Glorious Christmas

We're having such a lovely break!

There were 7 of us for Christmas Lunch. Tim kindly collected all parents on Christmas morning so they could join us. Its nice to offer 80 year olds a 'good dinner' without them worrying about shopping before hand, preparation, clearing up or driving around dark country lanes. A busy but satisfying day.

Everyone was delighted with their gifts and we've since settled down to a relaxing set of mid-winter days. There is a pattern to them. Reading and coffee in the morning then a good home cooked lunch. I used up every last scrap of turkey and no one got bored. In the afternoon a walk out of the village; maybe for only half an hour if the wind is cold, but it feels a nice habit to get some daily exercise.  We've been exploring old footpaths that we've not really ventured down before. We discovered an old tiny reservoir yesterday. Then home to board games and tea. There is a family tradition of a good cheese board in the evenings along with some of those little party food nibbles you can buy now like filo parcels or mini prawn something or other. The boys in particular are fond of these little hot bites. Then there is more reading and relaxing

I'll be itching to get on with things next week once everyone is back at school and work,  and in fact we did dive in to town quickly this morning just to visit the bank and buy literally a couple of fresh things for the weekend and in to next week (salmon, cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms) - only a small basket full so not really shopping much at the moment which is how I like it.

So... off to cook a beef mince chilli and rice for lunch.