Tuesday 27 December 2011

Time to catch up

Well people it's been a while! Let's see if I can remember what I've been doing this week.
Thursday 22nd December.
The day began with a 7.30 alarm call as we were off to London to take my youngest to the Soccer Dome in Greenwich. We caught the train to London Bridge and then hopped on the clipper boat service to the O2.
After dropping my son off at the very smelly indoor soccer tournament my eldest son and I walked to the bus station to catch a bus to Greenwich market.
The atmosphere was lovely and this picture doesn't really do it justice. At this market they have different stalls on different days and luckily today was antiques and collectibles so we had great fun, we'll I had great fun, looking at all the 1950s paper Christmas decorations, you remember the type that you fold up and put away year after year? The type your Nan had probably, well what a pity we didn't keep them all as we could sell them now!
We wandered around Greenwich for a while, it is an absolutely beautiful place just like a scene from a Dickens novel. I went with my parents when I was about six and all I can remember is thinking The Cutty Sark was huge, alas now I'm older it seems very small. The buildings are breathtaking and we were so lucky with the weather. I am definitely going to go back in the summer with my foreign students to show them another side of our wonderful capital city.

After we'd eaten our squashed rolls sitting on a bench we walked to Greenwich park so George could feed the squirrels. I also found a lot of my favourite trees. I have no idea what they are but I call them Gonad trees! There were several with low hanging branches so we collected a bunch of gonads and shoved them in my bag. They are now sitting in a huge glass vase along with some baubles, two giraffe cocktail stirrers and a slug made out of a sock. I call it my Christmas display of randomness.
I have decided that I am going to live in Greenwich one day, it's so lovely.
After collecting Michael from his football we went to the O2 for something to eat. Have you ever been there? It's amazing and so busy. We ate at a place called 'Armadillo' the boys had a massive rack of ribs each. They managed to eat almost all of it but what was left was taken home for Dad in a doggy bag.
The trip back up the River Thames was magical with all the Christmas lights. I would thoroughly reccomend it as a way of travelling in London, and quite reasonable too.
Friday 23rd:
was a day mainly spent in our pyjamas! My eldest went into town with his friend to buy my present and the youngest just about managed to be dressed by 4.15 when his Dad came home and they went Christmas shopping. He is training them well in the gentlemanly art of Christmas shopping for the lady in your life: leave it til the last minute and she'll just be grateful that she gets anything at all.
Christmas Eve
I love Christmas Eve, I love the anticipation, the preparation and then just sitting waiting for the big day. I made a dozen butterfly cakes for my cousin, a sponge cake for Christmas day pudding, thirty five stuffing balls and I'm sure there was something else, oh yes, red cabbage! My husband took the boys for their traditional Christmas Eve swim and I delivered my friend's Christmas cake to her mother's house, don't ask!
My husband continued the boys' training with a manly visit to the pub while I made the dinner and tidied up.

Christmas Day
My youngest son and I had made a deal over the timings of the cup of tea he was bringing me and what time they could get up, but I think he forgot about it whilst he was sleeping! The tea was brought to me at 'more or less 7.30', his words! We got up and the boys started to open their presents. They were expecting an X-Box and I wanted to make them work for it so I wrapped up a box of scrabble tiles, which they had to put into the right order to make a clue.



Well it kept them quiet for a while!
We had a wonderful day at my brother and sister-in-law's, full of food and laughter. We also managed to Skype San Diego to speak with my family and Australia for my husband's family. The inter net is a truly amazing thing at times.
Boxing Day.
My cousin had invited herself and my uncle over for Boxing Day so I decided to do a roast, always a winner.I had also decided I was going to catch up on my alcohol intake as I drove on Christmas Day! A small sherry, Limoncello soaked raisins in my bread and butter pudding, Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc and Baileys, yummy!

A lovely family roast with crackers, silly jokes and plenty of laughter followed by Madagascar 2, The Borrowers and Victoria Wood; a perfect day all round.
Tuesday 27th
Chillaxing and catching up on the laundry, oh and blogging!
Thanks for stopping by and sorry it was so long.
I'd love to see some of your Christmas photos.

3 comments:

  1. What a great post!! You sound like an amazing cook! The bread and butter pud - mmmmmmmmm :P
    We used to do treasure hunts for our lads on Christmas Day, so they had to 'earn' their prezzies too sometimes :)
    Wishing you a very Happy New Year - I know you turn 5.0. this year but d'ya know what, it's soooo not a problem. Embrace it - I did!! :)
    Hugs, LLJ #35 xx

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  2. Hope you got some nice pressies Jacko, even if they were bought on at the last minute. The Kirstie book sounds like a winner, my friend (also a Worthing bird) got value bubble bath and a torch from her ol'man!!
    Thanks for sharing your great snaps, had already heard about your gonad tree from other Kirsty. You don't change, do you?
    xxx

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  3. Seeing your tags there again has inspired me for next year. Maybe I had better start soon!

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