Its a good time for Bittermints..

Bendicks  are definitely the best. The members of the  Homegroup that meets  in our home gave us a huge festive bag of  gourmet Christmas foods, including a box of these mints. 

What a great time we've had. This has been the busiest few weeks I have had for many years, all children , partners and progeny  and assorted aged ones have been coming and going here . I have made Yorkshire Pudding with Turkey gravy, as a separate course , by request , 3 times. I have washed what seemed like every towel and pillowcase I possess twice. No dusting has been done , I am so sensible, and cover every available flat surface with gaudy trash and artificial poinsettas making cleaning impossible until 12th night.

Today was my last day of doing  happy hostess. On Christmas day I made life easy by not doing Turkey but doing 1/2 Chicken breasts with bacon round, but I still managed to forget to put on my best top and appeared at table still with apron and no lipstick . My collection of small children who love Grandma because she lets them go on miniclip do not eat mints . They say they are spiky (spicy). C and I have eaten  the rest of the box. They are such adult mints, delicious and good for ones digestion.  We kept them to last ,as aged parent gave us Thorntons Mint selection (all went Christmas Day) and clever Arty Son gave us Marks and Spencer Marzipan Mint Selection (all went Boxing Day). 

 The hit food this Christmas has been Beetroot (Raw and grated , and covered with horseradish sauce and mayo, thanks to Hairy Bikers I think). Today plain bread and butter , that staple of my 50s childhood is once again tempting the palates of small children who are all stollened out. By 7 oclock everyone had gone home, as a Disney Nothing finished and C and I fell asleep in the sitting room . We  came round to Eastenders, with a remarkably hale and hearty looking Pat dying of cancer , wearing earings and support for her bust under her night gown.  This woke us right up.  BUT it made me think. 

How easy it would be to fall out with those who are our  relatives.  I know 2 people  who have children and do not know whether they are alive or dead, they have not communicated for many years.   Many of us have relatives who are difficult and awkward. (Many of us are difficult and awkward ourselves). This whole season just reminds one of the stress that just coping with relationships may bring. Pat was reconciled with David before she died, but that was just fiction. Eastenders is not real, but its exaggerated reality  won a ratings war.  I don't DO resolutions. I do  DO Thank Gods . 

Here are my recent ones

• Thank God I managed to keep my mouth closed most of the time and did not upset my children
• Thank God I was honest  and did not pretend that I was not tired when I was 
• Thank God that I managed to hear the Archers Omnibus ( I was going to pray for Pat and Tony then I realised they are not real)
• Thank you God that all my children said 'It was our best Christmas Ever!'
• Thank God that I realised that I do have to pray for the gift of FAITH for Sir Terry.  

Cauliflower and the hairy Bikers , and a Murder at Pemberley

Watching TV and listening to the Radio do inform me. I am really grateful to have found out on the Book Programme ,BBC radio 4 , that Phyllis James in her 91st year,has  written in the style  of Jane Austen a Detective novel  and set it as a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It has climbed to No 3 already in the Times H/B best Sellers. I have just finished it. In fact I hope she considers this  a worthwhile genre as I am ready for Death in Lyme Regis, Sir Walters Body in the Library and The Highbury Poisoner. 

So too I have really appreciated the series on BBC TV ,Great British Food Revivals. Do See it on iplayer  if you have missed any of the programmes. Last night The Hairy Biker's recipe for a Curry of Cauliflower and Potato or Saag aloo with roasted gobi curry, had me straight round to Angela's  our local greengrocer for a Cauli (and only 59p for a huge one).I was looking for an excuse to pick some spinach ,(chard actually) . Since C's visit to the Practice Nurse , we are taking her advice very seriously. We try to  do everything  Sister Rose suggests.

 We are trying to eat from smaller plates to reduce our food intake. I am still cooking in my mind for all the children and their friends, old aunties , and frequent visitors. In reality I am cooking for Colin and I , and hordes only on Sundays and school holidays. My curries last for days , I buy several pineapples when 1 will do and usually have a harvest festival  in the fridge. SO Today I divided the ingredients for the curry by 3 , except for the spices, I always double them, now that our palette is getting very accustomed to hot , sour , spicy ,bitter and unusual.
Thank -You BBC.