back to normal?

[Mike.. . . .]

Two days was quite enough. Yet to have a single mince pie. Left over
ham for lunch.

But I wonder if anybody here were in the unlucky thousands who were
flooded, had no power, stranded at Gatwick in the dark, cart crushed
by a tree and so on?
--
Mike... . . . .
Cracker jokes:-
What does the Queen call her Christmas Broadcast?
The One Show.
Why did Rudolph the reindeer have the complete works of Shakespeare on his top lip?
Because his nose was well read.
Mary and Joseph - now they had a stable relationship.
Why did no-one bid for Rudolph and Blitzen on eBay?
Because they were two deer.
What did Santa do when he went speed dating?
He pulled a cracker.

[Ophelia]

Post by Mike.. . . .
Two days was quite enough. Yet to have a single mince pie. Left over
ham for lunch.
But I wonder if anybody here were in the unlucky thousands who were
flooded, had no power, stranded at Gatwick in the dark, cart crushed
by a tree and so on?
--
Mike... . . . .
Cracker jokes:-
What does the Queen call her Christmas Broadcast?
The One Show.
Why did Rudolph the reindeer have the complete works of Shakespeare on his top lip?
Because his nose was well read.
Mary and Joseph - now they had a stable relationship.
Why did no-one bid for Rudolph and Blitzen on eBay?
Because they were two deer.
What did Santa do when he went speed dating?
He pulled a cracker.

<g> I think you ought to go and hit those mince pies ...

[Mike.. . . .]

Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia

Post by Mike.. . . .
What did Santa do when he went speed dating?
He pulled a cracker.

<g> I think you ought to go and hit those mince pies ...

I'm told that the reason cracker jokes have to be bad is that it
unites everybody in a groan. Good jokes usually only appeal to half a
general audience, so dividing them.

Meanwhile if you need a Christmas breakfast to get you started again,
how about Jamaican dark rum and marmalade cocktail?

[Ophelia]

Post by Mike.. . . .
Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia

Post by Mike.. . . .
What did Santa do when he went speed dating?
He pulled a cracker.

<g> I think you ought to go and hit those mince pies ...

I'm told that the reason cracker jokes have to be bad is that it
unites everybody in a groan. Good jokes usually only appeal to half a
general audience, so dividing them.
Meanwhile if you need a Christmas breakfast to get you started again,
how about Jamaican dark rum and marmalade cocktail?

ewwwwwww I am a G&T girl! How about you?

[Mike.. . . .]

Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia

Post by Mike.. . . .
Meanwhile if you need a Christmas breakfast to get you started again,
how about Jamaican dark rum and marmalade cocktail?

ewwwwwww I am a G&T girl! How about you?

the only thing I *ever* drink at breakfast is champagne.
lunchtime I would favour beer in a pub or rose in the garden (but
probably nothing).

Which brings us to the evening, where it goes thusly (but not all in
one evening!)

G&T or dry sherry.
table wine to match the food, the reds will be Spanish (ribero first
choice), whites might be anything.
port or red with any cheese.
sauternes with any pudding (probably neither)

Spanish brandy or if worlds to be put to rights - whisky

[Ophelia]

Post by Mike.. . . .
Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia

Post by Mike.. . . .
Meanwhile if you need a Christmas breakfast to get you started again,
how about Jamaican dark rum and marmalade cocktail?

ewwwwwww I am a G&T girl! How about you?

the only thing I *ever* drink at breakfast is champagne.
lunchtime I would favour beer in a pub or rose in the garden (but
probably nothing).
Which brings us to the evening, where it goes thusly (but not all in
one evening!)
G&T or dry sherry.
table wine to match the food, the reds will be Spanish (ribero first
choice), whites might be anything.
port or red with any cheese.
sauternes with any pudding (probably neither)
Spanish brandy or if worlds to be put to rights - whisky

I've gone through most of those things in my time, but I am now happy to
stick to my G&T! I sometimes have wine with my food but I can't say I am
bothered. These days I leave the whisky to his lordship:) Heck, I know
you won't understand this, but I have gone off champagne too!!!

[Mike.. . . .]

Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia
I sometimes have wine with my food but I can't say I am
bothered.

I could not bother with wine on its own, but food without wine is IMO
like a day without sunshine or something.

The only thing I go off with champagne is the price.

[Ophelia]

Post by Mike.. . . .
Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia
I sometimes have wine with my food but I can't say I am
bothered.

I could not bother with wine on its own, but food without wine is IMO
like a day without sunshine or something.
The only thing I go off with champagne is the price.

heh no surprise there. I can get a few bottles of nice gin for what I used
to pay for that. Just isn't worth it, although that isn't the reason in
particular I can't be bothered with it ... I just don't get pleasure from it
now. I went all traditional for dinner on Wednesday with turkey and did
have a couple of bottles of Pinot Grigio. Seems to be all I like these
days. D. still likes a decent red but I am right off that now.

Anyway, while you are here, what did you cook for Christmas dinner?

[Mike.. . . .]

Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia
Anyway, while you are here, what did you cook for Christmas dinner?

we had lamb from blackface.com, preceeded by various seafood from
somebody in the west country, both via web. Cooked the lamb at home
then took it to MIL's in the insulated box it came in, still hot when
served. Got a ginormous white chocolate cake from Belgique, "click and
collect", nightmare, north circular closed both directions, normally
its 1/2 hour away, had to take local roads to get back, through
Stratford and other places I had not been since a youf chasing girls.
Luckily, having lost so much time, Belgique had range of Belgian
cheeses as no time left to get to Borough Market with the trains not
running because of storm damage. But typically for Xmas, havent eaten
the cheese yet.

[Ophelia]

Post by Mike.. . . .
Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia
Anyway, while you are here, what did you cook for Christmas dinner?

we had lamb from blackface.com, preceeded by various seafood from
somebody in the west country, both via web. Cooked the lamb at home
then took it to MIL's in the insulated box it came in, still hot when
served. Got a ginormous white chocolate cake from Belgique, "click and
collect", nightmare, north circular closed both directions, normally
its 1/2 hour away, had to take local roads to get back, through
Stratford and other places I had not been since a youf chasing girls.

Ahh memories eh?

Post by Mike.. . . .
Luckily, having lost so much time, Belgique had range of Belgian
cheeses as no time left to get to Borough Market with the trains not
running because of storm damage. But typically for Xmas, havent eaten
the cheese yet.

Not eaten ours yet. I don't have a lot of appetite atm. We are just the
two of us this year. Daughter and grands are at a clinic in the Black
Forest in the the mountains in Germany. Wee un has chest probs so they are
there for 3 weeks for treatment and they are all having a ball:)) A lot of
deep snow too so a lot of skiing and snowboarding going on. If I didn't
know the real reason they were there .... <g> Daughter is having respite
treatment (yoga, massage, Cleopatra baths etc). She has had a hard year:)
St Nicklaus has been and they had a wonderful dinner on Christmas eve ....
So ... all the family will gather here later to have our Christmas when they
can get here. I am enjoying hearing about it but Christmas isn't really
Christmas yet:) Just can't seem to get it together atm.

[Mike.. . . .]

Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia
Not eaten ours yet. I don't have a lot of appetite atm. We are just the
two of us this year. Daughter and grands are at a clinic in the Black
Forest in the the mountains in Germany. Wee un has chest probs so they are
there for 3 weeks for treatment and they are all having a ball:)) A lot of
deep snow too so a lot of skiing and snowboarding going on. If I didn't
know the real reason they were there .... <g> Daughter is having respite
treatment (yoga, massage, Cleopatra baths etc). She has had a hard year:)
St Nicklaus has been and they had a wonderful dinner on Christmas eve ....
So ... all the family will gather here later to have our Christmas when they
can get here. I am enjoying hearing about it but Christmas isn't really
Christmas yet:) Just can't seem to get it together atm.

xmas is fine when all is well, nobody ill, nobody bereaved, not on
your own, dont have two familes or more because of remarriage, not out
of work, not flooded, not cut off etc so by my calculations three
people in Milton Keynes enjoyed it :-) But to be fair MIL says she
enjoyed it.

[Ophelia]

Post by Mike.. . . .
Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia
Not eaten ours yet. I don't have a lot of appetite atm. We are just the
two of us this year. Daughter and grands are at a clinic in the Black
Forest in the the mountains in Germany. Wee un has chest probs so they are
there for 3 weeks for treatment and they are all having a ball:)) A lot of
deep snow too so a lot of skiing and snowboarding going on. If I didn't
know the real reason they were there .... <g> Daughter is having respite
treatment (yoga, massage, Cleopatra baths etc). She has had a hard year:)
St Nicklaus has been and they had a wonderful dinner on Christmas eve ....
So ... all the family will gather here later to have our Christmas when they
can get here. I am enjoying hearing about it but Christmas isn't really
Christmas yet:) Just can't seem to get it together atm.

xmas is fine when all is well, nobody ill, nobody bereaved, not on
your own, dont have two familes or more because of remarriage, not out
of work, not flooded, not cut off etc so by my calculations three
people in Milton Keynes enjoyed it :-) But to be fair MIL says she
enjoyed it.

Well that is a relief <g>

[ARW]

Post by Mike.. . . .
xmas is fine when all is well, nobody ill, nobody bereaved, not on
your own, dont have two familes or more because of remarriage, not out
of work, not flooded, not cut off etc so by my calculations three
people in Milton Keynes enjoyed it :-) But to be fair MIL says she
enjoyed it.

There is suffering and then there is living in Milton Keynes................

[RustyHinge]

Heck, I know you won't understand this, but I have gone off champagne
too!!!

I have never rated it.

[allegoricus]

On Fri, 27 Dec 2013 14:55:20 +0000, Mike.. . . .

Post by Mike.. . . .
Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia

Post by Mike.. . . .
Meanwhile if you need a Christmas breakfast to get you started again,
how about Jamaican dark rum and marmalade cocktail?

ewwwwwww I am a G&T girl! How about you?

the only thing I *ever* drink at breakfast is champagne.

Beer tastes pretty good at 5am with the breakfast in a market cafe.

[RustyHinge]

Post by Ophelia

Post by Mike.. . . .
Following a post by Ophelia

Post by Ophelia

Post by Mike.. . . .
What did Santa do when he went speed dating?
He pulled a cracker.

<g> I think you ought to go and hit those mince pies ...

I'm told that the reason cracker jokes have to be bad is that it
unites everybody in a groan. Good jokes usually only appeal to half a
general audience, so dividing them.
Meanwhile if you need a Christmas breakfast to get you started again,
how about Jamaican dark rum and marmalade cocktail?

ewwwwwww I am a G&T girl! How about you?

No, and I'm not a girlie either.

[Giusi]

Post by Mike.. . . .
Two days was quite enough. Yet to have a single mince pie. Left over
ham for lunch.

This has been such a strange season. We had a cyclone in November which did horrific damages to the garden. Christmas was very windy and I feared cyclones again, but it didn't get that bad. We are being buffeted by southern winds now, so it's drippy and socked in but very warm.

We had a shared expat Christmas and everybody brought what they feel confident about. Suzanne Winfield, whom some know from FB, made vegetarian things for her veg husband, but I had to start speaking quite sharply to some who tried to eat his food when we were so hugely provided for and he so meagerly suited. I've been told many times that I should make enough of the veggie offering for everyone, but that's like making two whole meals on Christmas! Leave the nut loaf and veg gravy alone, pigs!

I was sick of Christmas feasting after Christmas Eve at my Italian friend's home. I made-cooked-preserved all the local gifts, and I ate unwisely among the offerings over and over since Thanksgiving.

[Mike.. . . .]

Following a post by Giusi

Post by Giusi
but I had to start speaking quite sharply to some who tried to eat his food

Yes, I see people who order a dish each, then scoff the one somebody
else ordered. To eat buffet style requires manners than some
apparently civilised people lack.

Anyway, belated Merry Christmas to all.