Visitation

My sister came over for lunch yesterday, something that had been on the cards one way or another for a couple of weeks, because we'd agreed to get together next time she was in town getting her daughter checked out at Great Ormond Street. We'd originally discussed going out to dinner one evening, after work, but with all the craziness at work, we didn't get around to finalising anything.

So, perhaps foolishly, I sent her a text, along the lines of "Hey, I've got a great idea... Come round on Saturday and let me cook for you!"

I basically need to practice as much as possible, so it was an opportunity to do more than a simple 'take the cardboard box out of the freezer' type meal, and more than just one serving thereof.

Saturday began with a trip down the shops... and, for a change, not to Sainsbury's or Tesco. I actually went to one of my local greengrocers for the makings. A bunch of spring onions, a sprig of fresh ginger and a bulb of garlic cost me a few pence more than a pound. Next up was a trip to the fishmonger down the road. It's the first time I've ever bought fish fresh, so it was a bit bewildering... at least I new which fish I was after - salmon - and it turns out my local fishmonger specialises in that very fish. How's that for getting lucky?

And the guy in the shop couldn't have been more helpful - on the bone or filleted steak? Size? And if the sort of thing I was after wasn't visible on the tables, there was plenty more in the back.

I grabbed two large steaks and one small - though I already knew that even a small steak would probably be too large for a 1-year-old.

Next was a brisk walk back home, and then on with the preparations so that, in theory, I'd be prepared to get started with lunch whenever my sister arrived.

I know the Five P's. Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.

To cut a long story short, things didn't exactly go according to plan. The idea was for my sister and I to have a proper catch-up, but you try having a sensible conversation with a precocious toddler exploring your flat. I ran afoul of so many new rules and, while I'd done a reasonable job of tidying up, I hadn't accounted for such things as making sure superglue and scissors were safely out of reach. Unsurprisingly, Kate took up most of our time, and most of our combined attention... though, to be honest, it was more my own panic than any external distraction that led to the meal being less than perfect. It was only the second time that I've tried to make this particular salmon teriyaki stir-fry... the first time it was slightly burnt, this time it was slightly underdone and needed extra time in the frying pan. Thankfully, I did far better baking the smaller steak for my niece - that was pretty much done to perfection.

No-one got food poisoning, though, and most of the fish was nice... the stir-fry extras turned out like an afterthought, because I almost completely forgot about it but, as second attempts go, it wasn't bad.

The rest of the afternoon was simply a matter of keeping the little one occupied until my sister's parking ran out and she had to head back to our parents' house. Conversation happened, but none of the stuff we'd been meaning to talk about.

I put off heading over to my folks myself today because I had washing up to do (my sister had offered to help, and I almost regret declining the assistance, because it's still not done), laundry, and all kinds of other things I wanted to do...

...but, in typical fashion, I didn't get round to anything. Sure, the laundry got done (strangely less from last week than in a normal week... who knew dressing in civvies would lighten the load?), but I climbed back into bed a couple of times during the course of the day, simply to pass the time.

Not the best of weekends... but at least I should be rested for the week ahead...