At midday Sophie and I drove over to Market Harborough to try and get some Christmas shopping done. Parking was free today and although the traffic was quite heavy going into the town, we parked easily and made for our favourite little cafe for a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
Although I love Costa, we are trying to go to independent cafes whenever we can and this lovely little place, at the back of a card and gift shop, is always quiet. We ordered tea for me and a hot chocolate for Sophie accompanied by a cherry and almond cake.
Sophie matched the table decoration:
The cake was delicious and my tea came with a little egg-timer to let me know how long it had infused for. It was decaffeinated but still lovely!
We reluctantly left and explored the shops, including a beautiful homewares shop that was stuffed to the gunnels with paintings, ornaments, candles and hanging decorations. Another shop we used to visit for gifts had been turned into a CBD shop! Wonders will never cease!
After another half hour trawling around the shops, we visited a collection of lovely little Christmas stalls in the main square. Sophie was looking for a ring but none of them caught her eye. I did buy some gorgeous little candle holders, though, and a garland of fairy lights to replace the ones that had died over the year. They'll look lovely on our wine rack.
Before we went home we just had to make a visit to Duncan's where I bought gifts for the men in the family, and Sophie treated me to a bottle of Aviation Gin and wine for tonight. The shop was heaving with customers buying their Christmas drinks but we still managed to have a chat with Nick and caught up with what he and his family were up to. Duncan was rushing around dressed like an elf and I suspect he'll be mightily pleased when it's all over!
Our last stop before home was Waitrose where we bought raw king prawns for dinner tonight and some biscuits to go with the cheese that Sophie bought yesterday. There were so many goodies in there, and I could have spent a fortune!
We drove home in the dusk and found Keith at home, annoyed because the Sileby game had been postponed and he'd driven all the way there. We relaxed for a while and then Sophie spent over an hour preparing the dinner tonight - a prawn and noodle stir fry from a New York cookbook.
When it came to make dinner, we had to devein the prawns and wash them, always a fiddly, horrible job! We then stir-fried them until they turned a beautiful pink colour, cooked the vegetables and spices and put the noodles on to cook. Just before we assembled everything in the wok, Sophie went to drain the noodles, but somehow smashed a saucepan lid, burning her hand badly in the process.
We halted the cooking while Sophie kept her hand under cold running water, but thankfully, although very painful, it didn't blister. The dinner turned out to be delicious and one we will definitely cook again, but next time be careful with the noodles!
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