There's always someone worse off . . .

This course is teaching me so much; I have become so much more organised; I am tidier, my hair is now all one colour and most of the time lies flat; I even organise my computer files into folders (sort of) and (for the first time ever) my car has no dents; but in one particular direction I am definitely regressing.

There once was a time (not that many months ago) when I knew how to cook. More importantly, I remembered to eat, and remembered to shop for things to eat. I would even cook for lots of people, like 3, or 10, sometimes (but not very often).

For most of this weekend, I have been curled up in a ball feeling very ill, and eating has been even lower on the priority list than usual. But I was beginning to feel better yesterday, and offered to make some food for one of my housemates (who was in a bit of a rush).

I opened up the fridge and investigated my shelf. It is a very tidy shelf. On it was small cube of apricot stilton, 5 eggs and a tub of spreadable butter. Frozen to the back was a large tin of beetroot with 3 baby beets floating around in oceans of red stuff. Not a lot to work with, especially if the person you are making tea for has a phobia of eggs.

I've still got one or two tins though, so combined with someone else's bread = beans on toast.

After this fiasco, I was DETERMINED to go to the supermarket this evening and buy something - ANYTHING to eat. As soon as I've done my lesson plan.

Lesson plan is taking a while. I decided it's not a good idea to go to the supermarket when hungry. So back to the tin cupboard . . .

This evening, it dispensed a packet of supernoodles, a tin of beans and a tin of tuna into the same saucepan. Magic slop. Back to the lesson plan.

Whilst eating slop I hear from my sister. I tell her about magic slop, and as people always seem to do when you tell them what you're eating, she lobs back at me "I had leeks for lunch".

I'm thinking; "You jammy get." The last time I had anything fresh like leeks in my cupboard was over 19 days ago. I picture a nice cauliflower cheese type dish (made out of leeks, of course), maybe with some smoked ham chopped into the sauce, or maybe some quiche made out of leeks or served with leeks, and some cherry tomatoes, and mashed potato, with a sprig of parsley, or some pasta and mushrooms and goats cheese with leeks, or some artichokes and leeks in a flan, or an asparagus, leek, shiitake and potato ragut. Or at the very least, leek and potato soup.

It turns out, when she says she had leeks for lunch, she had just that. JUST leeks. In fact, not even a whole leek. Half a boiled leek. On a plate.