The Pen is Mightier Than the Oven

The moment I declared that I would write 4,000 words yesterday I knew something would happen to knock me back down to earth. Of course I managed fewer than 2,000. I have a delicious excuse, however. It is nearly Christmas and, for the first time, the clan is descending upon us and our new abode. The turkey has been ordered. It will cost the entire week's food budget. Times are hard and much rides on the perfectly roastedness of our 'Gawd bless us - every one' festive bird. This is the point at which our oven breaks.

Frosty the Fan-Oven
We bought the cheapest oven. We had to. We'd just moved to the first place we'd rented that didn't have an oven... or carpet... or curtains. It was an expensive time and we are povs - a temporary state I hope but a state none-the-less - and as such, we couldn't afford an all-singing, all-roasting oven but we thought, or at least we suspected, that even with a humble price tag an oven would still be able to cook. We were naive. I see that now. A cheap oven will warm your food for a while, then go on strike. In two months, it has broken twice. Will it be able to roast a turkey? What do you think? Much of my time between now and then has been spent on the phone to the shop, supplier, electrician etc begging for a box full of turkey-roasting heat by Christmas Day. The rest of the time has been spent mopping the brow of Hubby who arrived home last night with man-flu.

Non-Stick Flapjacks
Fortunately, the slow cooker had just delivered the latest of my home made soups so we can still eat. The flapjacks I had planned to put in the oven fared less well. The hob still worked and I was very enthusiastic in my attempts to 'bake' on it but we ended up with a kind of clumpy granola and the pan lost some of its non-stick. Still, broken granola-flapjacks and non-stick flakes made a fine supper (Hubby refused soup and insisted it was kept back until Christmas Day, in case the oven isn't fixed.)

I can see my parents' faces now when, the first time we host Christmas, they are presented with a delicious bowl of festive chicken and vegetable soup. Gawd bless us - every one!