The Christmas meal duly arrived in a box and was a great success, removing the need to do all the prepping of vegetables, side dishes and sauces, I just had to open the packaging and put the contents in the oven. It meant that my time wasn't all spent in the kitchen as in former years and I could lounge in the sitting room with the family. Just great, like a mother hen with all her chickens safely home!
My presents were all surprises, one of them being a pomegranate tree. The label says that it can be grown outside, but I'm going to be cautious and grow it in a pot. I plan to treat it as I do the lemons and move it in and out with the changing seasons.
This holiday period involves a lot of indulgent eating. I dusted the trifle with 'gold' for a festive flourish!
Boxing Day
On a bright, sunny day we were invited to our friends' house for lunch. Their garden edges the Severn Estuary and the sun shone golden on the reed bed at the edge of the water. It looked beautiful seen through the window but the camera wasn't able to capture what I saw and I wasn't inclined to stand outside in the bitter chill.
Janet is a colour queen and we discussed a possible new look for the sitting room walls.
Steve has a set of practise drums in a corner of his studio. Who can resist?
Well, certainly not me!
Watch out, Ringo!
Then the master showed me how.
New Year's Eve
All the village were invited to bring in the New Year at the hotel. As I've described before, we are a small hamlet that originally served the 'big house' up the hill which is now the hotel. Each house in the hamlet had it's own role to play in the running of the estate, our home being for the gamekeeper and his family. He raised the game birds on the land that is now an orchard that abuts our vegetable garden.
We villagers scrubbed up well, put on our party clothes and went up the hill for a glass of fizz and a jolly time!
Which got louder
and jollier as the night went on.
and jollier as the night went on.
There was a great band for dancing
and it was lovely to catch up with the 'children' (now gorgeous grown-ups) of various villagers who were back home for the holidays.
A piper came at midnight
and we all joined in for Auld Lang Syne
New Year's Day
After not quite long enough in bed we set out for a celebration lunch with friends. The table was set to tempt even those who thought they weren't hungry!
Followed by puddings
enjoyed by all!
A house full of friends - what can be nicer!
Himself had a good chat with birthday boy, Alfie, they had worked together for many years at the former Bristol art school.
The 'colour queen' had been busy since our visit on Boxing Day
Now the walls are PINK.
When is my favourite time in a party?
When the throng has left,
everyone well fed
and happy,
and the host and hostess can slump in comfy chairs.
We 'chew the fat'
and the future is viewed through my rose tinted spectacles
with the help of very pink walls!
Wishing you all that is good for the year ahead.
Now those are some holiday parties. You sure know how to do the holidays. I love pink by the way and maybe one day, I'll do pink. Happiest New Year Rosemary.
ReplyDeleteNow the partying is over, the decorations down and I'll confess to things looking and feeling rather dull. I'm ready to be outside digging and doing but the weather is against me.
DeleteIt looks like you celebrated the holidays with great fun.
ReplyDeleteI do love the paint choices of your friend's house. So many of my family and friends have chosen to be surrounded in grey these days, but I so much rather be engulfed in color.
As I reply to you, Maybe, I'm sitting in a grey room, with a bedroom next door in the same colour. But I'm unrepentant as it's a great foil for splashes of other colours such as pinks and yellows. Colour is a great mood enhancer.
DeleteI enjoyed seeing and hearing about your festive period so much, quintessential English Christmas..So different from an Australian Chrissy 😊 btw I thought your Christmas tree looked fabulous, not scrawny at all!
ReplyDeleteDear Chrissy, it was a lovely holiday period, but now comes the dreary bit, several months of cold, damp or very cold, very wet weather ahead. Right now I could do with an Australian winter!
DeleteLovely pictures! It looks like a really lovely partytime :)
ReplyDeleteHave a beautiful day, take care.
Titti
Hello Titti, it was a lovely time, but the fun is over for now.
DeleteThat was one classy bash! I would have eaten a bite of everything on that table.
ReplyDeleteI ate my share and have the extra weight on my stomach to prove it!
DeleteJust dropping in to say Happy New Year & best wishes to you!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea up top of you not slaving in the kitchen, but yet having a grand celebration anyway!
Happy New Year to you, Wildside, wishing you a good year ahead. The weather is miserable here and it isn't nice to venture outside - I'm doing rather more baking than is good for me, but the kitchen is the best place to be!
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