Christmas and other disasters

Disaster Strikes 

The latest news is the house that the eco-friendly manufacturer built and the insurance broker has collapsed. Structural Engineers are being called out to assess the damage but from the looks of it, it will have to be a complete rebuild. On closer inspection, there seems to have been a catastrophic failure in the roof of the house, too much snow? Not sure if the underfloor heating did any good but we will wait for the experts to deliver their report, which should be in the next few years. In Gingerbread House Years it was only about 9 years old, not sure how long they meant to last but 9 years does seem a little on the short side. Thankfully no one was in the house at the time it collapsed. As can be seen in the photograph, the house built by the Building Control Inspector and the representative from Lego is still strong.

A tip for Christmas days and all the cooking needed, use an air fryer as much as possible. The 20/20 Rule for Air Fryers. Just a note on my experience with an Air Flyer. There are so many different models on the market but I have found if you are cooking from a standard recipe, lower the cooking time by 20% and lower the temperature by 20%, this is for standard fan-assisted oven instructions. 

A message to those who we celebrated with in the past but who are no longer with us.

A light like yours cannot go out and even though we cannot see you when we look up at the stars, we know you are still somewhere watching.

Christmas Day

Christmas is a special day for many people and it does always have a little drama, thankfully, our family tend to see the best of every situation and rise above the negativity. Our Christmas was the best a family can get and thanks everyone for making it a day we will remember for all the good times. 

I could start with the famous Dylan Thomas line; I can’t remember if it snowed for 12 days and 12 nights when I was 6 or 6 days and 6 nights when I was 12. Well, it would have been good but it did not snow or rain, only a strong breeze to contend with when we had our annual family swim. The sea temperature was a cool 9.5 degrees C, leading to a few of the not-so-regular swimmers, remarking quite loudly, that the water was cold in a higher tone than we would have expected from adults.

We met at the beach at 9:30 am, on an overcast, windy day with no rain, always a bonus. The whole family was there except our Lauren, being an internationally acclaimed jewellery designer takes its toll on her time. The Fays stayed a suitable distance as they were inclined to pass on their Covid germs to anyone willing to take them on. Gemma and Jessica joined us for our swim, we were also honoured to have Matilda, wearing her new Australian-styled swimsuit. Unfortunately at the time of going to press we have not had the OK from her agent to show you. 

Peter took some amazing photographs, recording the days swim for generations to come, he did not swim, said something about it being the middle of winter and he rarely even swims in the summer. Julia on the other hand was just too frightened of the cold. She is a fragile soul and needs all the nurturing she can get.

Back home in time for breakfast, what did we have? Escapes me for the moment but I am sure I will recall it later. Presents were exchanged and I was suitably surprised to find the new fleece I had bought at the Edinburgh Woollen Mill on Saturday, all wrapped up with love from Susan. Also was honoured to receive four bottles of wine, a slab of Coppa and a chuck of Chorizo. Now all I needed was a good meat slicer, the last present and there it was, such a surprise and I must admit, this time I did hint at a meat slicer for the two months leading up to Christmas.

Susan received the most presents on the day and all the days leading up to Christmas. I did get her a woolly jumper to wear of an evening when the weather outside is cold. Has a very apt line on the front, something about her knowing things, she does and we are all made aware of that fact on numerous occasions. The other thing she says to the boys is ‘I brought you into this world and I can take you out.’ In all fairness, the boys do call her ‘Mein Führer.’ Meaning my leader, naturally.

The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur of cooking, eating and the odd glass of wine. Games were played late into the evening with increasing laughter and good cheer. 

Matilda, roasted a chicken, yep, that is where the name came from. I did a roast leg of lamb with the token turkey crown, roast potatoes and a fine dish of cauliflower and cheese sauce. The Middle Smiths came with roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts. The Desert menu was equally as good and my favourite was the carrot cake, followed by a superb Christmas cake, baked by our Julia of no swimming fame.

All too soon the day we had all been waiting for was over and we reluctantly said our goodbyes, with the promise of an equally brilliant Christmas next year.

For the last time this year, Merry Christmas to one and all and to all, good night.

ps. My journey into short stories has began, see the top menu