Once upon a time I had aspirations to be Nigella II. I sooooo wanted to be that curvy, saucy, foxy woman who could make everything I did seem totally effortless and still manage to pout and smoulder over the top of the saucepan! Now, after spending my days pushing water uphill, both really and metaphorically, I find myself just grateful to be able to turn out a reasonable meal in less than an hour.

For some reason, not only am I failing to deliver sumptuous feasts at the drop of a hat but we are wading around the house, knee deep in dog hair and ash from the fire. I’m failing in every wifely duty.

So upon arriving at home at 7.15pm after a twelve hour day, I did something I’ve not done for ages. I made life easier for myself by opening a packet of dried spaghetti and shoving on top of it some quickly zuzzed up pesto. I had planned to buy some but of course it isn’t vegetarian because the parmesan has rennet in it – one of the few styles of cheese that it’s still almost impossible to buy a veggie version of. So, I thought to myself “Plan B – buy pine nuts, basil and veggie parmesan and bob’s your uncle”. Plan B also foiled – the Waitrose on the way home from Uni has stopped selling veggie parmesan and by the time I got there I had no other shopping options. So, we ended up with plan C – pesto made with good, old-fashioned Davidstow cheddar. I am sure that there will be many whose toes are curling at the prospect but that’s that.

I didn’t have any idea what to photograph and to be honest, I have no brain cells left to think up a great shot so the opened packet of spaghetti was it. I really thought it’d feel more beige than this but in fact I think it turned out quite well.

For anyone worrying about seaweed assignments, I got it in today and immediately wanted to weep because I KNOW I have submitted something so far below my usual standard that I wanted to cry. So, now for the dissertation, I need to try to induce sleep mode, which is always hard to come by when I’m so wired, a bottle of the red stuff is about to be opened…though not claret, obviously!

Post script: no claret has worked wonders for me...BAY=LE!