I know I know, I have been very bad and have neglected this blog for two weeks! Sorry to those who are enjoying it, I promise to do better!
It has been a very good two weeks here in sunny Cork, from a cooking perspective at least. The course has gathered pace again and the final week is upon us. Only one more day in the kitchen left and then its only exams left to do.
The week seems pretty hectic and the format is the following;
Monday - Normal day in Kitchen
Tuesday - Morning lecture and visit to Ballymaloe House
Wednesday - Practical exam at 8.30am
Thursday - Study
Friday - 3 written papers
After much deliberation I have also decided my menu for the practical exam, it is as follows;
Pea, chilli and coriander soup, served with sour dough
poached Irish salmon with hollandaise sauce, buttered spinach and spring onion mash
Lemon Posset with Ballymaloe biscuits and crystallised lemon peel.
3 hours, tasting session and then it will be all done.
So it will be a hectic week but I guess 3 months of Ballymaloe should adequately prepare you for this and to be honest I am quietly confident, the menu is quite simple which means that it must be nailed at every level. I did however cook some of it last time I was up home and it went quite well bar a few hiccups.
Other than stressing for the exams there has been quite alot going on here in Ballymaloe. the weather has turned pretty cold, the roads are shockingly dangerous but we have had very little snow, a minor flurry about a week ago but other than that nothing. Given that we are in the middle of nowhere, and living a very idyllic country life, a bit more snow would have been a welcome addition. I bet those of you, particularly in Scotland, who are knee deep in snow at the moment are cursing me right now. I also had my birthday here this week past, it actually was really good fun if a little embarrassing. The day started with Loopy (a friend on the course) making me a mini Puff pastry gateaux for my birthday, I then went for a walk to ease my back and the whole of the demo kitchen lot burst into happy birthday and gave me another cake. I stupidly though that would be the end of it, but no, at the start of demo, all 62 people in the room sang happy birthday and I had to go to the front to be presented with my (heart shaped) meringue including candles from Darina!!! I was suitably mortified. Then that night we had about 30 people at our house as Steve (one of my buddies on the course) and I had decided to have a few beers to celebrate our birthdays (his is next week) and everyone came round. There were cakes, beer, wine and chilli and the night finished off in the pub. I had a great time and stayed off the booze for the most part because of my pain killers.
So the time for study has arrived, I am going to make a big effort to make it through till the end of the course, the back is really bad but only 5 more days of class and 11 more till my operation. I will definitely keep this blog going for a while yet, particularly when in China and next week I will attempt to upload alot more of the photos I have as some of them are excellent.
That's me for now, all good here in Cork, hope you are all doing well,
Peace
T
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Monday, 22 November 2010
The final countdown
Week 10 has commenced and exam fever is starting to hit. Final choices for our menus need to be in on Thursday morning and all the talk is about what everyone is cooking. Keeping it simple and flavourful is the order of the day and I am wavering between a few dishes, I will keep you updated on my choices. The process seems simple enough, 3 hours, 3 courses and a lottery bread which will be chosen for you the day before, however as the day approaches my natural instinct to question everything is kicking in. As well as all that, we have 3 written papers, another herb test and a wine exam to get through.
Only 8 more days of cooking though and that is a bummer, it has been so much fun cooking different things everyday and I have enjoyed that aspect of the course so much. I am in kitchen 3 at the moment and the teachers are great and we are now all trying to cram as much as possible into our days, I am in the kitchen from 8am every morning and my approach at the moment is to try and complete as many dishes as possible that I feel will be relevant in Shanghai. So the next few weeks will be very busy as I try to get as much out of the course as possible.
The last two weeks have been really good, last week I made my first attempt at pasta when I made pumpkin and ricotta ravioli, it actually turned out really well and is something I would love to do more of. I have also made more sour dough bread and tomorrow I will be making ciabatta. Pan fried fish was on the menu last week and I had another go at filleting, it actually went quite well and the haddock actually looked like a fillet of fish when I was finished! Result!
This week looks really busy, Wednesday is canape ans sushi day and Lamb is on the menu on Thursday and Friday.
So, full steam ahead for the next 3 weeks, spot of rugby this weekend and then head down for the following two weeks and perhaps a bit of studying!
I will update you later in the week and let you know the menu!
Peace
T
Only 8 more days of cooking though and that is a bummer, it has been so much fun cooking different things everyday and I have enjoyed that aspect of the course so much. I am in kitchen 3 at the moment and the teachers are great and we are now all trying to cram as much as possible into our days, I am in the kitchen from 8am every morning and my approach at the moment is to try and complete as many dishes as possible that I feel will be relevant in Shanghai. So the next few weeks will be very busy as I try to get as much out of the course as possible.
The last two weeks have been really good, last week I made my first attempt at pasta when I made pumpkin and ricotta ravioli, it actually turned out really well and is something I would love to do more of. I have also made more sour dough bread and tomorrow I will be making ciabatta. Pan fried fish was on the menu last week and I had another go at filleting, it actually went quite well and the haddock actually looked like a fillet of fish when I was finished! Result!
This week looks really busy, Wednesday is canape ans sushi day and Lamb is on the menu on Thursday and Friday.
So, full steam ahead for the next 3 weeks, spot of rugby this weekend and then head down for the following two weeks and perhaps a bit of studying!
I will update you later in the week and let you know the menu!
Peace
T
Sunday, 14 November 2010
4 weeks to go!!
Can it only be 4 weeks to go? Seems crazy that the adventure in Ballymaloe is nearing its conclusion, whats even more crazy is the fact that I should really be able to cook by now!!
So week 8 is out of the way and we are on the cusp of week 9. Last week seemed to fly by and I am now struggling to remember what I cooked and tasted. Steaks were a highlight, with a delicious Bearnaise sauce and crispy onion rings, we also learnt all about cheese souffles which are actually much easier to do than one would think. I have also been making sour dough bread which takes about 9 days to complete, well worth the effort though, I really like this bread. Once you have made it once, the time taken to make it reduces significantly as you keep back whats called a starter. This will be used as a basis for all my sour dough from now on, the beauty of it is that it will constantly improve and get stronger thus making better bread. I also made praline ice cream which is quite possibly my favourite thing in the world and how simple it is to make, you don't even need an ice cream maker! So in general week 8 was a treat, I was also paired up with my flatmate Charlotte which was great fun, she spends most of her time making sure everyone is alright and she was a pleasure to work with.
I also made a trip up to Ballymaloe to see some of the family, I bumped into Myrtle Allen again and we had a nice chat. I really wish my back was better as I do feel that I am missing out just a little on the opportunity to spend a bit more time up there helping out and working but alas it is not to be, maybe another time after my adventures in China. I think I would really like to spend a bit more time down this way some time in the future, it really is a relaxed pace of life and the people are great, who knows what the future has in store.
On a much more negative note, I have also had to sit through two excruciatingly long weekends watching that excuse for a rugby team get run ragged all over a half empty Lansdowne Rd. What makes it slightly worse was that I had to do this with Steve, a South African supporter who was delighted that his second string team beat us. If what happened last night at Murrayfield (snigger!!) is anything to go by, the weekends will not be improving very soon!
So, things are good, the cooking is getting more technical by the minute, our rugby team is rubbish and I have to come up with my exam menu (3 course meal to be presented to Darina, Rachel and Rory) fairly soon. No bother!!!
Got a bit snap happy on my morning walk, photos below.
So week 8 is out of the way and we are on the cusp of week 9. Last week seemed to fly by and I am now struggling to remember what I cooked and tasted. Steaks were a highlight, with a delicious Bearnaise sauce and crispy onion rings, we also learnt all about cheese souffles which are actually much easier to do than one would think. I have also been making sour dough bread which takes about 9 days to complete, well worth the effort though, I really like this bread. Once you have made it once, the time taken to make it reduces significantly as you keep back whats called a starter. This will be used as a basis for all my sour dough from now on, the beauty of it is that it will constantly improve and get stronger thus making better bread. I also made praline ice cream which is quite possibly my favourite thing in the world and how simple it is to make, you don't even need an ice cream maker! So in general week 8 was a treat, I was also paired up with my flatmate Charlotte which was great fun, she spends most of her time making sure everyone is alright and she was a pleasure to work with.
I also made a trip up to Ballymaloe to see some of the family, I bumped into Myrtle Allen again and we had a nice chat. I really wish my back was better as I do feel that I am missing out just a little on the opportunity to spend a bit more time up there helping out and working but alas it is not to be, maybe another time after my adventures in China. I think I would really like to spend a bit more time down this way some time in the future, it really is a relaxed pace of life and the people are great, who knows what the future has in store.
On a much more negative note, I have also had to sit through two excruciatingly long weekends watching that excuse for a rugby team get run ragged all over a half empty Lansdowne Rd. What makes it slightly worse was that I had to do this with Steve, a South African supporter who was delighted that his second string team beat us. If what happened last night at Murrayfield (snigger!!) is anything to go by, the weekends will not be improving very soon!
So, things are good, the cooking is getting more technical by the minute, our rugby team is rubbish and I have to come up with my exam menu (3 course meal to be presented to Darina, Rachel and Rory) fairly soon. No bother!!!
Got a bit snap happy on my morning walk, photos below.
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| morning walk time! |
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| herb garden |
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| gardens |
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Spice and all things nice!
We have broken the back of the course and are on the home straight. Mid term exams are done and the results are in! Panic averted, all areas passed! Well done me, I have actually learned stuff.
Last week was interesting to say the least. After leaving the blog last week, some final cramming was done, bits of herbs and lettuce leaves were stuck to paper to help with identification and I had nightmares about having to fillet a fish (which I am STILL rubbish at). Thankfully the teachers took it easy on me and along with place settings and how to correctly pour a glass of wine (Don't Ask!), I had to dice and sweat an onion, top, tail and cook green beans, make mayonnaise and make a paper piping bag. Now those who know me will testify to the fact that patience is not a virtue that I have in abundance, so you can imagine my sense of frustration when, upon completing my herb and salad test, I had to wait until 5.15pm until I started my theory test (a full 75 minutes late). Apart from fish, I had no real worries about the test, the onion and paper piping bag (a small funnel made out of parchment paper used to pipe things like melted chocolate etc) were mentally ticked off the day before so I was raring to go. The relief was written all over my face as I arrived at my station and Rory O'Connell told me my jobs. I flew through the onion, mayo and beans with great gusto and approached the piping back with an image of a cold pint flashing through my head- that was probably my downfall!! 3 attempts later, with ripped up parchment paper covering my station, I turned to Rory, admitted defeat and stormed out of the kitchen. Thankfully I had passed everything else so all was not lost.
The weekend was good craic, Davey eventually arrived and we headed to the Blackbird for a well deserved pint. The night was great with everybody blowing off steam after the week and we also looked forward to the Halloween party the next night.
The next day Davey and I sampled the delights of Cork and he got his outfit for the party. He tried in vain to convince me that we should go as old school Batman and Robin, but there was no way I was going to be seen as his trusty sidekick! I flirted with a brilliant all in one Gromit suit (from Wallace and Gromit) but settled for my original decision (I went as one of the students who left the course after week one).
That night was great fun, after a lovely dinner (thanks to the White Cottage crew) we descended on the party. The night was great, eclipsed only by the amazing outfit worn by my housemate Charlotte, who went as Darina herself, including paper chefs hat and bangles!
So week 7 has arrived, I am in the Demo kitchen this week with Pam, our amazing teacher and I am still loving it. Thai food was the theme on Tuesday, taught by Rachel and today we had an amazing chat from a past student called Arun, who runs a company called Green Saffron. Well worth a visit online. His spices can be as young as a matter of weeks when they get to the customer, crazy considering the ones you buy in the supermarket can be years old, you cant imagine the amazing flavours and smells!
So tomorrow I am making Laksa, a spicy Thai noodle soup and a variety of other delights!
So cooking for two days, then watch Ireland take apart the Springboks, Bliss!!
Last week was interesting to say the least. After leaving the blog last week, some final cramming was done, bits of herbs and lettuce leaves were stuck to paper to help with identification and I had nightmares about having to fillet a fish (which I am STILL rubbish at). Thankfully the teachers took it easy on me and along with place settings and how to correctly pour a glass of wine (Don't Ask!), I had to dice and sweat an onion, top, tail and cook green beans, make mayonnaise and make a paper piping bag. Now those who know me will testify to the fact that patience is not a virtue that I have in abundance, so you can imagine my sense of frustration when, upon completing my herb and salad test, I had to wait until 5.15pm until I started my theory test (a full 75 minutes late). Apart from fish, I had no real worries about the test, the onion and paper piping bag (a small funnel made out of parchment paper used to pipe things like melted chocolate etc) were mentally ticked off the day before so I was raring to go. The relief was written all over my face as I arrived at my station and Rory O'Connell told me my jobs. I flew through the onion, mayo and beans with great gusto and approached the piping back with an image of a cold pint flashing through my head- that was probably my downfall!! 3 attempts later, with ripped up parchment paper covering my station, I turned to Rory, admitted defeat and stormed out of the kitchen. Thankfully I had passed everything else so all was not lost.
The weekend was good craic, Davey eventually arrived and we headed to the Blackbird for a well deserved pint. The night was great with everybody blowing off steam after the week and we also looked forward to the Halloween party the next night.
The next day Davey and I sampled the delights of Cork and he got his outfit for the party. He tried in vain to convince me that we should go as old school Batman and Robin, but there was no way I was going to be seen as his trusty sidekick! I flirted with a brilliant all in one Gromit suit (from Wallace and Gromit) but settled for my original decision (I went as one of the students who left the course after week one).
That night was great fun, after a lovely dinner (thanks to the White Cottage crew) we descended on the party. The night was great, eclipsed only by the amazing outfit worn by my housemate Charlotte, who went as Darina herself, including paper chefs hat and bangles!
So week 7 has arrived, I am in the Demo kitchen this week with Pam, our amazing teacher and I am still loving it. Thai food was the theme on Tuesday, taught by Rachel and today we had an amazing chat from a past student called Arun, who runs a company called Green Saffron. Well worth a visit online. His spices can be as young as a matter of weeks when they get to the customer, crazy considering the ones you buy in the supermarket can be years old, you cant imagine the amazing flavours and smells!
So tomorrow I am making Laksa, a spicy Thai noodle soup and a variety of other delights!
So cooking for two days, then watch Ireland take apart the Springboks, Bliss!!
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| Genius |
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| Seafood Platter |
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| pumpkin risotto |
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Halfway House
Exams!! I thought I was finished with all of that stuff, cramming, panicking, writing notes its all happening again! Week 6 has started and all the talk is about the mid term herb and technique exam that takes place on Friday afternoon.
The last week has flown by and I have neglected this blog terribly. Week 5 finished off quite nicely, strawberry jam and granary bread were the highlights, some of the low points were trying to fillet Monkfish and bean stews (which i just cant seem to get enthused about!). It has to be said however, that I thoroughly enjoyed week 5 and suffered none of the expected doldrums that we had heard so much about. We also made some amazing fish dishes including a Monkfish curry and a fantastic spicy tomato fish dish that I recreated in Belfast on the weekend, who would have thought that great food could be so easy to make? The weekend was spent in Belfast as we had an extra day off due to the public holiday here in Ireland on Monday, so 3 days of eating drinking and taking the dog for walks was amazing fun and it also gave me a chance for a little extra practice! My friend Davey came round on Sunday night after his trip to Jakarta, with possibly the funniest story about being "felt up" by an Indonesian woman on the plane out. Almost as funny was the slap across the face he received when the woman was trying to wake him up as food was being served! For those of you who know him, a phone call to listen to the story is recommended.
I arrived back in Cork (not so sunny anymore) yesterday and headed straight for the herb garden to brush up on my knowledge and then early to bed to prepare for the days cooking. Today went really quite well, I made Ballymaloe Irish Stew, white yeast bread (which you have to plait), sea salt and pepper bread sticks, white rolls and shortbread biscuits. All in all it turned out quite well and I was pretty happy with my days toil. This afternoon I was introduced to pumpkin risotto, vegetable curries and 2 amazing tarts which you make upside down. So Thursday will be risotto followed by apple and fudge tart on my menu.
The end of the week is a little bittersweet, on a positive note Davey is coming down for the weekend, however firstly I must negotiate the dreaded test. Now I can hear all of you saying, "its only cooking" but let me tell you, trying to learn 14 different varieties of herbs and about 10 different salad leaves by sight and taste is no easy feat. Not to mention the 4 or 5 different skills that you have to demonstrate to the teacher whilst they stare blankly as you try to look for help! So this week I will be buying cheap chickens to joint, fish to fillet and onions to sweat, in the vain hope that some of what I have learnt has stuck and I won't look like a fool on Friday. Very much looking forward to the first pint on Friday night and the Halloween party on Saturday!
So, I am almost halfway and I think that I may have learnt some things, will let you know after Friday if it has been enough! Wine tasting tomorrow morning at 9.30am and then Tapas demonstration tomorrow afternoon, cant wait!
T
The last week has flown by and I have neglected this blog terribly. Week 5 finished off quite nicely, strawberry jam and granary bread were the highlights, some of the low points were trying to fillet Monkfish and bean stews (which i just cant seem to get enthused about!). It has to be said however, that I thoroughly enjoyed week 5 and suffered none of the expected doldrums that we had heard so much about. We also made some amazing fish dishes including a Monkfish curry and a fantastic spicy tomato fish dish that I recreated in Belfast on the weekend, who would have thought that great food could be so easy to make? The weekend was spent in Belfast as we had an extra day off due to the public holiday here in Ireland on Monday, so 3 days of eating drinking and taking the dog for walks was amazing fun and it also gave me a chance for a little extra practice! My friend Davey came round on Sunday night after his trip to Jakarta, with possibly the funniest story about being "felt up" by an Indonesian woman on the plane out. Almost as funny was the slap across the face he received when the woman was trying to wake him up as food was being served! For those of you who know him, a phone call to listen to the story is recommended.
I arrived back in Cork (not so sunny anymore) yesterday and headed straight for the herb garden to brush up on my knowledge and then early to bed to prepare for the days cooking. Today went really quite well, I made Ballymaloe Irish Stew, white yeast bread (which you have to plait), sea salt and pepper bread sticks, white rolls and shortbread biscuits. All in all it turned out quite well and I was pretty happy with my days toil. This afternoon I was introduced to pumpkin risotto, vegetable curries and 2 amazing tarts which you make upside down. So Thursday will be risotto followed by apple and fudge tart on my menu.
The end of the week is a little bittersweet, on a positive note Davey is coming down for the weekend, however firstly I must negotiate the dreaded test. Now I can hear all of you saying, "its only cooking" but let me tell you, trying to learn 14 different varieties of herbs and about 10 different salad leaves by sight and taste is no easy feat. Not to mention the 4 or 5 different skills that you have to demonstrate to the teacher whilst they stare blankly as you try to look for help! So this week I will be buying cheap chickens to joint, fish to fillet and onions to sweat, in the vain hope that some of what I have learnt has stuck and I won't look like a fool on Friday. Very much looking forward to the first pint on Friday night and the Halloween party on Saturday!
So, I am almost halfway and I think that I may have learnt some things, will let you know after Friday if it has been enough! Wine tasting tomorrow morning at 9.30am and then Tapas demonstration tomorrow afternoon, cant wait!
T
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Fadge!!
Week 5 has started and according to the natives, this is the first week of the mid course doldrums, students question their abilities and it all gets too much for some! Well not in our cottage! We are all raring to go and still loving life in sunny (yes still) East Cork. After having a lovely time in Belfast (despite the rock like scones) I just about made it back to Ballymaloe in the early evening of Sunday, I would have been here about 30 minutes earlier if I had not missed the turn for Dublin and driven 15 minutes West! However I got my directions back on track and made the journey in good time. It did feel a bit weird being back as I had taken an extended break, so I arrived in the school on Monday not knowing what kitchen I was in, who my partner was or what I was to be cooking, thankfully Aine, my partner, had it all sorted. Caramelized Pecan Squares and bacon Chop with Whiskey Sauce was the order of the day. Thankfully my amazing culinary skills (or those of my teacher, Sue) saw me through and the morning was a great success, even my biscuits tasted amazing and even looked pretty good, a far cry from my first biscuit disaster a few weeks ago!! The afternoon was a really heavy one and we did not get out till after 6, as we learnt all kinds of breakfast goodies including homemade muesli and granola, pancakes, waffles and of course a full Irish! Which I have to say is not a patch on a good old Ulster fry, which I have now been reliably informed is served with Fadge! After much tittering in the room, we were told that Fadge is actually potato bread which we good Ulster folk like to have with our frys. To be honest, I like the Ormo variety better and it will not be added to my culinary repertoire.
As you can imagine I was really looking forward to Tuesday as we each had to make a fry to be judged and then we were allowed to go and eat them for lunch, extra incentive to get it right! I also made some kumquat marmalade which is quite possibly the worst job I have ever had (make that second worst job, door to door phone salesman in Australia was worse!), the reason being is you have to cut up a kilo of these tiny fruits into little rings and then manually take out the pips! Then soak them overnight before you can commence the second stage of marmalade making. The reason is that the pips contain most of the pectin (the stuff that helps it set) and you need to add it to the marmalade later. I also made spotted dog (sweetened soda bread with sultanas) fresh raspberry muesli and segmented an orange! I was a busy guy and I though my fry was fantastic (if i do say so myself).
That afternoon at demo we saw flat fish being filleted, chilli con carne, bean stew and chocolate eclairs!!
Also went for a few pints to the Blackbird as we had no cooking the next day and as usual it was great craic, Rachel and Issac Allen were in so we had some good chat and I really enjoyed myself.
Today was a ok day, we had business class with Darina's sister, it was a bit like going back in time to Uni but I guess you cant have some messages drummed into you enough (cost control, cost control, cost control).
I also go the call from the surgeon and I am booked in on the 16 December for the op, good to know it is going to be done before Christmas and I can recuperate and get out to China ASAP as they are cooking up a storm over there and could do with some assistance and I cant wait! Although 670 diners over 3 days sounds pretty mental (last weekend numbers at the Flying Fox, Shanghai). Dads wife Li did the course here last year and has completely revolutionised their business, so there may be hope for me yet!
Anyway, that's enough from me for now, chocolate eclairs tomorrow with choux pastry, sounds like just my thing!!
T
As you can imagine I was really looking forward to Tuesday as we each had to make a fry to be judged and then we were allowed to go and eat them for lunch, extra incentive to get it right! I also made some kumquat marmalade which is quite possibly the worst job I have ever had (make that second worst job, door to door phone salesman in Australia was worse!), the reason being is you have to cut up a kilo of these tiny fruits into little rings and then manually take out the pips! Then soak them overnight before you can commence the second stage of marmalade making. The reason is that the pips contain most of the pectin (the stuff that helps it set) and you need to add it to the marmalade later. I also made spotted dog (sweetened soda bread with sultanas) fresh raspberry muesli and segmented an orange! I was a busy guy and I though my fry was fantastic (if i do say so myself).
That afternoon at demo we saw flat fish being filleted, chilli con carne, bean stew and chocolate eclairs!!
Also went for a few pints to the Blackbird as we had no cooking the next day and as usual it was great craic, Rachel and Issac Allen were in so we had some good chat and I really enjoyed myself.
Today was a ok day, we had business class with Darina's sister, it was a bit like going back in time to Uni but I guess you cant have some messages drummed into you enough (cost control, cost control, cost control).
I also go the call from the surgeon and I am booked in on the 16 December for the op, good to know it is going to be done before Christmas and I can recuperate and get out to China ASAP as they are cooking up a storm over there and could do with some assistance and I cant wait! Although 670 diners over 3 days sounds pretty mental (last weekend numbers at the Flying Fox, Shanghai). Dads wife Li did the course here last year and has completely revolutionised their business, so there may be hope for me yet!
Anyway, that's enough from me for now, chocolate eclairs tomorrow with choux pastry, sounds like just my thing!!
T
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| Full Irish |
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| Bacon Chop, whiskey cream, banana and mash with scallions |
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| A tray of pecan goodness!! |
Saturday, 16 October 2010
To operate or not?
That's me in Belfast now having a few days with Mum and seeing the surgeon for my back. Wednesdays cooking went well and I have some photos of my handiwork attached. Other than that things have been pretty quite since I arrived back, I cooked for Davey and Mum on Thursday night, we had penne with mushroom a la creme and creme caramels for dessert with lovely caramel sauce, they actually worked out quite well, much better than the scones I attempted to make on Thursday day time, must remember when halving a recipe, half ALL the ingredients!! They turned out more like rock cakes! I also managed to see the doctor on Thursday to get my referral letter for the surgeon.
So Friday came and to be honest I was pretty worried about seeing the surgeon about my back, although I do talk it up on occasions and make like it has been getting better, it has pretty much deteriorated over the past 18 months and I cannot go on like this, so off to the surgeon I went! I was presented with two options neither very good, the crux of the matter is that I have both back and leg pain, they are relatively successful at fixing leg pain, they know very little about back pain. Option one was a spinal fusion, the likelihood being i would need another op in about 3 years, option 2 was a lower lumbar discectomy to remove the bit that is squashing and irritating my nerves and it might result in a lessening in my back pain. So option 2 it is, hopefully week commencing 13 December I will be getting the crab meat (how the surgeon described the consistency of the disc, luckily or unluckily, I did take a crab apart last week and know exactly what he is talking about, although lets hope he is more delicate than I was!) removed. So the good news is that unless my disc completely ruptures into the spinal canal, I should (with the help of Mr Codeine) be able to complete my studies at Ballymaloe!
So I am 24 hours on from receiving the news and feel a bit better about it, spoke to my friend Kerr last night, he is convinced that once I am fixed, he with his dodgy knee and metal ankle and me with my dodgy back should be able to make ourselves available for selection to the Scottish and Irish rugby squads for next years world cup!!
So that's is from sunny Belfast, back to Cork tomorrow, talk soon!
T
So Friday came and to be honest I was pretty worried about seeing the surgeon about my back, although I do talk it up on occasions and make like it has been getting better, it has pretty much deteriorated over the past 18 months and I cannot go on like this, so off to the surgeon I went! I was presented with two options neither very good, the crux of the matter is that I have both back and leg pain, they are relatively successful at fixing leg pain, they know very little about back pain. Option one was a spinal fusion, the likelihood being i would need another op in about 3 years, option 2 was a lower lumbar discectomy to remove the bit that is squashing and irritating my nerves and it might result in a lessening in my back pain. So option 2 it is, hopefully week commencing 13 December I will be getting the crab meat (how the surgeon described the consistency of the disc, luckily or unluckily, I did take a crab apart last week and know exactly what he is talking about, although lets hope he is more delicate than I was!) removed. So the good news is that unless my disc completely ruptures into the spinal canal, I should (with the help of Mr Codeine) be able to complete my studies at Ballymaloe!
So I am 24 hours on from receiving the news and feel a bit better about it, spoke to my friend Kerr last night, he is convinced that once I am fixed, he with his dodgy knee and metal ankle and me with my dodgy back should be able to make ourselves available for selection to the Scottish and Irish rugby squads for next years world cup!!
So that's is from sunny Belfast, back to Cork tomorrow, talk soon!
T
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| Summer Pudding |
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