401, Cleaner, Bananas, Book, Noodles Asparagus,

David Gascoigne, on Travels with Birds, posted some pictures on his blog from his recent trip to Long Point which is on Lake Erie, (famous for birding) showing the 401 which is one of the busiest, if not the busiest in Canada, it is usually bumper to bumper and absolutely appalling to travel on if you want to get somewhere in a hurry. When David drove on it a few days ago, it was totally empty. He said there were a few trucks travelling on it. I couldn't believe his pictures of the totally empty road. As I said to him, it reminded me of the main route running north and south in Portugal which is a fabulous road to drive on. Very few cars from one end to the other and the surface is perfect.

Well, my neighbour who was considering cleaning my house for me phoned today and said she was not going to do so at the moment. She would contact me again when this virus business was over. So, I guess I will have a dirty house now. I can't physically manage to clean. I am hoping Matt and I can re-make the beds between after washing the sheets. If it's too hard, we might end up with dirty beds too.

I got into trouble with ladydog today, I was planning to go to the store to get some bananas and she said under no circumstances was I to go out and I was treating this whole thing with a British stiff upper lip. She arranged for me to get some bananas today and more in a couple of days. Thanks ma'am. Ought I to salute to indicate my compliance. Actually at one point we had a damned good laugh about it all. But I did appreciate her organising it for me and her niece for making sure I got them. I worry about it because every time I don't eat bananas, I end up with worse cramps than I get with them. There is nothing wrong with my potassium levels, but I still get cramps very easily.

I didn't know I had so many bossy friends: in the comments yesterday I had people telling me not to go out. However, I just told ladydog I will be going to the asparagus farm come hell or high water. In fact, the farmer, Tim Barrie, is already selling stuff under quarantine conditions and other than that I wouldn't be seeing anyone

A very good friend of mine, David Powers-King, just released a book today and I have just bought it as it is right up my street, a dragon story.

"A princess. A dragon. Their quest.

Terrible things happen whenever Princess Celesia falls in love—she blacks out and attacks her suitors, which makes an alliance with a more powerful nation impossible. Believing that she’s cursed, Celesia is given two choices: marry without love, or be responsible for her kingdom’s demise. Instead, she sneaks off in search of a remedy.

She doesn’t make it far when she encounters a dragon who bears a curse of his own—he is a prince, desperate to reclaim his humanity before the dragon takes over. He's heard of a stone that can lift both of their curses, but neither of them can find it alone, and they’re not the only ones after it. An evil alchemist is intent on using it to steal the land’s magic and dominate the realm. Only together, with the help of an even greater magic, can Celesia and the dragon stop this evil, or be bound forever by their curses."

Another thing I didn't get in my grocery order was spicy oriental noodles. I probably shouldn't eat them but.......... I have them at lunchtime now and again, So, nothing loath, I Googled it and this was the recipe I found. I made them for my lunch today, doesn't take long, didn't have sriracha so used a very hot Tabasco I have, can't remember what pepper it uses right now. I need to look up one that has a soup with it although I did enjoy this. Also I cut back on the amount of sauce because it's only for me. Have enough for tomorrow too. By the way, I cooked the spaghetti in the Instant Pot. Just shove it in and forget it til it's done.

20 Minute Spicy Thai Noodle Bowls

These 20 minute Thai noodle bowls are so easy to whip up! They're packed full of sweet and spicy

Thai flavor!

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 ½ tsp sesame oil
5 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
½ tsp Sriracha (more to taste)*
¼ cup peanut butter
2 Tbs honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, minced
½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, julienned
? cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup dry roasted peanuts (I used Planters), chopped and whole
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbs sesame seeds

1. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, peanut butter, honey, minced garlic and minced green onion. Whisk vigorously until smooth.

2. Drain the noodles and return to the same large pot. Add the sauce, red bell pepper, carrot, cilantro, peanuts, crushed red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Toss until combined, serve and garnish as desired.

3. Add more Sriracha if you like spicier noodles!

Yield: 6-8

Source: Life Made Simple

Have a great day