sunday service

 

t Thanks for sharing all that, David—this has a raw, meandering charm that feels like thumbing through a diary as it happens. I’ve gently polished the spelling and grammar while keeping your tone intact, like smoothing out a well-worn coat rather than replacing it. Here's the tidied-up version:

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Today is a Sunday Service day, and since tomorrow is a bank holiday Monday, that means three Sunday service days this weekend. “Sunday service” means buses only go every two hours instead of every hour. It’s the same route, just cut in half. That’s the only service we’ve got now. There used to be many more bus options, but like everything else, they've been whittled away over the years.

I was listening to a podcast last night about how taking things away can sometimes be a positive thing instead of constantly adding. But honestly, there’s been nothing positive about everything that's been taken away around here over the past 20 years or so.

It’s a shame the weather is so grim today. Saturday felt like Sunday, and now I’ve lost track a bit. Can’t really go for a walk. I might go to the pub later. Usually, there's entertainment in the pub on Easter weekend, but not this year—which is a shame. I’m planning to go to the next village tomorrow night to watch a band, though it's a hassle with the buses. The return one leaves too early, really.

I thought I’d make chocolate Swiss roll yesterday, but the mixture didn’t come out as runny as usual. Not sure if it was the cocoa that changed the consistency—it was a lot stiffer and wouldn’t spread properly in the tray. So it didn’t turn out right, but I still ate it all in one go. Chocolate is very moreish. I’d better not make too many of those—oh, my teeth will be falling out and I’ll be getting fat.

I used to go on walks with a friend who sadly passed away a few weeks ago. I enjoyed those walks with the Mantis group. It’s hard to think those walks won’t happen again. There’s one arranged for the first of May, but I’m not sure if I’ll go. I’ll need to go on a lot more walks if I keep making chocolate Swiss rolls..

The Mediterranean salmon I made a couple of days ago was really nice. It just needed a bit more lemon and maybe some finer chopping of the vegetables. The recipe came from a charity website for people with visual impairments. The instructions keep people away from knives, which is a bit odd—but I guess they mean well. Still, it was a bit confusing. I found out you can buy ready-chopped onions, and there's something called “easy garlic.” No idea what that really means—presumably it comes pre-prepared. It tasted nice anyway. I’m not very familiar with salmon.

I’ve started making salmon fishcakes too—my mother used to make them. It was the one thing she really knew how to cook well. I was a bit unsure about eating the salmon skin, but apparently it’s very nutritious, and you don’t really notice it. Salmon is delicate though—it went quite tough when I reheated it yesterday. Not as soft as when it was first cooked. Living on my own, I have to store things. Most recipes serve four, but dividing them can be a bit awkward.

I’ve enrolled on an air fryer cooking course that starts in a couple of weeks. I don’t actually own an air fryer—just a cooker with about eight functions. I wish I’d bought a proper one now. Still, if I had, I’d probably have had to get a slow cooker too for the salmon recipe. There are so many gadgets now for cooking, but they take up a lot of space. I bought a small freezer, but it had to be moved to the other room there’s no space in the kitchen the way it’s laid out.

Still, it’s all good fun. If I eat well, maybe I’ll get better in time.

The best thing I’ve learnt on the cookery course is how to make a proper pizza base. The ones I used to make were hard and horrible—but now they come out really soft. I suppose I shouldn't eat too many of those pizzas either, especially since I’m not going out much...

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