Sick of Turkey dinners yet? Got leftovers to use? This is my ‘quick and dirty’ version of what resembles a katsu curry or that Chinese take away/Chip shop curry. Apologies to Curry connoisseurs, there’s nothing refined about this. It’s just quick, easy and satisfying!
Ingredients
6 large carrots
Chicken stock (concentrated – one stock cube to only half a pint of boiling water)
Reduced fat coconut milk (or go full fat if you’re not watching your calories)
Turmeric, fresh is nice but dried works fine. A cautious 1/2 of a teaspoon (it can be quite bitter)
Ginger, fresh best – (generous 2 inches?), dried will work. Whole teaspoon.
Curry powder, 2-3 heaped teaspoons
Onions
Frozen peas
A protein of your choice, leftover Turkey, Prawns, Tofu, etc etc
Peel and chop carrots and let them simmer in the chicken stock, coconut milk and spices. When they are soft, whizz them in the blender. This will give you a surprisingly silky curry sauce. Taste and adjust flavour. It may need a little sweetening depending on your taste. A teaspoon of brown sugar works.
Add a couple of chopped onions (big chunks) and a couple of handfuls of frozen peas plus your protein source. Doesn’t take long to cook. Enjoy with chips or rice.
Well, having worked hard to get things going again, it turns out I need to find somewhere else to work from.
Ideally i’m looking for a clinical space with a sink for hand washing. I have all my own equipment/furniture so somewhere unfurnished would be ideal however I’m also happy to share a room.
I’ve had a good consistent business in Colchester Town Centre for the last ten years with a fabulous group of patients many of whom recommend me to their friends and family. I do a variety of work from fertility treatment, pain management and a lot of muscle-skeletal work.
If anyone can help, give me a call, Karen: 07891111436
I’ve been working in fertility for over ten years and have been privileged to hear peoples stories. In the main, I would say that most have a happy outcome, in the end but I’m conscious that many couples experience a lot of pain and trauma along the way.
During lockdown, I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts. I came across Katherine Ryans podcast as I was looking for a bit of humour. I was surprised to hear her share this. It is not comedy but an honest account of Katherines own experience of pregnancy loss. These are stories that need to be heard and shared, as many Women have to experience this whilst getting on with everyday life. There is often little support.
As Katherine says, don’t listen to this if you’re not ready to. But this is to let you know, you’re not alone.
I’m pleased to say that I’m up and running again. The advice is to proceed cautiously and safely. Patients requiring treatment more urgently can call or email me for an appointment throughout June. For things that can wait, my online booking system is open to book appointments from July.
What measures are in place?
We’ve been given a lot of advice from the British Acupuncture Council who have been extremely helpful, professional and supportive throughout this pandemic. I’ve spent a bit of time in my treatment room working out what I needed to adapt to maximise patient safety. This is what has changed:
Preparation
Removal of any extraneous items
Swapped my fabric covered chair for a plastic one that can be cleaned
Extra hand sanitiser, gloves and cleaning products
PPE: fluid resistant surgical mask and plastic visor
Removal of chairs in the waiting area as well as leaflets
Deep clean
Adjust appointment times to allow for 30mins cleaning and ‘airing’ of the room between each patient.
Treatment
Pre appointment phone conversation to discuss benefits versus risks of treatment. For New patients, this is an opportunity to discuss their case and for me to get a Medical History. This limits our contact time at the appointment.
Patients are asked to confirm that they are without symptoms or have not been in contact with anyone who has.
Upon arrival, patients are asked to wash their hands and where possible wear a face covering.
During treatment I will keep my distance as much as possible observing hand washing and hand sanitising as usual. Knowing what treatment I’ll be doing enables me to retrieve any items/equipment that I need for you in advance, that way, I’m limiting what I touch.
Upon completion of treatment, payment can be made remotely via online transfer.
Once the patient has left, the whole room (plus the hand washing area and any ‘high-touch’ surfaces) is cleaned and aired out ready for the next.
As much as I’d like to be going about business as usual, these are strange times and we simply have to get used to a new normal. I’m confident that I have everything in place to treat patients safely. Coming for acupuncture is very low risk but as things stand, we cannot say that it is zero risk. I want to thank patients in advance for their part in being able to operate safely and apologise if I seem more business-like and impersonal than usual. I promise that behind my mask, I am smiling 🙂
The British Acupuncture Council has given us the go ahead to return to practice for the provision of ‘urgent care’ based on individual risk assessment.
What does this mean?
It means I’m able to provide treatment for pain conditions, high anxiety, allergies etc even for those embarking on IVF treatment however, the benefit of the treatment must not be outweighed by the risk.
We are at a very critical time now with Covid-19. It may seem like this bizarre and surreal experience is coming to an end but the risk of transmission rates rising again is very real. I’m in the process of making my treatment space ‘Covid secure’ and ensuring I have the relevant PPE.
My online booking system is open as usual from July but for now I will need to book appointments by phone so we can do a risk assessment and consultation prior to treatment which minimises our contact time.
Looking forward to returning to work but lets do things safely and cautiously.
Either I’ve been cooped up too long or Trump said something sensible. When he was asked about facemasks, he said they’re needed for health workers but no reason why people couldn’t cover their nose and mouths with a scarf when they’re out. It seems to have prompted some discussion in the press.
I hate to say it but I agree. I’m no expert but I have a clinical background. If used correctly and sensibly if wearing a homemade mask to the supermarket for example might just reduce your risk by say 30-40%, then it’s worth it. I was at the supermarket the other day and the staff had no barrier between them and customers, it made me feel nervous for them.
The argument for wearing a face mask, is that if you are an asymptomatic carrier then a mask could prevent virus droplets reaching someone else. The argument against, is that a cotton mask may trap virus droplets especially if it becomes moist and could increase your risk.
The important thing is once you put the mask on then you do not touch it. It’s also a good idea that it fits correctly, so having a wire over the nose is a good idea. (I was thinking of using those bag ties might work?) Put the facemask on before leaving the house then leave it in place until you return home. Wash your hands, remove the mask and put it straight in the washing machine. Then wash your hands again.
Then theres the issue of whether it can be washed and reused. If you work in healthcare then the advice (in usual times) is that your uniform is washed separately at 60 degrees or above. Technically this is what we should be doing with our clothing when we return from somewhere like the supermarket
Personally, I’ve been using a hand wipe as I leave the supermarket. Hand wash as soon as I get in. As I unpack the shopping, I spray over any packets or tins with a bleach spray (1:10) and a paper towel especially the items that are going next door for my neighbours. I decant the shopping for them into a large plastic box that can also be wiped down before and after.
The key is to imagine that everything we touch is potentially contaminated and everyone we come into contact may be carrying the virus. Having said that, we mustn’t be consumed by anxiety. When we get into the car, we put our seatbelt on. Why? Because it reduces our risk. We need to think about hand washing and distancing the same way, as it’s our new reality for some time to come.
Qigong is similar to Tai Chi and is used as healing practice. The exercises or postures are very gentle, anyone can do them. The Eight Brocades or as I first knew them as, the Eight strands of silk, are designed to balance the body and calm the mind. It’s a practice I used to do daily many years ago but as I got busy, I lapsed. So with the ‘lockdown situation’ I feel it’s time to start that up again. Once I’ve re-learned the series using the video below, I’m planning to do this outside in the sunshine.
Although it’s not really officially being called ‘lockdown’, lets face it, it is. Following a busy few weeks of trying to shore up the business, lots of cross infection measures (and not going to the gym, ahhh!) the announcement from the British Acupuncture Council advising us to postpone treatment came as a relief.
We knew that a more serious lockdown was on its way but it seems to have happened suddenly with the situation seeming to escalate very quickly in the last few days. And so here we are. It’s very quiet outside!
My neighbours are both over 80. They have felt real anxiety over the last week, even to the verge of tears as they were following the news and scared of not being able to access food and their usual prescription medicine. Despite our reassurances, they really didn’t want to ‘rely on us’ but now, as the reality has hit home, to all of us, they are happy and I can see one of them sitting with his eyes closed soaking up the very welcome Spring sunshine.
This morning I woke up feeling a bit flat. I’ve been busying around the last few days. We’ve cleaned up our garden so there’s somewhere to sit and enjoy the sun. The house is clean and we’ve had a look at what food we have. What I know about myself is that I’m used to being busy. I need structure in my day. So I’ve been on YouTube to find some exercise classes that I can do at home. Loads of choice of workouts.
Actually what I’ve done this morning is a 45min Vinyasa flow yoga, an hour of Bodypump and concluded with some Qigong. It’s left me feeling calm and positive. So I’ve decided this will have to be my life for the next 3 months. Keeping occupied with positive things. I might be able to get hold of some heavier dumbbells but if not, I think I can fill a water bottle with gravel from the garden. Yo… make it work!
We’re looking around our kitchen to see what stuff we can use up. We didn’t stockpile and we used our food delivery for our neighbours so whilst we’ve still got plenty, we’re going to be creative. I found a case of Tofu that was left over from my ‘Vegan experiment’ and I’ve got a bag and a half of Quinoa that’s needs using. Anyone know how to make Quinoa appetising? Yes I know it has a full amino acid profile but lets face it, it’s really bloody tasteless.
Then of course, there’s the toilet paper situation. Now I can’t quite believe I’m going to write this but I’ve decided to use a ‘wee cloth’. It hasn’t been employed yet but I’m going to try it, rinse it out after every use and reserve the toilet paper for no. twos and period time. It’s making me laugh every time I think about it.
Karen Jeffery 