Morning all, a very laid back Christmas for us, the sun is shining and coffee will be taken on the terrace in a minute. I have a hefty cream cheese and white chocolate cheese cake to make later, I usually only make it when we have visitors but OH said he would like it, I hope he's going to eat it all!
Morning all. Well I'm starting early with the festive spirit and having a large slab of the yummy cheesecake that daughter made yesterday evening - for breakfast! Well a girl's gotta do what a girl likes to do, that's what I say.
Morning all. I think we're sorted. Delivered the turkey to daughter's yesterday, after picking it up from the farm shop. Her OH does the bulk of the cooking - the kitchen is his happy place. We do a few bits here and take them (and all the presents) round in the morning.
One of my must-haves is mushy peas with Christmas dinner - a tradition in our family (mum from oop north). So it's always a thing to remember to put the dried marrowfat peas in soak. Only I and my OH eat them - but it does connect me to my childhood Christmases with my Grandma and Pop, my uncles, aunts and Mum and Dad - all gone now of course, along with their Sunderland accent which the younger generation (my mum and her sisters) tried to lose when the family moved down south, after my Grandpop's pit closed.
Another is the Christmas pudding which my sister now makes - from a recipe handed down from an uncle who was a cook in the army. I always shed a tear when that arrives but am always glad to see the pics. of her family on stir-up Sunday on FB - so I know a pudding will be coming! Anyway, enough dawdling on her - presents to wrap!
Sorry I haven't been around, I was waylaid by a (metaphorical) black dog. My Mother has contracted a chest infection and is on antibiotics. At the nursing home there is another Covid outbreak, this time in the unit where my Father is. I had been planning to take my Mother to visit my Father on Christmas Day morning, but for both of the aforementioned reasons, that now seems unlikely. Otherwise, no significant occurrences here. Turns out I should have been pruning my indoor chrysanthemums all this time! I'm afraid I don't have any Christmas preparations to relate (childless bachelor boy). However I very much enjoyed reading about everyone else's, and all the beautiful photos were particularly pleasing to see.
Reading the posts since I was last around, I think the lives of you good people have been characterised by both good fortune and misfortune. I'm very much hoping that that the good fortune predominates strongly going forward.
Nice to hear you are on an improving track @Nanny Beach . Your strength of will is inspirational.
Best wishes to @AnnaB who also has her own struggles with long Covid I believe.
Sad to learn of your fall @coccinella Hopefully you are now fully recovered and it will not spoil your enjoyment of the festive season. Sorry to hear of the water leak affecting your Son's flat.
Unfortunate that you didn't meet a nice firefighter @D0rdogne_Damsel
Best wishes also to @WonkyWomble who has been the victim of a cruel and upsetting scam.
Great news that your oven difficulties now seem to be behind you @Dovefromabove
Thank you @Badly_Maintained. Happy Christmas. Maybe you can celebrate a bit later with your parents.
Son and his lovely French wife wanted me to make English fish and chips for lunch. I made a beer batter, haven't done it for years, and thank goodness, it was a success. No mushy peas, we had salad.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Sorry to hear of health issues for you and yours @Badly_Maintained … there’s no doubt that Christmas comes to us in many guises … I hope you and yours enjoy yours, however you spend it. 🎄
Sounds as if most of us are fairly on track … I’ve broken all records and I’m ahead of schedule 😮😵💫😇 … everything that has to be done has been done … even the sprouts are reading and sitting in Ma’s old colander with little kisses on their bottoms.
The ‘cockerel’ has quartered lemon and onion in its cavity, it’s been rubbed with butter, blanketed with a layer of bacon abd branches of rosemary and is sitting in the big covered roaster on a shelf in the coldest draughtiest part of the garage on the north side of the house … there’s no way it’ll fit in either of the fridges.
The gammon joint was cooked this morning, has been slathered with real Yoxford marmalade (those of you who know Suffolk will understand 😉) and will be popped in the oven along with some jacket potatoes to have with salad and pickles this evening.
OH has cleaned bathrooms and the sittingroom and has told me to sit down and watch Rubbish on the telly until it’s time for Carols from Kings … he is emptying bins and washing the floor etc ❤️ 🛋☕️
Oooh … White Christmas is on …
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
something has gone wrong. the post was supposed to read
Thank you for your kindness @Badly_Maintained. The fall was nothing. I wish you and your parents better days. Many here will know black dogs and their insidious nature especially at this time of year. Tell the obnoxious beast to eff off!
Finally finished work, lovely last couple of days with our Breakfast with Santa event and Christmas Eve Brunch today. All very jolly, hard work of course, lots of preparation involved, but everything went smoothly and everyone was happy. Now we're closed for two days.
I'm doing a traditional English Christmas dinner this evening for Charlie and his dad, then tomorrow Charlie and I are going out with friends for lunch. It's about making me feel less guilty and Charlie not having to choose where he goes in the main, I'll make the best of it, but certainly not how I would have chosen to spend Christmas given a choice. All very complicated. Hopefully there'll be something good on TV.
All your plans sound good, lots of lovely sounding food. I'm sure everyone will enjoy whatever it is you settle on.
@Busy-Lizzie, I do hope Charlie ends up producing lots of grandchildren so I can enjoy them like you do, the family time sounds idyllic.
@Badly_Maintained, thank you for your kind thoughts, I hope you don't feel too down about the inconvenience of poorly parents. So annoying to have plans scuppered like that. Will you enjoy a festive lunch, treat yourself, or perhaps have friends you can spend time with? Presumably, you're happy about being a childless bachelor, a lot to be said about being footloose and fancy free, but obviously can get lonely at times like Christmas etc. I hope in the main you are happy.
I think it'll have to be a very special person for me to get involved with, I'll be happy just broadening my circle of friends for the time being. Looking forward to longer days, not a fan of dark winter days.
Anyway, here's some jolly pictures of my staff and customers from the last few days.
Merry Christmas All.
A fabulous team, we all work so well together. No pics of me, I'm stuck in the kitchen in the main, although to be fair, I'm happy with that! 😅
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
Posts
I have a hefty cream cheese and white chocolate cheese cake to make later, I usually only make it when we have visitors but OH said he would like it, I hope he's going to eat it all!
Well a girl's gotta do what a girl likes to do, that's what I say.
One of my must-haves is mushy peas with Christmas dinner - a tradition in our family (mum from oop north). So it's always a thing to remember to put the dried marrowfat peas in soak. Only I and my OH eat them - but it does connect me to my childhood Christmases with my Grandma and Pop, my uncles, aunts and Mum and Dad - all gone now of course, along with their Sunderland accent which the younger generation (my mum and her sisters) tried to lose when the family moved down south, after my Grandpop's pit closed.
Another is the Christmas pudding which my sister now makes - from a recipe handed down from an uncle who was a cook in the army. I always shed a tear when that arrives but am always glad to see the pics. of her family on stir-up Sunday on FB - so I know a pudding will be coming!
Anyway, enough dawdling on her - presents to wrap!
Merry Christmas everyone.
Son and his lovely French wife wanted me to make English fish and chips for lunch. I made a beer batter, haven't done it for years, and thank goodness, it was a success. No mushy peas, we had salad.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Luxembourg
Thank you for your kindness @Badly_Maintained. The fall was nothing.
I wish you and your parents better days. Many here will know black dogs and their insidious nature especially at this time of year. Tell the obnoxious beast to eff off!
Luxembourg
Finally finished work, lovely last couple of days with our Breakfast with Santa event and Christmas Eve Brunch today. All very jolly, hard work of course, lots of preparation involved, but everything went smoothly and everyone was happy. Now we're closed for two days.
I'm doing a traditional English Christmas dinner this evening for Charlie and his dad, then tomorrow Charlie and I are going out with friends for lunch. It's about making me feel less guilty and Charlie not having to choose where he goes in the main, I'll make the best of it, but certainly not how I would have chosen to spend Christmas given a choice. All very complicated. Hopefully there'll be something good on TV.
All your plans sound good, lots of lovely sounding food. I'm sure everyone will enjoy whatever it is you settle on.
@Busy-Lizzie, I do hope Charlie ends up producing lots of grandchildren so I can enjoy them like you do, the family time sounds idyllic.
@Badly_Maintained, thank you for your kind thoughts, I hope you don't feel too down about the inconvenience of poorly parents. So annoying to have plans scuppered like that. Will you enjoy a festive lunch, treat yourself, or perhaps have friends you can spend time with? Presumably, you're happy about being a childless bachelor, a lot to be said about being footloose and fancy free, but obviously can get lonely at times like Christmas etc. I hope in the main you are happy.
I think it'll have to be a very special person for me to get involved with, I'll be happy just broadening my circle of friends for the time being. Looking forward to longer days, not a fan of dark winter days.
Anyway, here's some jolly pictures of my staff and customers from the last few days.
Merry Christmas All.
A fabulous team, we all work so well together. No pics of me, I'm stuck in the kitchen in the main, although to be fair, I'm happy with that! 😅