Death Is Forever*

“You don’t mind me giving her this do you?” Mum’s friend says when she arrives last night brandishing a bottle of Portobello Road gin.

“I suppose not,” Mum says with a look of despair. “She’s going to drink it anyway so…”

“Here you go, dear,” Mum’s friend says, handing the bottle to me.

“Oh wow, thank you,” I say, jumping up and down with excitement, throwing my arms round her.  “I’ve never tried this one, that’s so kind of you.”

Ginuary is over, but so is radiotherapy and it seems a shame not to sample my new present.  Despite working round the corner from the Portobello Road Ginstitute, have never tasted its produce.

So, need a gin cocktail that also uses Cointreau, as have a bottle of that at the parentals.  Settle on a Delilah cocktail: gin, Cointreau and lemon juice.  Strain it into a cocktail glass and add some slimline tonic.  You can see it in the attached photo.

Have just discovered that a much-loved local restaurant has closed after forty seven years.  And we didn’t even make it there this month before it shut.  Mum is teaching a couple of her private pupils now but she’ll be upset when I tell her this news.  The place was a local institution: we’ve been many times over the years.

Am just going to post this blog and then start making The Omelette.

Here is this morning’s Spin outfit:

  
Still need to lose about twenty pounds, but it’s enough of a challenge to stay awake and push the pedals round for forty five minutes at the moment.  Never mind actually pushing self.  

On the plus side, will start to recover from the radiotherapy after eighteen months or so.  So that’s good.

Happy Wednesday everyone!
*1981.  By Maxine O’Callaghan.  A Delilah West detective novel.