Folate

I did another (private) blood test a few months ago, to see whether my "kitchen sink" routine was having any effect.

 

The vitamin D was now optimal,  and my Folate (previously very very low) was slightly less low - still deficient.  The B12 had improved a little, but that doesn't mean much as it measures whats in the blood, not what is getting to the cells.   The protein supplements don't appear to have made any difference to the thyroid, but it's possible that the still-low folate  and likely absorption issues are preventing them from working.

 

The slippery elm and marshmallow supplements are helping with the digestive issues and I haven't taken a PPI for months (although I have been close to giving in a few times).  
 

Following on from this, I started on a Folate supplement about 7 weeks ago.  I found it quite difficult to find ones that didn't have fillers in.    I found some in the US, a brand I've also used for Vitamin D3.  While I was waiting for those to arrive I found a british company doing a spinach based Folate supplement which diodn't have any additives, so I've bneen using that.     It's made a noticeable difference.  

 

Initially, like the Vitamin D protocol and the CPAP/Nightshift treatments before it,  the change was gradual.  The first definable difference I noticed was one afternoon -I had no tinnitus!    It was only temporary, lasting a few hours,  but it was bliss.

 

It hasn't cured the tinnitus, but I now have the joy of  occasional  tinnitus-free time.  When my tinnitus is present, it's  often (but by no means always) much less than previously. 

 

Up until thios morning, I would have said that was the only real symptom I'd had of the folate making any difference.    However, when I look back over the last couple of months (and writing the last few blog entries have helped me do that) I realise that I've definitely had a bit more energy,  my mood is a little better, and I feel a bit more resiliant.    Physically, I'm not sure I can do much more than I could before,  ad I don't think it has noticeably fixed the muscle or pain issues that I have.

 

But it's a promising start.  I'll carry on like this for a while, and then I'll get another test done and see where I'm at and what else I could/should try.

 

 

 

Mixed up.

After a major move around of worktop appliances, I had space on the breakfast bar.  I retrieved the food processor from the appliances cupboard, and put it there.

I had a go at making Hummus (houmous?) in it.   I usually use my CookExpert for this, as I can just use sesame seeds instead of needing tahini (sesame seed paste).    I thought the processor would work. 

It didn't. 

I was a little surprised . 

Some days later, I decided to have a go at making steamed sponge puddings, using the Medlar failed-jelly that I made a couple of weeks ago. and cooking them in the pressure cooker.

On a whim, I decided to swap the food processor with the stand mixer which was also in the appliance cupboard (having been rescued from the utility room when I sorted that out a few weeks back).   I don't remember when I last used the mixer.  I had thought about using it a couple of times, but it was too much hassle to drag it out of the utility room.  I normally end up using an electric hand whisk.

So, the mixer was on the breakfast bar, the food processor back in the cupboard and I  made the sponge batter in the mixer.  t was a bit of a faff weighing stuff to put in (and having to use a receptacle to weigh into,  or to wrestle the bowl off the machine). However, it did a really good job, and I remembered why I preferred it to the beautiful (but not particularly good) KitchenAid I'd had before that.  I decided to keep it on the counter for now, and to see how often I used it.

In the meantime, I've been making protein shakes, and using a poncey stick blender (PSB) and a jug to combine the powder with the milk. The PSB has been used more in the last couple of months than it has been used in the 10 or so years I've owned it.     I've thought sbout selling it, many times, but I'd end up buying a cheap stick blender for the odd in-pan blitzing, and so I might as well keep the one I have. For now. 

I remembered that the stand mixer had originally come with accessories, including a liquidiser, and I wondered what had happened to it.    I knew I'd sold a load of accessories a few years ago, and I couldn't remember if it was those ones,  or ones for an even earlier machine. 

One evening, I went up in the loft, right to the back where all the appliance boxes are.  I excavated everything, looking for the box.

It was a useful exercise actually as I found some bits I'd been looking for for my brother,  and I found the kitchen floor tiles we thought we must have thrown away.   I also found several boxes we no longer needed to keep,  and some items I could donate.All in all, an excellent use of an evening.

I didn't fund the box for the mixer, so I concluded it must have been those bits that I previously had sold. 

I looked at the price of a new liquidiser on the manufacturers website.  I looked for a preloved one.   And then I saw that there was a newer version of the stand mixer with an integrated scale.

I managed to find one being sold preloved, with the liquidiser (and some other bits), so that is now on the worktop.    The original one is off to its new home soon.

The liquidiser has been in daily use, and the PSB is in the drawer. I found its box and stand  when I was excavating the loft, so its future is uncertain.

The stand mixer - apart from the liquidiser bit - has yet to be used.    If it doesn't get used it will vacate the space (and may even be sold!)

 

Kitchen

The kitchen continues, and it's hard to remember what we've done since I last posted about it.  I do  know that Miss Teen comes most weeks, and every time she comes we have done more to the kitchen. I've been rubbish  at taking photos since we put the walk in larder in, so I'm trying to remember what we've changed.

We bought some bifold wall units which have now gone up.  We tried them in a couple of places, and finally chose the most useful spot.    If any more  in the right size came up preloved, I'd  buy them for at least one of the other two places we tried them in. 

We also had a matching "top box" which I'd bought previously. That went up, in one of the other 2 potential bifold spaces,  replacing an old unit.

 

I found a well used 29cm Miele warming drawer for sale fairly locally. It's the same model as the one I already have, it's just 29cm instead of 14.  I decided to buy it to see how well it worked for very low temperature cooking and proving (the 14cm one isn't tall enough to get a joint of beef in).    I wasn't sure which one I was going to keep, so we installed it on top of the other one so I could try it out.

It's worked really really well.  I've been able to prove dough for foccaccia, in my Remoska, in it (several times now), and we've low cooked two joints of beef.  Its more noisy than the 14cm one,  it's definitely very preloved.

At the moment, we've got both of them installed, and it'll stay that way until we get taller drawers for the whole housing.

I've managed to buy a few more useful units, some of which I'll wait until later to talk about (they aren't very exciting).   I also picked up a bargain 900mm drawer unit, which was exactly what I needed to finish another section. Except when I got it home, it was only 800, the seller had just made a mistake.   We debated about keeping it for when we do the utility room next year, but we just don't have the space.

We eventually got another 900 unit, which has now done the job. I've reluctantly sold the 800.

I've bought a better pull out bin set, but it needs  a 600 unit and our current one is only 500.  I'm just trying to get a unit to put it in.  

Some time ago I also bought a pre-loved-but-not-used Hailo Pantry Box for a 60cm unit, as I wanted to have a drawer for bread.   The seller was lovely,  and agreed to post.   They had a lot going on, so I knew it would take a little while.   In the meantime, we'd put in a temporary solution (an 800 unit) which was working well.  Apart from the bread bin.   We'd tried a couple (OK, three) of bread bins and still haven't found the right answer. I no longer had room for the pantry box, and I assumed I had been scammed.

I was wrong.  I had  message from the seller to say that it was on its way.   When it arrived,  I told DH that we probably weren't going to use it now as things had moved on. However, we needed to unwrap it to make sure it was all OK, then we'd just put it in the summerhouse with all the other yet-to-be-fitted bits, and we might fit it in the utility room      DH couldn't picture how it was meant to work so after  unwrapping it all  (it was beautifully protected), we  tried it in an under-oven drawer,    DH really liked it, which surprised me as he had not been on board with the whole bread drawer concept

So now we are looking for two 60 cm units. The bread unit will go where the bin unit is currently, and we'll move the bin unit next to the sink when we do that run.   

Speaking of which, we've got the 2 drawer unit for the sink run  (DH took the best bits from two of the units we bought originally - months ago now- and created a very robust unit).   The new sink has arrived. All we need now is the replacement water softener,  which we've still to make a decision on. amd then we can replace that run.

It's all a bit higgledy piggledy and mismatched and it'll continue to be so until I manage to get replacement drawer fronts (or we have all the fronts repainted.   We've still got stuff everywhere, as I don't want to dump stuff in the drawers.  Most of it is waiting for new wall units, and that will be months away I think.  

I've been ruthlessly decluttering, selling and donating stuff I never thought I'd let go. 

 

 

 

 

 

Milestones

My Mum came to stay for a week.  She lives in a retirement home now and isn't very mobile. She has most of her marbles though, and she enjoys coming to stay.

 

We went to visit a museum called "Milestones", which is near Basingstoke.  It's a bit like Beamish, without the character actors, and it is inside a huge aircraft hangar rather than outside.

 

Mum loved it, and it was interesting to find that she recognised many items as being the same as in her grandmother's house.  

 

I tookl a few photos on my phone, but them I switched to my Mum's phone so that she would have the photos available easily.  I forgot to get her to send me copies.