New Year 2024

Christmas Day went well. The weather has been warmer than usual - I don't think it's got down to single digits yet, even overnight. It was about 13 degrees when I woke up, so I went out for a short walk before par-boiling the potatoes (peeled the night before) and putting the Christmas pudding in the steamer. After breakfast we opened our presents, then walked to and from the church service. There were only about twenty people there; but I'm glad we went. 

By 11.30 we were back home and the major juggling act began. I missed my younger son even more than normal at that stage; he used to take over the kitchen entirely for Christmas Day. He is skilled at knowing when to get everything going, with all the food ready at exactly the right time. I find that much more difficult. I made a detailed list to ensure I didn't forget anything, but some of the timings were still a bit off.

However, we made use of our ancient but much-appreciated hostess trolley, which we bought second-hand in the spring of 2019. This rather cumbersome contraption enables quite a lot of different food to be kept hot without overcooking. 

Richard set the table: 

That was not without its own stresses, as one of our cats kept jumping up and disarranging (if that's a word) the cloth and runner. So he had to start over more than once. Eventually I shut Lady Jane in my study. 

Nine of us sat down to eat, ages ranging from 13 to 81, and I think they all had a good time. Once the food was all on the table - after a minor blip when it transpired that we'd forgotten to put out ANY of the four different dishes of vegetables! - I was able to relax. The crackers had the usual paper crowns and tiny silly gifts, some more interesting than others. It also had jokes, most of which I hadn't heard before. It's amazing how many bad Christmas-related jokes there must be. (What kind of photos do Santa's helpers take? Elfies...)

Once the main course had been finished, we cleared away the food and the dishwasher went on for the first time that day. I am so, so thankful for my dishwasher when we entertain. Nobody was really hungry any more, but the desserts came out anyway, and I think everyone found space for something. The Christmas pudding, made a few weeks earlier, turned out very well, as did the entirely dairy-free trifle which I'd made on Christmas Eve. 

I had a feeling something was missing as I sat down, then remembered the mince pies which I had put in the oven after turning it off, to warm them up a bit. 

Then the three teenage girls went to watch some DVDs, our oldest guest went to take a nap, and the remaining five of us played a board game. As we finished our older son called for a video chat; we miss the family a lot, particularly at this time of year, but being able to see them and what they're doing makes it a little easier. Then, although nobody was hungry, other than one of the teenage girls, we got out things for a high tea, and large amounts of food were consumed by all. 

The dishwasher ran for a second time afterwards and we managed to fit all the leftovers in the fridge. Our younger son then called to chat online... our guests departed... and I went up to bed, tired but pleased that all had gone well.

I didn't plan to do any cooking for the next few days; by Thursday, however, we had finished the leftover roast potatoes (reheated) and I'd had enough of turkey for a while, so we froze what remained and I made omelettes with potato wedges, one of my favourite meals that's quick and easy to prepare. There were still plenty of cut-up cold vegetables to go with it. 

By Friday I was feeling the need for getting out of the house for more than just my early morning walks. We didn't need to do any supermarket shopping, but I did want to check the PO Box. So we drove to town, and parked at the marina. Then we walked along the sea front, collected a card and parcel that had arrived, and walked back along one of the other streets. We popped into the book shop but didn't see anything that grabbed us - and it's not as if we're lacking in books. 

I was surprised at how warm it felt - the official temperature was something like 21 degrees but in the sunshine it felt rather higher. So we stopped for smoothies.

On Saturday, when I popped out in the afternoon for some fruit and vegetables that we needed, I was startled to see the shop that used to be a supermarket (and which had many different names over the 16 years we've lived here) is being either knocked down or seriously renovated:

(That's not where I was planning on buying the produce; it's been closed for over a year)

Sunday morning was relaxing; even the cats decided not to bat or chase each other, as they have been prone to do recently. Instead, they slept next to each other in the sunshine:

In the evening we were invited to our friends' home for a New Year's Eve gathering; there were 12 of us for a meal, and one extra who arrived a bit later. We played a few games after eating, and it was all very pleasant. But I'm not a night owl. The older I become, the earlier I seem to need to sleep. By 11pm I was finding it hard to keep my eyes open, and other guests were making a move, so Richard decided to bring me home. I would have stayed until midnight if he had wanted to, but was very thankful. 

Not that there was much chance of sleep, since we knew that, at midnight, there would be a few minutes of very loud fireworks.  We heard them, but happily there didn't seem to be any more and I slept reasonably well until about 6.30am.  It wasn't nearly enough sleep (I really need eight hours every night) and I've felt a bit zombie-like today. But I got done the things I planned to do, and by writing this blog have managed to stay awake until 8.30pm... and hope to be asleep in about half an hour's time.