“Rest? Interrupted. Socks? Progressing. Onions? Uninvited.”

 Did I say three days off? Honestly, who was I trying to kid?

Wednesday was quiet. Blissfully so. But by Thursday, my old boss rang—could I help out? I politely declined. I suspect I could’ve bargained her down to just a few hours, but truth be told, I didn’t want it. Not this time.

Then this morning, while I was out at the washing line at 7:15, Helen called. My new boss. Could I help out this evening? Just 2–3 hours, just the drug round, anything—please help. She sounded so ill and stressed. Of course I said yes.

Ten minutes later, Debbie again. Could I help this morning? Sorry, Helen beat you to it.

So here I go. Off to work for some extra hours. LOL.

I had a chat with Debbie—everyone’s sick. Some are soldiering through like I did, others are calling in. I see more extra hours in my future. This head cold is proving stubborn. I’m still coughing, still waking up with a blocked nose every morning.

But in between the calls and the coughs, I made progress. My pink sock is coming along beautifully—yesterday’s stitches flew by, and I’m hoping to turn the heel before I head off to work. I’m still completely in love with this yarn. It’s soft, cheerful, and lovely to knit with. 

And speaking of sock adventures—I’ve just ordered a 9-inch Sock Wonder needle. It looks awfully short, and I did wonder if a whole sock could really fit on it. My pal Janice assures me it will. I’m not brave enough to transfer my current sock onto it, so I’ll wait until I start the second one before giving it a go. Fingers crossed it’s as lovely to work with as the yarn itself.

It’s BBQ season here in the South, and that means the return of all the trusty salads. One of the most beloved? The good old potato salad.

But if, like Tony and I, you’re keeping an eye on carbs, this twist is worth a try. It’s light, flavourful, and—best of all—easily tweakable. 

Cauliflower 'potato' salad. 

1 head of cauli, cut into bite size pieces.

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped.

3/4 cup of mayo

1/4 cup of red onion finely chopped.

3 tablespoons dill pickles minced or very finely diced.

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar.

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard.

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon dill

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Microwave or steam the cauli to your desired texture. Don't boil it, your salad will be soggy.

Add the pickles, onion and egg to a bowl and stir to combine.

Put the vinegar, mustard and seasonings into a bowl or jug and mix well.

Add the cauli while still warm to the egg mixture and pour over the dressing. Stir to combine.

Store in the fridge. Allow it to sit for at least an hour, but the longer it sits, the better it will taste. 

I’m taking this along to a friend’s place tomorrow, and since she’s allergic to onions—and just about everything in the onion family—I left out the red onion. But I still wanted that splash of colour, so in went some very finely chopped red cabbage. It worked beautifully.

In the past, I’ve used spring onions when I didn’t have red, and they add a nice bite. Crispy fried bacon is another great addition if you’re feeling indulgent.

And a quick word to the wise: I made sure to read the ingredient lists on the pickle and mustard jars—those sneaky onion and garlic relatives can hide in the fine print. Always worth a double-check when cooking for sensitive tummies.

A tweak I've been dreaming about, but I didn't try yet is a curried version. Omit the pickles, vinegar and mustard. Add a couple of tablespoons of sour cream to the mayo, and instead of celery salt and dill, add a spoon or two of your favourite curry powder. 

A quarter cup of frozen sweet corn would work in either the original or curried version too.

That’s my recipe for the month—tweaked, tested, and onion-free. 

Do you have a favourite salad that’s easily tweakable? Something that shows up at every BBQ, or a quiet little bowl that surprises everyone? Share your go-to combos, your fridge-foraged triumphs, or your best “oops, that worked!” moments.