Boxing Day

I had such a lovely time yesterday, that today has felt a little flat. The novelty of the previous night's peace and quiet had been short lived and I found myself missing the general activity and chaos of Christmas Day. Grateful, however, for the opportunity to have even had that.

I was awake early, as usual, and enjoyed my first coffee of the day (there have been many) by the glow of the fairy lights. Our little tree has done well this year.  Although I've kept it well watered, I've still needed to vacuum up the pine needles frequently. Not that you'd notice, as fortunately there aren't any bare patches. It's staying right where it is for now but will probably get planted in the garden next weekend. 

I've spent the day doing very little, it's been pleasantly relaxed. Had the weather been better we'd have gone out for a walk, but aside from a brief visit this morning, the wind and rain have seen me keeping warm and cosy indoors for the remainder of the day. It hasn't stopped me checking out possible routes for the week ahead, however :)

Meals have been picky, made up of Christmas leftovers - crackers, cheese, chocolates and gingerbread - and my body isn't thanking me for it. Too much rich food, I've been feeling lethargic and sluggish all afternoon. You'd think I would know better at my age. Hopefully a good night's sleep and some 'proper' food tomorrow will have me feeling brighter and a bit more energised. Someone please hide the Quality Street.

How was your day?

J. X

Christmas Day

It's been a lovely day, and one I'm sure I will remember for a long time. More fortunate than many, we have been able to share our celebrations, so we've enjoyed a day of great company, delicious food and played a lot of games. And it was a very happy little girl who made her way upstairs to bed earlier this evening, having had her 'best Christmas ever'.

Now, the table is cleared, the dishes are done and it's time to relax with a large glass of Baileys.

Merry Christmas.

J. X

The Stockings were Hung by the Chimney with Care

The house is quiet. There's a mince pie, a small glass of brandy and a carrot plated up on the coffee table, and I'm hoping Lily will soon be fast asleep. I won't be long out of bed myself, as I expect it will be an early start for me in the morning.

I've had a busy, but very relaxed day, a Christmas Eve to remember for all the right reasons. 

This morning we  enjoyed a climb up Catbells, one of the lower Lakeland fells which overlooks Derwentwater and is a popular walk with people visiting Keswick. A beautiful but bitterly cold morning, we took our time on the ascent, pausing regularly to appreciate the views. It was lovely (and very festive) to see the snow on the surrounding higher fells, and we needed to tread carefully to avoid the patches of ice on the path. Well, I did at least. Lily couldn't resist the feeling of it crunching beneath her boots.

It was only a short walk, so it wasn't long before we were heading home, full of excitement to begin our Christmas celebrations. After warming up with a large mug of coffee, I put my bread to bake in the oven and Lily added the finishing touches to our gingerbread house. 

This evening we've enjoyed the (still warm) bread with some delicious baked camembert and cranberry sauce and I finally opened the tin of Quality Street - I didn't trust myself to open it any earlier :) I might have also enjoyed a festive tipple or two.

Tomorrow, I expect, will be full of fun and laughter, a last opportunity for the family to be together for a while. I hope however you are spending it this year, that you manage to have yourself a happy, healthy and joyful Christmas.

J. X

Almost Ready for Christmas

 

The weather this morning was horrible. Wet, windy and about as un-festive as you can get. Fortunately, I didn't have anywhere I needed to go. Most of my Christmas preparations are done now, so I've spent the majority of my day in the kitchen, baking even more cinnamon shortbread, icing the gingerbread house and mixing together the dough for the no-knead bread, to be enjoyed with  some baked camembert tomorrow evening.

I'm considering our gingerbread house a success. I always use this recipe here. It's a very simple make, which means there's more fun to be had in decorating it. That said, ours has minimal icing and sweets, just the way Lily prefers it. I added cinnamon and cloves to my mix as well, which enhances the flavour. And another thing I would say is that the recipe makes far too much dough than you will need, but I've put the excess in the freezer to bake cookies with at a later date. Our gingerbread house is iced now but it needs a good dusting with icing sugar, which I've promised Lily she can do tomorrow, so I'll post a picture of the finished house then. 

This evening we've been playing some games, including  Prickly Pile up. A Christmas present for Lily a couple of years ago, it is now a firm favourite and one of those which I'm sure we will enjoy playing for many years to come. 

We have some plans for tomorrow which are dependent on the weather, but first there are presents to wrap. I'm just waiting on a certain little someone to fall asleep. I'm not sure I can remember a time when I felt so relaxed on the run up to Christmas. I'm sure there is a lesson in there somewhere. 

J. X