Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Me, Bowling, The Royals, Mountain Goat

If medical stuff makes you sick, ignore this first bit. 

I saw the vascular surgeon yesterday who said that the CT scan had shown Iliac veinseven more blockages than the ultrasound. It appears I have a piece of plaque right behind my belly button area, at the junction of the two iliac veins. What is currently planned is that I will be going in for an angiogram and angioplasty combined, some time in January, to place stents in that area. Later, I may well have to proceed to proper vascular surgery and have my leg veins by-passed. What staggers me is that I can go home the same day after the angioplasty. In 2004 I had to stay in overnight.

I had a phone call yesterday to say I had won the in- house tournament and would I be able to go to the next round in Hamilton in February. I assured them that I would – ops permitting of course. I had 85 pins over average last week, however, last year there were lots of people with 200 plus and one person with 300 or more pins over average!!! However, it is fun to do and we get a night in a hotel on the Association.

Of course there has been lots on the news about William and Kate. I loved the brief interview with Prince Charles who said he was happy about the engagement “they have been practising long enough”!!! Some people seem Kate's ringsurprised that she has the sapphire ring which was Princess Diana’s engagement ring, but to me that is a natural progression. many families pass down their jewellery to their descendants. It is a very large sapphire, surrounded by diamonds. Doesn’t leave a lot of room for a wedding ring does it? Now of course everyone is waiting for the wedding news.

Mountain Goat

I absolutely had to share this picture with you. This is from the current November edition of the National Geographic and the photo was taken by Joel Sartore. The goat, in this instance, is after a salt lick, but look at his position on the rocks. Most of us – even with climbing tackle – couldn’t manage this easily, how the hell do they. Do click on the picture and enlarge it, it really is an incredible sight, plus a fantastic piece of photography. But how the hell that goat gets where it is is a complete mystery to me.

Here is another bean recipe which will make up for the sinful dessert from yesterday.

Bean Bolognese

From EatingWell:  December 2006

Fiber-rich beans stand in for the beef and pork in this surprisingly rich-tasting vegetarian take on pasta Bolognese. Without the meat, the dish has only a third of the fat and 80 percent less saturated fat. To make the perfect meal, serve with a peppery arugula salad and warm, crusty Italian bread.

4 servings

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can salad beans, (see Shopping Tip) or Bean Bologneseother beans, rinsed, divided

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup white wine

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
  1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Mash 1/2 cup beans in a small bowl with a fork.
  2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil until most of the liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices, 2 tablespoons parsley and the mashed beans. Bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Add the remaining whole beans; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
  3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling water until just tender, about 9 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
  4. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Discard the bay leaf and top the pasta with the sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan and the remaining parsley.
Shopping tip: A can of salad beans, a mixture of chickpeas, kidney and pinto beans, adds depth and variety to this recipe. Look for it in the natural-foods section of larger supermarkets or natural-foods stores. If you can't find it, substitute a can of your favorite beans.

Have a great day

Jo

4 comments:

  1. Oh, Jo, I hope this procedure goes smoothly. It's scary. Do take care of you, my dear.

    And Yay, on your tournament. And THAT is a phenomenal bit of photography. I had a friend send me a pic of mountain goats traversing across the face of a dam. They are amazing in their balance and agility.

    I like the comment Charles made about them practicing long enough, lol! I think it's rather cool that he gave his mother's engagement ring to Kate.

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  2. I would not have accepted that engagement ring. I am sure that there is a curse on that ring because the marriage that was behind it was so bitterly unhappy.

    Jo, get better! Get those arteries open. Champagne works wonders!

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  3. Thanks for the good wishes both of you, never thought of champagne doing the job. I usually have a small glass at the weekend, sometimes 2 small glasses LOL.

    Yes, Marilyn, I thought about that with the ring. Maybe Katie and William are not superstitious and anyway, they know each other very well unlike Charles and Diana, apart from which Charles was already in love with Camilla anyway.

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  4. I think Bowling Tournaments will be great
    Website. Which carey spots news and information.

    ReplyDelete