Christmas festivities

I cooked a big breakfast this morning - cheese and mushroom omelette, sausages, potato waffles and toast, which made a great start to a busy day.

Sophie and I ventured over to Mawsley after we'd eaten, as we needed a box of eggs for a cake that my daughter was making for us. I am a bit accident prone at the moment and I managed to drop a whole box of eggs onto the floor, smashing them all... oops!

When we arrived back home Sophie put three oranges and a lemon into a pan to simmer for an hour which filled the house with lovely aromas! I made a start on our Scandinavian tree in the conservatory and once I set it up and put all the lights on it, Sophie decorated it. We have so many beautiful ornaments now, most with lovely memories attached, and it was great to see our new Muir Woods and Palma Cathedral ornaments proudly displayed.

While Sophie was decorating the conservatory tree I went into the living room and re-arranged the furniture so we could put our big white tree in the corner. It meant that one of the chairs had to go into the window, so there was a fair bit of pushing and shoving!

Keith and Sophie set up this tree and within half an hour it was decorated beautifully. I found the bag with all our gonks and moved a small table back into the living room for them to sit on. They looked great all lined up together! Very soon everything had come together and the house was looking very festive! Last year I bought a small pre-lit tree for outside but this year I decided to keep it inside and it's now on the windowsill.

After we'd decorated, Sophie made a start on her cake - an orange and almond concoction - and the smells coming from the kitchen were divine! We couldn't wait to eat it and as soon as she removed it from the oven we all fell upon it! Served with a dollop of Brandy cream it was absolutely delicious!

Mike called us and said his train was getting into Northampton at about 4pm so Keith went off to get him while Sophie and I waited in for our Amazon delivery. As soon as it arrived we set off for a quick walk around the estate and it was mightily cold outside! We only did one lap and Monty declined our offer to walk with us, so it was soon back inside and a small whisky and ginger ale to enjoy while we sat in the living room. As it got darker I lit all the candles and we watched Christmas with the Kranks which is becoming an enjoyable tradition!

Keith cooked a delicious beef casserole for dinner and we had a somewhat heated debate about politics. This election cannot come soon enough!