Early Risers.

[TheQ]

5 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

On alternate years we go to our daughters for dinner on the 25th, son in law cooks brussels stir fried with bacon lardons, superb way to produce a tasty accompaniment to out turkey ( I have a Guinea fowl for boxing day at home when the sprouts will more traditional)

After part boiling them Ive cooked  Brussels that way as well plus a few chestnuts thrown in.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. @TheQ You can still get walking sticks made from brussel sprout stalks only today they are grown just for the stalks as the ones from the modern vegetable aren't long enough. Most of the walking sticks come from Jersey where they are known as Jersey cabbage sticks. I have one that belonged to my great grandfather and is about 120 years old.

[petethemole]

Afternoon awl.  After a quick read through of the last day and a half I regret to have to report sick, although recovering.  At 7ish yesterday morning  I awoke needing the bathroom for what transpired to be a nasty bout of gastric chaos, in several instalments.  I spent the remainder of the day in bed, eating nothing and having sips of water.  The, hopefully, last intalment was this morning and have since been nibbling dry toast and feeling run down.  That's two days of shopping missed and supplies are a bit lacking.  Current plan is for Mrs mole and Martyn to go to Sainsbury but it's not happened yet.  Yule is very low key here anyway.

[PupCam]

Afternoon.

 

With the exception of the over-active air molecule movement that has been a feature recently, today has been very clement.     A message on one of my WhatsApp groups suggested a trip over to Woburn Triumph for coffee and banter.    Well, it would have been rude not to so an RD thrash was thrashed.

 

The coffee was a  long time coming but then again, the little notice in the cafe window states they don't do fast food so please be patient.   So we were 🤣  

 

After putting the world to rights and admiring some rather fine machinery  it was time for home ....

 

 

Anyway, it looks like it will only be a white Christmas if we drop a bag of flour!  

 

TTFNQ

 

 

[southern42]

One cake iced and decorated.

 

  

 

   

 

   

 

Now to sort out the groceries.

 

[Hroth]

45 minutes ago, southern42 said:

One cake iced and decorated.

 

  

 

   

 

   

 

Now to sort out the groceries.

 

 

For a minute I thought it was a CAPTCHA...    "Click on all Christmas Greetings"  🙃

 

 

 

[DaveF]

Today ended up quite busy.  I was going out to buy a paper when I saw next door's son, he told me his Mum (who is my age) is in the local A&E hospital just down the road following two falls.  I suspect a combination of her trapped nerve and amitriptyline she has been given.  She will not be home for Christmas.  So I decided I needed a get well card.  I got the papers in the little Tesco Extra then went to the beach and had a quick walk as it was windy.  I took a few photos, some are below.  There were some surfers and the park run was just finishing.  Next I went into town and parked as easily as I expected - i.e. drove along and left the car at the side of the road. 

 

First I went into Frameworks (photo again below), had a look round and decided to have coffee and a scone.  It has a "posh" coffee shop where you go to the cashier and she takes you to where you are going to sit, then you look at the menu and order what you want.  You can even prebook tables for coffee (and lunch and tea).  They are also a picture framer, "nice objects shop" and do furniture and decorative items.  As usual it was busy.  I bought a couple of "local" books which have some photos of the wartime submarine base at the harbour and railway photos I haven't seen before.

 

After that I walked along to the card shop and found something suitable and called at the newsagents where I got the latest MRJ.  Back home I dealt with e mails and sorted out today's photos.

 

This afternoon I've checked everything is ready for Christmas dinner, done some present wrapping and been round to a neigbours to get an address for the couple who moved about two years ago.  While I was there I was given tea and a mince pie and we had a good chat.

 

I am now changing the stock over on the Swiss layout to represent SBB instead of the Südostbahn, one of the Swiss private railway companies.

 

That's it for today, next is tea and reading and/or an old film.

 

Looking south to St Mary's lighthouse

 

A zoomed in view

 

A distant ship catching the light

 

Surfer

 

Frameworks Christmas window.  The polar bears are going to decorate the Angel of the North, some of the bears move.  They do a new window display each Christmas.  Inside the shop  there were reindeer wearing hard hats and yellow jackets (not real ones, moving life size models).  The labels on the polar bears' backs say "Angel Decorators Ltd".

 

David

 

 

Edited December 23, 2023 by DaveF
To add bits

[New Haven Neil]

Evening orl.

 

The hoolieness is back with a vengeance after easing up a bit through the day.  Lunch was munched at Milntown, the Manx NT place just down the road in the Bright Lights of Royal Ramsey.  We had a Sarf Efrican dish, enjoyed it.

 

[TheQ]

The tidal surge has hit. 

The broads authority say it's been very rapid.

 

[Barry O]

Visited youngest herbert. His "hervindoors" was busy washing down times etc.my her indoors helped out. Her indoors iscoff around tomorrow to sort outvsome curtains which need hemming.

 

Dr Eldest and youngest Herbert then put together a bed.. I was given another bed to do.. Guess who had the electric screwdriver?? ( hint it wasn't me!)

 

Pizza for tea..won't take long.

 

As it happens I hate sprouts despite the changes in their flavours.. its the only veg I object to!

 

Gammon for Christmas eve tea is in soak. It will be par booked then glazed in a mustard and honey glaze before being finished as a roast. May be served with eggs or beans and chips or wedges..

 

Her indoors has "decorated" the Christmas Cake (top is overdue in Aproct jam then nice patterns of walnuts, almonds and glacé cherries added.we don't "do" marzipan and icing..

 

Watched a bit of rugby .. quins v bath. Referees are getting soft nowadays. In my playing days raiding a fist was enough to go for an early bath and a few weeks watching the grass.

 

Time to.. have a mugadecaff!

 

Baz

[Coombe Barton]

Been out for the Santa run delivering. Fortunately found everyone in.

Then I felt teh urge and took myself off for a ride out into the sunset. The I came home I sat down before clearing up but fell asleep, So now it's cook, but first to clear up.

Supper will be later than planned

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Just had dinner, a mac-cheese as I'm not feeling very hungry. Didn't go out today as I found the Oxo cubes and there's nothing else that I need until after the holidays. The arthritis and sciatica are playing up so not much clearing up has been done.

[Andy Hayter]

Well compared with some of the posts here our shopping for the festive period would seem to be something of an epic covering 160km (100 miles), 4 food stores and two days.

 

Yesterday a descent into the Rhone valley firstly to a large deli/greengrocer store for fruit and veg - better quality and choice than the local supermarkets.  Then on to the big super/hypermarket for a fresh capon, English cheeses to accompany the European ones from the deli, etc..  Followed then by the "little" supermarket for their Deluxe items and then back up the hill.  By this time I had had enough and we went home so this morning saw a trip down the hill to the local supermarket for locally sourced fresh items.

 

At least we should now be set until the New Year with the possible exception of fresh milk. 

 

[Coombe Barton]

... for the season, we have some carols - Gutenberg’s carol - Carol for a line on the London underground - The late sheep dip carol – Typoman’s carol ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/12/23/sounds-of-the-season-2023-21-covid-reporting-has-gone-on-hols-the-virus-hasnt/

[Gwiwer]

Y’know how things say “Serves 4”?  And they might serve that number provided you’re not over-generous nor too hungry. 

 

So last week I got a turkey crown which suggested “Serves 4” because, well, turkeys don’t come in Small for just two. I got a turkey crown some years ago and it served two twice over. And so I thought this might be the same. 
 

As it was boxed and “oven-ready” complete with stuffing and jus I couldn’t see how much turkey was in the pack. 
 

Tonight we had our “pre-Christmas dinner” because we are away on Monday. We both had very generous helpings of turkey which was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. 
 

When I came to return the “leftovers” to the fridge I filled not one but two of our “serves 4” glass dishes. We gauge how much there is of something by using the larger or smaller (serves 2) sizes. 
 

So the “Serves 4” will end up providing at least ten generous portions. 
 

I believe it’s traditional to have more turkey than one knows how to enjoy at this time of year. I seem to have upheld that tradition. 
 

I also ensured that Dr. SWMBO’s Australian tradition of pavlova for dessert was provided for. Well a close approximation. “Cornish Pavlova” uses clotted cream in meringue nests with strawberries around the dish. 
 

[jamie92208]

Good evenIng from the village by the water.  The loft ladder was fitted quickly and some boards laid in the loft.  Dad then had another job allocated to sort out a cupboard door where the hinge screws had pulled out of the chipboard.  A quick trip to screw fix got me some M5 bolts andome headed nuts

dsthe door is now firmly attached. 

 

This afternoon an excited young lady wanted to go for a walk and she wanted  a story read this evening. 

 

It's all go.

 

Jamie

. 

[Coombe Barton]

24 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

This afternoon an excited young lady wanted to go for a walk and she wanted  a story read this evening. 

 

... which you're loving doing ...

[Coombe Barton]

26 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

I also ensured that Dr. SWMBO’s Australian tradition of pavlova for dessert was provided for.

Two nights ago on Radio 3 there was an essay on puddings - has been all week - this was about the pavlova - on BBC Sounds -  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001tb4s

[pH]

6 hours ago, southern42 said:

One cake iced and decorated.

 

  

 

   

 

   

We finished icing ours a couple of days ago and brought half of it with us to our son’s where we’re spending Christmas, along with a jar of home-made marmalade. Tastes seem to have skipped a generation in the family. None of our kids liked our Christmas cake or marmalade. The two grandsons here love them both. A chunk of the cake was eaten at dinner last night. Then my wife made them up a lunch today - crackers, hummus, banana, carrot and cucumber sticks, and crisps. She asked if there was anything else they would like. Answer -  “Marmalade toast, please.”

[Peter Kazmierczak]

We had bubble and squeak today as the sprouts I got a week or so ago were getting to the end of their shelf-life. So had to make another trip to Tesco (other stores available) to stock up on them for Christmas

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

Y’know how things say “Serves 4”?  And they might serve that number provided you’re not over-generous nor too hungry. 

 

So last week I got a turkey crown which suggested “Serves 4” because, well, turkeys don’t come in Small for just two. I got a turkey crown some years ago and it served two twice over. And so I thought this might be the same. 
 

As it was boxed and “oven-ready” complete with stuffing and jus I couldn’t see how much turkey was in the pack. 
 

Tonight we had our “pre-Christmas dinner” because we are away on Monday. We both had very generous helpings of turkey which was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. 
 

When I came to return the “leftovers” to the fridge I filled not one but two of our “serves 4” glass dishes. We gauge how much there is of something by using the larger or smaller (serves 2) sizes. 
 

So the “Serves 4” will end up providing at least ten generous portions. 
 

I believe it’s traditional to have more turkey than one knows how to enjoy at this time of year. I seem to have upheld that tradition. 
 

I also ensured that Dr. SWMBO’s Australian tradition of pavlova for dessert was provided for. Well a close approximation. “Cornish Pavlova” uses clotted cream in meringue nests with strawberries around the dish. 
 

 

I'd have plonked another strawberry upright in the cream....

 

 

I know, I can't be taken anywhere!

 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, pH said:

Tastes seem to have skipped a generation in the family.

An immigrant thing perhaps? Where as youngsters their peers might have made fun of "fruit cake"? Which is a punchline in the US - mostly because the tradition of making it at home for Christmas died out for some reason lost in time - perhaps as too "English" in some former colonies.

 

I wonder if many English Christmas traditions were lost in the New England colonies - the celebration being forbidden in the 17th century during the commonwealth*. (though the ban was repealed in 1681).

 

The state of Massachusetts is (one of few) know as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

I'm a big fan of Christmas cake. And Christmas pudding. And mince pies. None of which I'll have this year.

[Ozexpatriate]

A little while ago there was a discussion about SYD - MEL being a busy air route. It's still in the top 10 but not close to number one.

 

CNN: The world’s busiest flight routes for 2023

 

Quote

1. Jeju (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP)
2. Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) - Tokyo Haneda (HND)
3. Fukuoka (FUK) - Tokyo Haneda (HND)
4. Hanoi (HAN) - Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
5. Melbourne (MEL) - Sydney (SYD)
6. Beijing (PEK) - Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)
7. Tokyo Haneda (HND) - Okinawa Naha (OKA)
8.  Jeddah (JED) - Riyadh (RUH)
9. Mumbai (BOM) - Delhi (DEL)
10. Jakarta (CGK) - Bali Denpasar (DPS)

 

KUL-SIN is the busiest international flight. The only European (region)/US airport to make the top 10 is LHR-JFK.