We are very lucky people – it’s always a massive bonus to see another Christmas, to be in decent health so we can enjoy it, and to share it with so many brilliant friends!
Kicked off Xmas week with Fi & Rich coming up for a night out at Tooting Market and a curry back at ours. We hit the 2-4-1 cocktails at our usual bar and they are actually pretty decent there! We did however seem to be pretty much the only nobs out in their Xmas jumpers and hats, H & Rich sporting their matching Screwfix sweaters, super stylish.
We were then off to Kew Gardens for the Xmas lights there, for the 3rd year in a row. Possibly slightly less wow-y than previous years – bring back the overhead disco section – but still very good and a perfect crisp and cold night without a drop of the wet stuff.
Then Janine & Ross popped round for Xmas Eve lunch, to swap our very exciting bags of Xmas gifties and to have first crack at H’s gammon ham. Which he had sweetly made with one end free of cloves, as they’re not Ross’s favourite flavouring.. Only got photos of the dogs, looking angelic in the soon-to-be-satisfied hope of a Dentastick..
Maddie has been loving the wintry chill – and obviously the mud and general December filth, one of her favourite seasons. Us less so, having to wash and dry her every single time we are out… She is one very happy doggie though and we obvs love her to bits.
And suddenly it was Xmas Day! We were very kindly invited next door, as we were two years ago, and had a great day with them. H stumped up a fair bit of the meal – roast spuds, parsnips, cranberry sauce, xmas pudding, plus my trifle, Mum’s chestnut mince, crackers, cocktails, fizz etc etc. There was a slight bread sauce tragedy – the saucepan has now almost been resurrected but the sauce was a goner.
The day shot by, with drinks & nibbles, Secret Santa swapping, H instructing the girls on the all-important skill of cocktail-shaking, the main food event, giving Mads her own plate of full dinner (gone in a nanosecond), playing Worst Case Scenario and a couple of other games, scoffing pudding and finally crawling the whole 10 yards back to get home… Easy, funny and a very good way to spend the day. We are v fortunate to have such good, lovely neighbours.
Boxing Day was our chance to have a day together – cooking a rather spanking pork roast and enjoying a bit of (bucks) fizz as we opened out prezzie stash and took Mads out for a trot, me resplendent in my Xmas onesie… Always a relief to find I can still fit into it each year.
Maddie did very well with three sets of presents and is now the very happy owner of several new balls, including this one, that squeaks and apparently floats, so its on the Spain packing list already..
Somehow we managed to drag ourselves into town yesterday to meet the Helens, and Helen V’s hubby Yats and their two now very grown up teens, Merle & Mei for lunch. Before the 3 of us college chums went across to the Coliseum to see the Nutcracker – with Helen V’s Mum Kate and her friend in the row behind us, crashing our selfie.. Poor Helen V is still sporting a gap in her smile from where she came off her bike a while back and knocked a tooth out..
The main reason for me going to my third ever ballet was because our college friend Martin was back in the UK to conduct the English National Ballet company who were dancing it. Martin lives in San Fran now (where he conducts SFB) so it was great to see him doing his thing and taking the final centre stage bow at the end! Went for a quick cuppa after as the poor bloke was back to do the evening show shortly after.. Me, thank god, no. One ballet a decade is plenty!
What a week it’s been. And it’s only the 28th now – still more merriment to come, then my liver & I will def be needing a short break from festivities to recover x