Today I had a rather unpleasant x-ray after about 40 hours of deprivation, no food, no alcohol, lots of water and other clear drinks, plus the meal before that just a spoonful of white rice with a spoonful of white fish.  It didn't help that I still had to cook for my menfolk and feed the dog, plus I have a copy of Foreign Flavours on the windowsill above the downstairs loo.

But at lunchtime today it was all over, and I fell on a bowl of the most exquisite veggie soup I've ever tasted. Tonight we've just finished an amazingly delicious minced beef stew with mash and broccoli - food to die for this week only.

Now I can get on with Christmas. Where's that box of cholcolate biscuits?