Well, hello little blog and bloggy friends, if indeed I have any anymore, given the length of my absence!
It goes without saying that things have been a trifle hectic round here, but hopefully quieter times are now returning.
Granted, the pressie-ometer and matching card-ometer are still registering big fat ZEROS. However those tiny Christmas details are not going to ruffle MY feathers...
Since my last post we have been having a very festive time.
First came a trip here...
...for a spot of slippy, twirly stuff in very uncomfortable blue plastic boots.
Thanks to Jonathon at flutt.co.uk for the pics! I was skating too, but I guess I was going so fast Jonathon couldn't catch me on camera!!!
This was for Mr U-t-B's work do, which involved drinks and nibbles at the office, a coach into London, time at the Winter Wonderland and a meal at Fire and Stone in Covent Garden. London, as we passed through, was looking very twinkly and festive and I was glad to be there.
The Used-to-Bees family were all there and feeling especially celebratory due to some special news - Mr U-t-B's eldest is to become a father late next spring!
Whoopee!
Miss U-t-B is very keen on the idea of being an aunt and has vowed to be 'favourite auntie', though she is in competition with her two big sisters!
Next on the schedule was our family Christmas meal, eaten a little early last Sunday evening to allow for the fact that two of the clan will be in Poland for the 25th, and two more will be in Belgium! So the house got decorated...
.
..oh-so tastefully and restrainedly by Miss U-t-B...
...and preparations were made for a feast!
We began with champagne cocktails.
Oops! Should have taken a photo once the champagne was added!
Then smoked salmon on rye bread, followed by roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and lots of vegetables (because we always do our family meal on Christmas Eve, we never do turkey), then chocolate cheesecake or pink champagne and passionfruit jelly with cranberry compote, which looked very pretty and was my favourite part of the meal!
This was for Mr U-t-B's work do, which involved drinks and nibbles at the office, a coach into London, time at the Winter Wonderland and a meal at Fire and Stone in Covent Garden. London, as we passed through, was looking very twinkly and festive and I was glad to be there.
The Used-to-Bees family were all there and feeling especially celebratory due to some special news - Mr U-t-B's eldest is to become a father late next spring!
Whoopee!
Miss U-t-B is very keen on the idea of being an aunt and has vowed to be 'favourite auntie', though she is in competition with her two big sisters!
Next on the schedule was our family Christmas meal, eaten a little early last Sunday evening to allow for the fact that two of the clan will be in Poland for the 25th, and two more will be in Belgium! So the house got decorated...
..oh-so tastefully and restrainedly by Miss U-t-B...
...and preparations were made for a feast!
We began with champagne cocktails.
Oops! Should have taken a photo once the champagne was added!
Then smoked salmon on rye bread, followed by roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and lots of vegetables (because we always do our family meal on Christmas Eve, we never do turkey), then chocolate cheesecake or pink champagne and passionfruit jelly with cranberry compote, which looked very pretty and was my favourite part of the meal!
Time not cooking, eating or being merry was spent sewing, for the last of the Christmas Markets. Lots of these, because they sold so quickly at the last Market...
...a few of these...
...lavender crinoline ladies...
...postbox stamp cases...
...and cottages galore...
The Christmas market was, unsurprisingly, very Christmassy, even if not as lucrative as I might have wished...
With that behind me, I tidied up all evidence of sewing and got my apron out to prepare for our Drinks Party.
Thanks only doing supply teaching now I had the fantastic luxury of two days to enjoy making nibbles and treats for the party. Mind you, it meant that by Friday lunchtime, when the first very heavy snow flurry arrived, I phoned Mr U-t-B in a panic to say he'd better get home quick to start eating everything I'd prepared all as we were sure to be guest-less in the evening!
Luckily though, it was only a short flurry (and we didn't eat the party food ahead of time!) so in the evening our friends were able to enjoy some tasty (so they told me) morsels. There were Delia's Posh Sausage Rolls, figs and rosemary wrapped in Parma ham, goats' cheese and pimiento pinwheels, sticky sausages, hot-smoked salmon and
crème fraîche on soda bread flowers (because some celebrity chef has obviously promoted blinis so I couldn't buy any in any local supermarket!) and little mini-pizza type things with anchovy and olives. Oh and my favourite, mini filo baskets with Coronation chicken and fresh mango. Yum! Then Katie Stewart's Mince Pies, Amaretti biscuits with mascarpone and lemon and profiteroles.
Needless to say, I failed to take any photos when things looked stylish! All that's left is the aftermath.
The goats' cheese wraps I forgot to cut up and serve...
The goats' cheese wraps I forgot to cut up and serve...
The profiteroles I took out of the fridge and left on the side in the kitchen, where there were only a few to eat them...
The decorative frosted fruit...
A glut of wine...
And a very fine selection of chocolates...
Watch out waistline!
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