Winter Wonderland!

Had a wonderful pre Christmas eve day at home today. Was absolutely perfect. Got up and drove to "Lutterworth" to fetch Dave F and we went to "Morrisons". Got ingredients for some cute little Christmas treats we're going to dole out as presents.

Reindeer sweets: melt chocolate and spoon into a circle on greaseproof paper. Add matchmakers for antlers, halved white chocolate buttons for ears, dark choc mini buttons for eyes and another white choc button for nose as I forgot to buy glace cherries.

Then we met Leils, Hayden and Hayden's sister Catherine for a pub lunch in "Chequers" in "Ullesthorpe". These words must sound very alien to outta towners but I assure you they're very normal countryside places. I had chicken tikka. Oh so festive. Maybe I could be like Prince Albert and start some new Christmas traditions!

Then we popped back to "Monks Kirby" and went for our second walk in the fields that day with "Lexie". Had lots of fun playing on the iced over lake until the cracking sounds got ominous. Was less Casualty than earlier on in the day when Lexie was chasing ducks over the ice and fell through. Whoops. It was kinda funny because he looked so amusing struggling to get out but also very worrying and upsetting. Luckily Dave ran to his rescue with no thought to his own safety and managed to pull him out. Poor doggy. Thankfully within seconds of chasing pheasants he was dry and warm again. Aside from that scare we all thoroughly enjoyed the day.

After that we had a cup of tea and I drove everyone back to "Lutterworth". Now I'm sitting by the fire watching Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason. Don't think this day could get any better.

Bye for now reindeers, I love you just the way you are.*. xxxxxx

*Bridget Jones reference just incase others aren't as into RomComs as me.

I like an animal in every course

AAh had the most wonderful Christmas weekend with my friends in London. After enjoying friday night with Chaz and Bob planning Christmas dinner games schedule over Clementine cava, we went out on Sat for Mark's work party which was probably TOO much fun. Amid the aftermath the next day Chazzy and I met Bob and David Haddrell, his friends, and Alex for Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.

We cuddled up in the Bavarian village for a Bratwurst and mulled wine.

Once sated we ventured back to make paper chains and peel veg whilst watching Mrs Doubtfire

Sashy and Roast arrived after work and we gathered in our decorated Christmas room for bucks fizz and appetizers of nuts, olives, bread and dip, and these snappy little canopes. Bite sized exquisite morsels of soft cheese and a grape wrapped up in parma ham and secured with a cocktail stick. Have to credit Dave Fairbrother with the design of these beauts but we gave them a wintery twist with cranberry cheese. Very refreshing. Thanks DF.

Dinner was roast chicken, roast potatoes, parnsnip, swede, carrots, brussel sprouts, pigs in blankets, gravy, bread sauce, cranberry sauce from Mulberry Drive, and lots of mulled wine.

Finished off with a white chocolate cheese cake chaser with raspberry coulis. Everyone got a bit freaked out about the way the gelatin had set in little chewy chunks throughout the cheesecake so I pretended it was crystallised fruit until Alex guessed it. Someone said, 'oh that's fine, as long as it's only vegetarian gelatin. At least we've not got bits of beef in our cake..'

Yep...

Oh and we had a secret santa and everyone loved their presents. I'm wearing all three things Sashy got me right now. We also played games and had lots of fun although there were terrible unfounded rumours that my team cheated.

Then we watched mamma mia sing along all night long shouting the words at the tops of our voices. Bye for now neighbours xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx