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I go through periods (like right now) where I just wake up early.

It’s annoying: even if I go to bed at 3am, I still wake up latest 7/8am. While no doubt this is nowhere near as bad as not being able to get to sleep in the first place (no probs there), if not insomnia, I’d definitely call this a kind of sleep intolerance.

I think I’ve discovered a kind of cure, though: twice I’ve woken up at the eye-watering time of 2 or 3am. So here’s what I do:

Boil water, add a spoon of honey, and squeeze in half a lemon.

Originally taking this for a sore throat, I think I’ve stumbledupon a partial cure for my sleepintolerance:

Apparently, the lemon’s strong pH has an alkaline effect on the body – could that be the reason this works?

Sleepless in London? – tell me if this works for you, or if you have an even better cure…

Ah lentils… Hippy food, beloved of Neil from the Young Ones. But really, really good with lemon ‘n’ cumin, ya know? Vegetable rights and peace!

Ingredients

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2 Onions
1 Tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Teaspoon of ground cumin
1 Cup of dried lentils (soaked for 1-2 hours)
5 Cups of water
3 Thin slices of lemon
1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
6 Thin slices of lemon for garnish

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1. Chop the onions into medium-sized pieces, meanwhile heat the oil on a medium heat (notice a pattern here?)
2. Sauté (that’s posh for ‘fry’) until golden.
3. Add cumin and salt – cook for 5 minutes.
4. Rinse the lentils in a sieve, then add to the pot with the water
5. Bring to the boil, add lemon slices.
6. Once boiling, reduce the heat & simmer for 25 minutes until the lentils are soft
7. Finally, add the lemon juice, and garnish with a slice of lemon.

Come to think of it, the ‘Cash‘ episode of the Young Ones has no doubt taken on masses of extra relevance now, given the straightened times we’re living through.

Just one more Young Ones Link (because I can’t resist it:) the infamous ‘mouse in a telescope’ embarrassing party scene – ah… Reminds me so much of my own student days…  “Does anyone here like the Human League?”

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