Thanks!

Don't you just love when you get a hand written 'thank you' note?  Here's one I got this week.  It now has pride of place on the Christmas Card tree.

And don't you just love a hand written thank you note even more when it's attached to a box of biscuits?  Yum!!

And don't you just love when there is nobody else in the house and you can open the box and eat all the one's you like before anybody else gets to choose!!

I'm off to put the kettle on before anybody comes home...

In stitches!

After a first and very successful trip this year, I decided to go again a second time.  No, I didn't go back to London, Spain, Cork, Derry, Wexford  or any of the other lovely places I have visited this year,

No, I went back to A & E!

And while I was there and because I've never had stitches before, I decided to try them this time!

Last night while the dinner was cooking in the oven, I thought I'd do something constructive with my time and set about cleaning out the fridge and freezer to make space for all the stuff that's going to fill them over Christmas.

Cleaning the fridge went well, in case your interested!  It was the freezer that did the damage.

I found some interesting things in the freezer, things I don't remember putting in there.  One of these items of mystery was a pie in a ceramic dish, which my mother had very kindly made for Kevin and put in the freezer while I was out.  Hence the mystery.  While trying to figure out what it was, I dropped it and the bowl smashed and sliced my finger.

Lovely!

Luckily Kevin was here and drove me to the clinic where I was looked after very well by a very kind nurse and then stitched back together by a very nice doctor.  The nurse asked me had I taken any pain killers and when I said no, she asked me would I like some.  So I said, yes please, something white, on the dry side and preferably with bubbles...

Anyway, I'm now the proud owner of a stitched bandaged finger, which I can't get wet for two days and which the stitches have to stay in, for seven.

That means that my cooking and cleaning is severely curtailed for the next few days.  So if your coming to my house for Christmas, there will be cobwebs and no mince pies!

When I got home from the clinic, despite having remembered to turn it off before I went out, the dinner was burnt in the oven.  And, the stuff I took out of the freezer, was happily defrosting all over the utility room floor.

But, there is a happy ending.

I do have one good working hand and (because it's Christmas) several bottles of those pain killers that I mentioned to the nurse.  And as I can do nothing else, I might as well open one....

Cheers!

Practicing.

My first attempt at baking Christmas shortbread.

Not too bad, even if I say so myself. 

Although I don't think they would pass the Mary Berry test!  The uniform size and shape test that is.  She's very fussy about that sort of thing.  Lucky my family aren't as fussy as Mary.  

I think they pass the taste test though.  I just had one (??) with a cup of coffee and they were lovely, still warm out of the oven.  Might have to try another one when they cool down, just to be sure.

Now I just have to practice making the raspberry fool to go with them...