Super Heroes and runners up. Sunday 8/7/12

Wake at four and again at six and eventually get up at seven thirty, outside a steady light rain has started to fall, so I am glad that I spent yesterday washing and gardening. I make breakfast of the last of the smoked salmon, which I eat on rye toast with cream cheese and washed down with black, Italian coffee. Whilst the oven was hot last night I roasted some red and yellow peppers that were on offer in the supermarket, I peel them and de seed them this morning, now they are nice and cool and then slice them and cover them in a bowl with cling film. I need to buy some more fresh basil, as my two plants haven't yet flourished due to the cold weather, then I will marinade the peppers in olive oil and fresh basil to make an ante pasta. My friend Leslie can't make coffee this morning as he has relatives visiting, so I decide to attend ten thirty mass, which means I am in no rush. Yesterday, at the supermarket I bought some breast of lamb strips, about a pound in weight, and I dice these into one inch cubes and then marinade them in a bowl with olive oil, lemon, garlic, ginger, chile, tumeric and dried coriander, when I get back after church I will cook this up to make a curry for later in the week. I shower and dress and drive to Beverley, parking about a hundred yards from the church. Saint John's is full when I arrive and I discover the mass is dedicated to the "apostles of the sea", a catholic charity. There are more children than usual in the church and it turns out they are hear to read blessings for those in peril on the sea. After mass, I find Ann Fahy sitting behind me with her two little boys, Ann used to work for me nearly twenty years ago, and we go to the church rooms for tea and a chat after the service. On my way back to the car I call in on Sarah and she asks me to take Louis so she can go shopping with Alice for their holiday clothes. I can't take Louis swimming because he still has stitches in his eye, but eventually he decides he would like to see the new Spider Man film. This leaves us half an hour for him to get washed and dressed and for us to drive the five miles to Cineworld at Kingswood. In the event we arrive five minutes early and then have to sit through half an hour of trailers and adverts. The film isn't bad for a Hollywood blockbuster, but Rhys Ifans, as the mad scientist, steals every scene he is in. After the film we meet up with Sarah and Alice at the Costa coffee shop on the other side of the retail park. Sarah rewards me for my baby sitting with an americano and a cream scone. On my way home I buy some more wine for my leftover cannelloni and a copy of the Observer and then call into see Felicity. She is not in a good place, the new neighbours at the back have torn down all her plants in the passageway to their property that provides access from the main road. The ownership of this is unclear and is being checked by a friend of hers who is a solicitor. Felicity is feeling very sorry for herself and is convinced that they will force her out of her house. As she owns the house, I point out that they can't force her out against her will, but she doesn't want to hear anything positive. The people sound like complete bastards, but Fliss could do passive aggression to Olympic standards, so there may be another side to the story. I leave after half an hour and drive home in time to catch the last set of the Wimbledon final, by this time Andy Murray is being outclassed by a supreme Roger Federer. I eat cheddar cheese and the remaining half a baguette from yesterday, with red wine, as I watch the action, I am too hungry to wait for the oven to warm for my cannelloni. They will keep for another day. After eating I read my paper and then do the sudoku and killer sudoku, just to check that my brains haven't turned to mush during the week. Around nine o'clock I pop into the kitchen and fry up the lamb that I marinated this morning, along with some onions. When they are well browned, I add a couple of Oxo cubes and some curry powder and half a pint of boiling water and then let the stew simmer for five minutes before transferring it to the slow cooker. It will be ready tomorrow, but I shan't eat it until Tuesday, as the cannelloni needs to be eaten first. I am looking after Andrew's daughter, Laura, tomorrow after school. She told me she wants pizza but I shall try to sell her cannelloni instead, otherwise I will have cooked food coming out of my ears.