Happy new year. Wow boy, I really could not wait for 2021 to come to an end.

The last month was a big pain in my behind.

My dad came down with a chest infection and since he was diagnosed my mother banned all fans, aircons and anything that create wind in the house. Which was fine for her, seeing as she always gets cold, even in the middle of summer she gets cold.

But for me, not having something to cool me down is a nightmare. The heat made my sinus flare up and the doctor gave me meds to help me, but instead of helping it gave me this post nasal drip, which gave me a scratchy throat and a blocked nose, which then lead to a inner ear infection, swollen lymph nodes, my throat is now double its normal size and I have lost my ability to smell and taste and at times I can hear nothing.

Which really sucks, because I am coughing like a dog, not a wet cough, a dry cough and dry heaving when the nasal drip makes me nauseas. I haven’t made a meal for the entire December. I can’t taste and the constant coughing is leaving me tired.

There is no quick fix, for now I am drinking ACC200 to help loosen the phlegm which has started to develop.

And please don’t tell me its Covid, there are millions of us out there that suffer from sinus problems, and you really should be nice. Not every cough or sneeze is covid.

I wish a blocked nose was my only problem. Work has been a nightmare, I have been miserable and everyone seems to have something that requires me to talk . December is the worst time to be sick!

The other day, I had a customer that wanted to speak to a male person in charge, they refused to accept that they would have to deal with a lady with boobs and not a male. Then they just happened to see my father and complained to him that I was rude because I didn’t want to help them. Lord I am a grown ass women, what is running to my dad and crying going to do? Is he going to ground me and make me apologise?

Then I had another elderly couple who wanted to know where the man was that was in charge, I said the person you would be looking for would be Bobby, then they saw my name badge and was like but you are Bobby and I was like yes, that is correct. Then to my great pleasure I was given a history lecture as to all the retailers that came before me and they are regulars but have never seen me before. But where was that man they normally see. I gave up and eventually told them, they must be thinking of my husband, but we got divorced and he ran away with a younger Bobby and they believed my lie.

And the cherry on the top was, Christmas morning, I worked front of house and had a customer come in and I greeted them and instead of them greeting me back, they wanted to know if I was a doctor, because only doctors ask how are you, so am I a doctor. Wow geez, here I thought Christmas was supposed to be merry. This Christmas really really pushed my nice persona to the limits, like my toes my sticking over the edge of rudeness, one more customer and I would have jumped head first into the volcano and just erupted.

There was no big Christmas lunch, my dad was still down with a chest infection, I was without 3 of my senses and my mother was tired of screaming at my father to take his meds and to stop trying to cough up a lung and to cover his back. Parents.

I made trifle and to this day there is still half a bowl left over in the fridge, I will eventually get to cleaning it out but for now it will just have to stand there and ferment.

The only thing my family wanted was chips and not spicy chips, they wanted salty chips, apparently that was what they were craving. I craved a cold coke and a glass of ACC200.

The only recipe I could remember was Annabel Langbein’s chip recipe and it really was up my street, just peel, slice , season and shove into the oven to bake for 40 minutes.

The verdict, my mother loved it, my father told me I was trying to kill him, because he had a coughing spam while eating a chip and apparently this happened because I was trying to poison him. Really!!! My verdict, it tasted saltless and bland and all the chewing made my ears sore.

Sorry if this post seems so dramatic and blue and not bright and upbeat seeing as I is the first day of a new year, but right now I am not bright and happy. I am more like a grumpy dinosaur.

Ingredients:

• 8 x large potatoes washed, peeled and sliced.
• 3 x tbsp olive oil.
• 1 x tsp rough salt.
• Freshly ground black pepper to season.

Method:

• Line a greased baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
• Place the peeled and sliced potatoes into a pot of salted boiling water.
• Allow the potato chips to boil for about 10 minutes.
• Drain well.
• Place the drained chips on the lined baking tray.
• Toss together with the oil and seasoning.
• Ensure that the chips are spread out in a single layer.
• Pop into a preheated oven and bake at 180 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes or until golden brown.