Unfortunately, Flo and I are spending Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day at home in the UK as Flo has to work on the Eve and Boxing Day itself.
However, after she finishes work on Boxing Day, it is straight down to Dover for an early boat on the 27th and we plan on arriving in Carmaux that evening. First task on arrival will be to get the tree up, wreath on the door and crack open the wine. Mother-in-law will, I am sure, have got the fire lit and a meal on the go by the time we arrive as she is like that regardless of how much we tell her to relax!
Next day it is straight down to the local Super U to buy a television so that we dont miss the New Years Day concert from Vienna and to stock up for the rest of our time there.
French family will be joining us for a big meal on New Years Day and sometime between when we arrive and then we will invite the neighbours and our builder (who rescued the situation with the oil tank in October) over for apero - we need to speak with him about some modifications to the drive, a new car port and some work on the house.
The only down side is that I have to be back at work on the 7th January so we have a boat to catch from Calais on the 6th.
The doing something voluntary thing has kind of mutated. We have discovered my disabled cousin (I spend Christmas with his sister and her family) will be on his own apart from his carers visits. He doesn’t live too far from me so we are going to meet up at his house and spend the afternoon with him then I will drive down to theirs and we will have a big meal on Boxing Day when midwife niece is off
I am making brawn for my friend who is 92.
I am also making a sauce gribiche to go with it.
I had to go to three shops to get the tarragon, someone cleared Grand Frais and the neighbouring shop out of tarragon and I had to stop at a huge Super U on the way home to find it.
A British/French collaboration.
I have just put a Christmas pudding, without suet, to simmer for one and a half hours.
I found the recipe from times Online.
Will report the outcome.
I am making brawn for my friend again and have put the pig’s head and an ox tongue to brine for three days.
They only sell the head without the tongue, so I have had to buy the ox tongue and I will cook that to use in the brawn and have some left over for ourselves. With Madeira Sauce I think.
OH has just discovered that after lining the base of a spring-form cake tin… he really needs to close the spring…
Ooooops… chocolate cake mix oozing out of the bottom. Panic struck and I stupidly lifted the tin slightly, trying to find out what was wrong… and the whole thing started to come apart.
Mmm… might end up with a strangely shaped cake, but who cares so long as it tastes good. Smells good already…
Fantastic end of term party for the kids yesterday. Father Christmas put in his usual appearance… and the kids were so pleased to see him. Many of them chatted about the reindeer, how fast could they run/fly… what did they eat. Some kids wanted to follow FC when he went to leave… as they wanted to stroke the reindeer…
Fortunately, the kids understood his explanation … that the awful weather and flooded grasslands, meant there was little for the reindeer to eat… but FChristmas had spotted a decent patch not too far away and he had left his reindeer to munch happily, while he walked into the village…
