Christmas Reflections

I realised that it is about time that this blog addressed Christmas. As it is now the 27^th, the day after Boxing Day it is perhaps time to reflect. We had a contrasting Christmas, by Saturday the 23^rd the preparations were well in hand, most of the provisions had been bought and the house was fully decorated.

So it was the day to see the grandchildren. Now it was quickly evident that they were very excited at the coming of Christmas. There was much whooping and exuberant behaviour. There was also much extortion practiced on their grandfather. I am now a fully paid up member of Millie’s spy club and was rinsed for a tip by Martha as a reward for serving peanuts before dinner. We had a great dinner of homemade pizza, which was a great anecdote to the Christmas food that we would eat later in the week. Traditional electronic games followed, although Marion and Laura appear quite puzzled here, it did keep them very quiet for a long time!

By Christmas Day we were quite tired after a succession of late nights, so we were grateful that there were no young children to give us an early wakeup call. Instead it was a brisk walk to the seafront where Marion joined us. There was a lovely rainbow, however I do not think that the light was good enough to capture it. In the opposite direction the castle headland was distinctly outlined in the clear winter light.

Back home we opened some excellent presents, with much future reading and technology to master. Then Marion concentrated on cooking the traditional Christmas dinner. We can see her here carving the bird. It my opinion it was an absolutely superb dinner. The turkey was beautifully succulent with lovely stuffing and vegetables. Instead of the traditional pudding we had Marion’s (Paul Hollywood’s’) fantastic limoncello trifle. Every year I say the Christmas dinner cannot get any better, and every year Marion proves me wrong. After dinner it was time to relax with a traditional Christmas movie, well perhaps Baby Driver is not traditional, but it was entertaining.

After that Boxing Day also took a traditional form, off to the football in the afternoon. As a festive bonus Boro under a new manager recorded an easy wind. Then in the evening it was a feast of cold cuts and a festive game of Scrabble with our friends Iain and Barbara. Not quite a festive ending as I lost by two points.

So now we reflect on the year past and look forward to 2018.

The Lake District

We are staying in the Lake District on a pre-Christmas Break. Yesterday saw a window in the weather that we took advantage of to drive into the hills. The sun came out and the clouds gradually lifted over the snow capped Cumbrian Mountains. As we approached the bottom of Coniston Water there was a rainbow over the top of the Lake. Unfortunately it is not quite visible in the photo that I took.

We stopped for coffee at the Bluebird Café right on the edge of the lake, it was full of light so the sun shone right onto Marion’s back. The lake was very placid here with almost no activity so that it was possible to imagine the ill-fated water speed record attempt by Donald Campbell. This of course took place at this time of year. 

Unfortunately as we left the sun slipped behind the clouds and it was back to damp grey weather. However we had had a tantalising view of the beauty of the Lake District.

Should I buy a Lottery Ticket?

We are on holiday with our friends Iain and Barbara in lovely accommodation near Grange over Sands in the Lake District. Despite the weather it has been a lovely relax, Marion and I have spent a great deal of time in the pool on aquarobics. Marion is quite lethal with her noodle, it is just as well there is nobody else around, there would be a few visits to A & E.

Today I have been on a lucky streak, so much so that I need to go out and buy a lottery ticket, as I will be a millionaire by tomorrow morning. First of all we had a good morning as I described. Following Marion’s mentoring makes exercise in the pool really enjoyable. At the end of the session I felt well exercised, and my muscles were feeling very stretched. The perfect anecdote was a long relaxing sauna.

After a snack lunch of apple with a lovely runny Brie cheese we drove into Grange. It is an old fashioned small town where there are a number of family shops. One outdoor shop had a particularly helpful lady who spent a lot of time with me trying on a new set of walking boots. These are a key bit of equipment and important that it is got right. I am confident that I have made a good purchase, but the proof of course will only be when I first undertake a long walk. Of course being my lucky day we found a parking space outside of the shop.

The same was the case at out next stop, a delightful café that has become our favourite, parking in a space right outside. At this point it started to rain heavily, but we were snug inside, indeed the rain was prolonged so we were forced to have another coffee. By this time it had stopped so on a very wet day we had done all of our errands without getting wet.

Late afternoon I played Iain at snooker, I was getting well beaten needing snookers with five colours left. Two lucky snookers later It came down to a black ball came, I was faced with a difficult pot, wham straight in with aplomb.

After dinner we played Scrabble, I won by one point. The result hinging on count-back.

So I am off to buy a lottery ticket.

Busy Weekend

It has been a busy pre-Christmas Weekend; full a lot of good things, so I am now sat down at teatime on Sunday enjoying a rest in front of the television. Thank fully unlike the rest of the country we have been spared significant snowfall, however it has been really cold.

Friday started ordinarily enough with a trip to the gym while Marion attended her aquasise class in the pool. The advantage of the cold is that it does not take long to get into the swing of the activity as an antidote to the cold. In the evening we had planned to play bridge with a starter of fish and chips. Now fish and chips is a real treat, especially from our local shop, which luckily is one of the best chippies that I know. It was great, plump haddock well fried with fresh chips and lashings of tartare sauce. Washed down with a lovely glass of Portuguese white.

It was almost as though Laura had returned home unexpectedly for that treat alone. The bridge was though not good. I am in a run of bad hands, for the first time for two sessions I actually bid and played a hand. Still the great thing about bridge is there is always something to keep the interest.

After a late night talking to Laura there was no lie in as we were off to the monthly food market in Malton. As it was a pre-Christmas market it was necessary to get there early. There are many local producers who have stalls at the market. Marion’s favourite is the Syrian refugee who sells halloumi cheese. Today Marion bought some smoked halloumi. It was delicious the salty flavour complimenting perfectly the smoky taste. There were many other treats including our favourite chocolate producers, Butterfly Chocolates from Pocklington. They combine top quality chocolate with innovative flavours. Marion is a particular fan of the white chocolate with cardoman. Me, I am more of a fruit and nut man.

We met our friends Iain and Barbara at Roost Coffee and after a quick caffeine boost we parted our ways. The men and Laura to the football, Marion and Barbara back home. As an added bonus the Boro won, although the display was not entirely convincing. A superb curry that Marion had cooked rounded off the day. Delicious!

Sunday brought a well-deserved lie in, and I fetched the Christmas decorations from the loft. Marion and Laura did the artistic stuff while I provided the labour. The house now looks a picture set-up for Christmas. After eating that halloumi cheese we headed out to deliver the last of the local Christmas cards. Laura and I ended up on the seafront and had a coffee in a seaside café. The tide was out but even in that condition the sea was impressive. Then it was home for a relax on the settee. A great busy weekend, which will finish with a relaxing evenings television.

Follies

On Tuesday and Wednesday of last week we made the long trip to London to see a show at the National Theatre. Follies had taken my eye back in the early autumn, I was attracted by the stellar reviews that it received, and that Marion is a great fan of Sondheim musicals. Well the effort was well worthwhile and had some unexpected bonuses.

The Olivier Theatre was completely full for a Wednesday matinee, though it has to be said the majority was of our demographic. This theatre provides a huge flexible space for the director to work with, all of which was used to the maximum effect for visual impact. The brilliance was that this did not detract from the intensely personal story of mature relationships that was being told by the actors. The theatricality complimented the story rather than overwhelming it.

Marion tells me that the singing was excellent, she of course knows whether they hit the correct notes or not better than me. The dancing was athletic, subtle, and clever powerfully carrying the story forward. Sondheim wrote the show as a single long act, and this was very effective in giving the musical coherence. Of course such a show could only be performed at a subsidised London theatre on the scale of the National Theatre. The size of the cast and the ambition of the sets are only possible in such an environment.

A confession I am not a great lover of musicals, but I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. Surprisingly the logistics were also very easy and successful. We parked right under the theatre, a lift ride away from the auditorium, and because Marion has a blue badge the parking was free. We were not looking forward to the drive home from central London in the middle of the evening rush hour, however the sat-nav took us through the West End and so we were able to view the spectacular Christmas lights and catch the vibe of the shoppers in Oxford Street. Not only that we were home before eleven.

So the day was hugely and a lesson to us that London is accessible and worth the effort for great shows.