hassan to come and cart them away before BabaLopes changed his mind or saw through my cunning plan to have it all clear in time for the first glimpse of sunshine so I can have lovely Barbecues. :)

So today, I will veg out and clear out once the one cocktail haze passes. Cheap date, me. I will also try to eat the aforementioned stew with no carbs. Harrumph!

So how have you all been?

PS. My Desola is back.

E wa ba mi gbe Jesu ga

E wa ba mi gbe Jesu ga - Come Magnify Jesus with me.

We got a letter today. We have a place at the school God chose for Lopes. Okay, if you have not read it all in the archives already, let me fill you in.

We, the Lopes Appreciation group, and our chair lady Lopes, live in North London. There are 2 very good girls schools there that admit at 4+, 7+, 11+ and 16, and one of the schools have an extra intake at 5+.

We had a place at a Prep school but that was only till 11 years which meant that we would have to prepare Lopes for the 11+ exams. I have seen parents going through this and it's not pretty. So for reasons of self preservation, this was not our first choice but we had the prep school place as back up.

We, then had assessments at the 2 schools. We got a call back for a second assessment from one and a no from the other. Now the one we got a no from, had always been our first choice but the second choice was beginning to grow on me. Now the dilemma of which to choose and making the wrong choice was out of our hands.

So now we have a place. I say we, as the education of a child is very much a partnership between the parents and the school. So I am going back to school. God help us. Now the issue of school fees :) God dey.

I am sitting in a quiet house as Lopes is at nursery, and I have just come back from work to reread the letter. BabaLopes stayed home till the letter arrived! Hmm. What cake should be bake??