Tales from The Shire

savingholmes

That cake looks stunning.

Fortune_Smiles

Pottering on

Thank you everyone.  I really enjoy decorating the cake and choose a different design each year.

The afternoon went to plan yesterday and I got the Annexe bed made up and a bit of tittervating done in there.  Also wrapped a few neighbour presents so I could leave them on doorsteps this morning.  Had a jolly pre-Christmas catch up with a couple of friends via video accompanied with a couple of glasses of wine.  It's as close to a 'Christmas Do' as I'm going to get this year 😆

I've just had an email to say the dining room curtains are being delivered this morning 😁 So putting those up might be added to my job list today.  Other than that it's the usual cleaning and prepping.  I made Celeriac, Pancetta & Thyme Soup for supper last night so there's some of that left for lunch today.  Supper will be Butternut Korma as I need to add half to the Boxing Day meal plan.

So... I'd better get on.

Have a great weekend guys.

Fortune x

savingholmes

All sounds very festive. 

Fortune_Smiles

So far, so good

It's amazing how much I can get done without any social activity to distract me 😆 -

• the hall, stairs, landing, upstairs corridor and art nook are all clean and tidy
• the Christmas tree is up in the Annexe.  I'm really pleased with how it looks considering I've done it on the cheap.  The tree is the old one we had in Kent.  I bought the cheapest baubles and tree topper I could find from W1lk0 and poshed them up by grouping different colours and sizes together and tying them on the tree with some organza ribbon I bought from @m@z0n.  Added some tree ornaments I was bought a couple of years ago that don't really go with the house tree theme.  Then finally added some glittered snowflakes left over from decorating the house tree.  I've probably done it all for about a £15 😁.  It looks lovely 🎄  I think the Younger Fortunates will love having exclusive use of their very own holiday cottage over Christmas 😁  Plus, when the oldies want to call it a night, they'll be able to carry on their partying next door without disturbing us 😆
• we had leftover celeriac soup for lunch.  I might even be able to stretch it to tomorrow if we have a cheese roll with it.
• now I'm cooking the butternut squash korma I'd planned.

Tonight I shall have a long, hot, bubble bath whilst catching up on some TV as a reward for all my hard work 😊  And then there's more work to be done tomorrow 🙄  Including decanting the gins and brandies I made a couple of months ago.  Might need to quality test those 🤭

Fortune x

beanielou

How amazing to be creative.
My tree looks like a 3 year old decorated it & my presents are like that too!

Fortune_Smiles

beanielou said:

How amazing to be creative.
My tree looks like a 3 year old decorated it & my presents are like that too!

Those are the very best types of trees Beanie 😊

Fortune x

savingholmes

Sounds lovely. It always sounded like a lovely dream having an annexe. Your stories of how much cleaning you do have put me right off the idea... Your tree sounds gorgeous.

Fortune_Smiles

savingholmes said:

Sounds lovely. It always sounded like a lovely dream having an annexe. Your stories of how much cleaning you do have put me right off the idea... Your tree sounds gorgeous.

It's not normally quite so bad SH - it's just the cleaning up after Uncle F that's made is so awful this time round.  We weren't looking for an annexe when we went house hunting - it's just that this house came closest to what we needed and happened to have an annexe.  Not sure what we're going to do with it going forward.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Jolly

Some friends popped by for hot chocolate and biscuits on the patio this morning.  We'd originally invited them for a slap up lunch but Covid put paid to that 🙁  It was lovely to see them, if a little cold, and they bought their little one with them so we got to revisit some of the magic Christmas brings when you're a five year old 😁

I made a second wreath this afternoon so we have one for the front door and one for the annexe.  Plus I decanted three fruit gins and some plum brandy.  The plum brandy is a new recipe and a keeper I think 😋  Some bottles are destined for neighbour gifts so I should be able to wrap and deliver those in the next couple of days.

Mr F has been busy working through his job list.  The trouble is, as fast as he crosses something off, another task gets added 😆😆  He also made a start on putting the veg patch to bed for the winter.

We've had the last of the celeriac soup with a cheese roll for lunch today and supper was leftover Butternut Squash Korma.  I had intended to freeze it to add to our Boxing Day curry fest but I left it on the hob by mistake 🤭  Fortunately it was on low but I didn't want to chance giving it to guests.  It was fine just for us though.

Written down, the day doesn't look a particularly busy one but we're both exhausted now.  A film in front of the log burner is about all we're good for now.

Have a good evening all

Fortune x

beanielou

Wreath is lovely.