Karl Marks does Cakey Tea.

Breaking news! Much more important than today’s vaccine news. I made a cake. I’ve called it my Belarus cake. Yummy.

About 2 years ago Tricia and I had an evening out. I have no idea where but I remember ordering food, so it was possibly a restaurant. When we both had busy jobs we ate out lots, often in cheapish places, it was easier than cooking. As time went on our jobs changed as did our incomes so we decided to eat out less but eat out better. So goodbye Carclaze and hello Austells (now Edies Kitchen).

Anyway, I’m in this restaurant, can't remember where, ordering food. I order some sort of steak. I eat the meat but think, although perfectly fine, there was something iffy about it. I didn't think much more about it. A couple of weeks later, again I have no idea where, the same thing happens. I order meat, the meat seems a bit iffy. I’m thinking bad luck. The third time it happens I begin to think the meat is probably fine, it’s me that's a bit iffy. So I remove red meat from my diet. I was already thinking I should take charge of my eating habits, my drinking habits and my lifestyle.

This was the point I decided to learn to swim and eat better. Soon all meat left my diet and my exercise regime improved. (Actually my exercise regime appeared. There wasn't one before, ever!) In time I lost almost 2½ stone. I’m now what some people refer to as a pescatarian because I eat fish. But I also scoff, without much thought, eggs, butter, cheese, jelly, and loads of other animal derived products. So I simply think of myself as someone who doesn’t eat meat. No ethical reason, I’m not saving the planet, I just don’t eat meat.

Cutting back on alcohol was easy. For years Tricia and I have climbed onto the wagon on New Years Day and hopped off again at Easter. I’ve also gone off drinking a bit anyway. A bottle of red now lasts me all week, maybe more rather than just a couple of hours. I now drink less but drink better. I’m just slowly making my way through a delicious Jam Shed, Australian Shiraz

The problem is pasties. Some people start eating meat again because, apparently, they can’t resist a bacon butty. They’re probably not Cornish! Butchers and bakers that sell pasties exist simply to torment me. There's nothing wrong with a Nile’s cheese and onion pasty, their veggie pasties are alright too but they’re not real pasties are they?

As is well documented elsewhere in this ‘ere blog are my odd waking habits. I’m awake now, my clock reads 03:39. This peculiar problem probably relates to my medication. It doesn’t bother me. In fact there's something strangely satisfying about being awake and doing something rather than lying awake thinking “Why can’t I sleep?” Sometimes, like now, I resort to writing my blog. Sometimes i make a cup of tea and watch a bit of telly. Now here’s the issue. During the day the TV is full of mind numbing balderdash. Karl Marks famously said “Religion is the opium of the people" whereas (not a Karl Marks quote) TV is “an opiate for the masses". At night it’s OK , the BBC has the news channel, biased, left wing news but I don't mind. During the day it’s a different kettle of fish (pescatarian leanings again). Your choices are almost all cheap TV and they fall into a few predictable categories; magazine TV (with Philip and Holly), houses (I wish I did that, if only I had the money to go that much over budget) antiques (I must go to more car boot sales) or food (I’ll make that, I’d better buy the book that goes with the series). They all irritate me to distraction but watch them I do. The striking fascination I seem to be developing is I find myself favouring cooking programmes and salivating over the meat dishes.

Two years ago my body told me to stop eating meat. The team at RCH Treliske who are trying to keep me alive often say “listen to your body". I’m listening and I want a steak pasty.

Of all the difficult decisions I have to make this is a tough one.

During tomorrow’s Coffee Club, at 10am, amongst other topics, I’ll be happy to discuss the merits and demerits of letting meat back into my diet. This is how you join the conversation. https://us04web.zoom.us/j/9550272972?pwd=VHNzU21iY3AvR1A2TDFCbDFVNFEzUT09 Meeting ID: 955 027 2972 Passcode: 9RktZt

And the secret walkers are venturing out again at 1pm on Thursday. The details can be found in the Cancer Continuum. Baal Pit and Carn Grey blog update. I’m not telling you any more, mum’s the word.

P.S. I'm probably high up in the queue, I wonder if I get a Covid vaccine before Christmas?