Well, despite Gareth’s best efforts to ruin it, we had a fantastic Christmas. It started on Christmas Eve when we trundled into Sheffield to hit Waitrose before it closed. I needed carrots, cat biscuits and a new saucepan. The Builder had broken the old one while peeling Christmas potatoes and flooded the kitchen at the same time – the handle had come loose (which I knew) and as he added potatoes to the water it was draining out the hole I didn’t know about where the weld had previously been! Water had gone everywhere! Anyway. WE didn’t really need to go to Waitrose in Sheffield to acquire those few things; Sainsbury in Chesterfield would have done. But I wanted to see if they were discounting any of their Christmas luxury yummy things. And they were. A Norfolk Turkey for £9; a marinated fillet of salmon that is so long I’ve had to bend it slightly to get it into the freezer. I may never get it out again! Other nice things. Freezer now well stocked for the foreseeable future.
We collected Freyja and Mark and came back to The Sidings for the celebrations to commence. We had a veritable Christmas Eve feast – a considerable departure from my more normal snacking as I prepare for Christmas Day! We had leek, potato and cheese soup, then chicken (or “chicken” for the veggies) kievs with roasties and mash and veg. Then we had a baked cinnamon pudding with ice cream. Was all very yummy. Then Freyja and Mark went to bed, The Builder and I moved onto the comfy chairs – and promptly went to sleep!!!! Went to bed about two hours later. Grin.
And so to Christmas Day. Up fairly early, given that it was Christmas Day, but late by our more recent standards. Bacon (facon) butties all around, then onto the first burst of present opening. :). Austin rang from Mount Helen and I spoke to all the family. Very noisy, it sounded. Then Tabitha, Gareth and Marryk arrived and we had a second burst of present opening. Austin rang again. Alas, Freyja and Mark had to leave us then. The Builder took them back to Sheffield and the rest of us had a Nice Cup of Tea while we waited for him to come back. Then the full enormity of Gareth’s transgressions were slowly and gradually revealed to us when Tabitha asked him where he had put the golden syrup. Oops. And the crackers? Double oops. This wouldn't have been half as funny, or generated anything like the teasing had it not been that I had particularly asked if they could bring beer, syrup and crackers and they had specifically gone out on Friday evening to buy them!
So, what to do? There are no shops open in Tupton over Christmas. I can’t think of a convenience store in Chesterfield that would be open (not to say there isn’t one; I just don’t know where one might be). But the Spar on Ecclesall Road will be. I’ll ring The Buil…… Nope. Can’t. He is still phoneless. Oh well. Never mind. Don’t suppose we’ll really miss the crackers, and I have honey and jam for the rice pudding. Mind you, The Builder had suggested in Waitrose yesterday that we should buy crackers given that they were half price but I couldn’t think of any likely Christmas cracker emergency that might arise so didn’t bother! Tabitha rang Austin, and talked to the whole family. It was still noisy!
The Builder came back and we cracked open the beer and fizzy wine and embarked on a third round of present opening. I have a magnificent haul of pressies. I have a radio controlled dalek and a radio controlled K9. I have money/vouchers for fruit trees. I have perfume and candles. I have a very nice bottle indeed of French champagne. Lots and lots of lovely things. Rod rang just after 2 and spoke to Tabitha and me. He and Simon had met each other at The Boulevard Christmas lights earlier in the week. Simon had said that Rod intended to ring, as he customarily does, leading me to worry whether I had given him the new phone number. I had!
And we ate. And ate. And ate. And drank. We had nibbly things courtesy of Mr Waitrose and Mr Sainsbury at around 12:30 (the party pasties were especially yummy). At 3 we had a truly wonderful seafood soup. I added tiger prawns, crevettes, tiny crayfish tails, scallops and mussels to the lobster broth just before serving it. I surpassed myself with this soup, even if I do say so myself! Everyone except me played a complicated looking game with zombies. At 5:30 we had bacon wrapped pork loin and breast of lamb with apricot stuffing, both of which I bought at the Farmers’ Shop in Bakewell, with roasties and mash and veg. Then at 7:30 we enlivened the Doctor Who Christmas special with rice pudding, mince tart, gooseberry crumble, shortbread biscuits, custard and ice cream. At which point I retired from chef duties! We seem to have drunk prodigious quantities of beer (not guilty – I don’t drink beer!) and wine. I asked Gareth whether a rather nice bottle of Spanish red, fetchingly decorated with copper wire, would do for dinner. Oh, said he; you don't want to waste a really nice bottle of wine on me just for Christmas dinner. Strangely enough, I can think of very few more festive occasions when you might want to open a rather nice bottle of wine!
The Builder and I retired nice and early to bed, replete and happy. I do like sleeping :P (And Christmas!).
You wouldn’t think I could possibly be hungry this morning! But I am waiting very impatiently for Gareth to return from taking Marryk back into Sheffield so I can have my egg and bacon butty!
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