How are you feeling? Souper thanks!

I meant to share this photo weeks ago, taken at the market in Cheltenham. Don't they look fabulous? Something far more appetising about clementines with leaves still attached than those without, for some reason...Hmm. Very Christmassy though!

Thankyou so much for all of your get well wishes..they must have worked! hurray! I am feeling A LOT better now, thankyou muchly.

It was so so lovely to go back to work this week. I had lots of smiles and cuddles from regulars, and lots of 'we missed you' type comments, which thrilled me no end.

It feels rather good to be getting back into the swing of thing, kicking the coffee machine, 'testing' new cake that is being made, inventing Christmas waffles recipes, etc.

Today was the second knitting and crochet morning, which was just great. Such fun to see a group of ladies having a whale of a time. Today was crocheted scarves, and despite being sorely tempted into joining in, I resisted. I struggled with the urge and then reminded myself that I have just had two weeks off...maybe next time! I don't want to become unpopular with our lovely staff for being a lazy bugger.

We have been making lots of new soups this week, Roasted Vegetable, Lentil Potage and Parsnip Ginger and Leek, to name but a few. I succumbed to yet ANOTHER new recipe book the other day, 400 Soups! But I am putting it down to being a work essential, obviously...I am not sure if it's a good thing, but I seem to constantly smell of soup! Could be worse, I guess.

Now, what shall we have for dinner tonight?

Remember me?!

Oh it really is hard work being poorly. I have tried so hard not to feel sorry for myself but am soooooo bored.

You know those periods in life when you seem to spend weeks on end dashing from one thing to another, with lists of things to do, normal life rushes past and sometimes, just sometimes you think, "Ooh, I'd love a duvet day" or "How wonderful it would be to have a day or two at home to do XYZ..." well I have had DAYS at home, ill, sleeping, coughing, sleeping, reading, sleeping...and still haven't tackled X Y or, indeed Z.

What started out as a nasty cough ended up with me being admitted to hospital, wired up to drips, injected with all manner of lotions and potions and frankly quite poorly.

The lovely LOVELY husband has been a fabulous carer. He turned up at the hospital armed with new pj's, books, digestives (have to have digestives when you're poorly, it's the law) tissues, toiletries...you name it. The only benefit of being in hospital was that I had my own room because I was infectious. Shhh! It's true, I really was. Gastric flu. Hmm, not pretty...But I did have my own television. Good grief daytime television is crap. But also addictive. I really care who wins Rosemary Shrager's School For Cooks this week...

My Dad has stepped into my cafe shoes and has been working his socks off, making soup, serving customers, hosting birthday parties and crochet lessons....all of the things that I had organised and was so desperately gutted to have missed. Still the birthday party was a success, my lovely Mum baked fairy cakes and made sandwiches galore and apparently a fabulous time was had by all. The crochet lessons (thankyou for the PR, Julia!) were good fun, apparently, and the Happy Hookers (!) will be back next week for another session.

I am hoping to be back on my feet by the weekend, and normal life shall resume once again hopefully.

Thankyou so much for all of your get well wishes, I really am touched. Your blogs have all kept me entertained in my deepest darkest moments!

I promise not to leave it so long next time....x