General Chat

Not in the Co-op they don't lol

Yes of course goose, I couldn't remember what it was. A goose is very tricky to cook, it is easy to have it ending up tough. A phenomenal amount of fat comes out of them as well.

Cant even imagine cooking a goose ! Think I will stick with my seafood.


Brekkie time, so will be going.


Have a lovely sleep Tec and Linda...Have a great day Aussies !!

Although daughter says she will cater - we all bring something to contribute - so it ends up a mixture. Definitely have ham - both roasted hot and cold - also some turkey (hot) and chicken hot and cold. We have roast vegies - also salads - and various types of seafood. It's a smorgasbord. Take your pick and sit anywhere, because there are so many of us, we don't all fit around one table so spread out to other tables. This is followed by Christmas pudding with custard, ice cream, cheesecake, trifle, apple pie, fruit salad - again a smorgasbord.
After this, people disappear to lie down (because they are not used to eating so much in the middle of the day!).
The evening meal (if anyone feels like eating) is usually cold meats and salads - and plenty of leftovers.

All day, there are bowls of sweets (lollies), nibblies, crackers, etc. and after lunch there is Christmas cake (dark fruit cake). No wonder nobody feels like eating in the evening!

p.s. forgot to mention the fruit and cheese platters.

I forgot you don't have real shops Tec.
The local Tesco has a good fish counter, but the shellfish has been frozen, so is poor really.
I haven't been to Oz, but we used to go right down the west coast of France for holidays each year and they restaurants did family seafood plates to share. They were amazing, they had a superb selection of shellfish.

My OH is very keen on duck, but I don't care for it - we used to have a young policeman as a neighbour, he was into shooting, and was always turning up at our back door with ducks, pheasants, rabbits ugh,
and buckets of mackeral from his fishing outings.

Tec

I forgot about the Christmas cake Berona. I make it and put the marzipan on it, but for years now OH and my daughter have iced it. I was never allowed to see it until they finished. Since she left OH has continued to ice it. He is a bit late this year, but is doing it tomorrow. I think the best one was when they made different coloured icing and cut letters out,so the top of the cake read "Bah Humbug"

Our fish markets are open for a while very early on Good Friday and Christmas Day. One of my sons and his wife usually go there and we can always count on them supplying beautiful fresh seafood.

I quite like duck, but I don't like the taste of rabbit My brother in law shoots rabbits. I feel sorry fort he poor things.
I know all meat is killed, they used to keep sheep and take them to the abattoir, it didn't bother me eating them. It is just something about him standing there taking pot shots at the rabbits

I feel the same, Linda. I like to know that the animal has been killed humanely, as per RSPCA rules. I don't like to think of them being maimed by amateurs.

It is very late,so I am off to bed. Have a good day down under, sleep well Tec.

I hope Diane is back home by now.

Goodnight Linda, sleep well, keep warm,

Bye Janet, Enjoy your day

Tec

How is the duchess keeping, Tec? Everything going OK?

Berona, You do seem to have a feast at Christmas, sounds really nice, and more varied than I am accustomed to.
I do enjoy a good dinner, but have never been a big eater - When I was at sea I had to take my place at table with the passengers for lunch and dinner. That was a trial to me, because as you know ships menu's are vast, and ships passengers have huge appetites - I know they watched how little I ate are compared to them, but I had never seen people eat like that, and never got used to it. Where did they put it? lol

Tec

Berona,
Things are not too bad at the moment thank you. She has seen her GP four times since going to hospital - more than the last year. They have reduced her insulin intake, and that seems to be having beneficial results so far. I do have to keep a close watch, and she can't really be left alone for long. They have given her a glucose gel that even when unconscious can be applied to her gums and inside of her cheek - this is absorbed rapidly and should prevent an episode like we had recently. It should bring her round enough to enable her to take something to eat or drink high in sugar.
So far, so good, will have to see what happens over next few weeks.

Tec

Well as it's nearly midnight, I must go to bed, where hopefully I may even get warm.
So, enjoy your day Down Under,
and sleep well. keep warm Up top.

Goodnight my friends

Tec

Goodnight Tec Sleep well and warm. Talk to you later.

Well here I am late again and no one around lol.
I got back from my second trip to town around 10-30pm as I called in to see some friend's. Couldn't get larger size of item's I had bought yesterday so had to choose something else, not as nice as first one's, but I think son will like them ( I hope so ) if not he will have to go and change them himself as I am done with town after 2 trip's in 2 day's.
You all sound as though you are well on your way to having everything done for Christmas and here's me still got my deccy's to do and haven't iced that cake yet but at least the marzipan is on, must say you could get drunk on the fume's from the Brandy I have fed it with lol.

Sue, hope you enjoyed your time with the grand-children today and that they were good for you.

Linda, it sound's very cold were you are BRRRR, it is cold here again tonight as it was last night.

Tec, I'm glad to hear that OH is alright and that the DR seem's to be sorting thing's out. All your decoration's sound lovely from all around the world lol.

All the talk of all the different food's made me feel hungry and they all sounded very nice. Normally I have my daughter and her 3 daughter's on Christmas day, but as we are still not speaking to each other it will just be her eldest daughter who is comeing my youngest son who live's with me and myself this year. My daughter and her other 2 daughter's apparently are going to my eldest son's for dinner, sad I know and you all must be thinking what an awful mother I must be with my 2 eldest children and I not speaking. Now telling you all that has made me feel weepy, now you can understand why I have time's when I don't feel in the mood for chatting sometime's.
Anyway enough of my prob's, not the kind of thing's we want to think about at this time of year lol
2 of my grand-daughter's are coming tomorrow to see me so I will be very busy with them, I think I will get them to help me with the decoration's that should keep them entertained for a while.

Perse, I hope you have a great time with all your family and if we don't speak before, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Time I was off to bed as it is now 1-59am

goodnight all Brit's and enjoy your day all other's
Tec, Linda stay well wrapped up and keep warm and all you other's don't get to hot

Diane

CHRISTMAS FAIRY

I am a little fairy
On tap o' the Christmas Tree
It's no' a job I fancy
Well how would you like tae be me

A tarted up wi' tinsel
It's enough to mak ye boak
An a couple o' jaggy branches
Rammed up the back o' your frock

An' these wee lights a'roon me
I canna get my sleep
An' there's the yearly visit
Fae Santa - Big fat creep!

On Christmas Day I'm stuck up here
While you're a' wirin' in
An' naebody says "Hey you up there
Could you go a slug o' gin?

It's nae joke bein' a fairy
The job's beyond belief
You've got to go roon' the wean's beds
An' lift their rotten teeth

But o' a' the joabs a fairy gets
An' I've mentioned only some
The very worst is sitting up a tree
Wi' pine needles up yir bum

When a' the fairies meet again
By the light of' the silvery moon
Ye can tell the Christmas fairies
They're the wans that canna sit doon

The Christmas tree's a bonny sight
As the firelight softly flickers
But think o' me I'm stuck up here
Wi' needles in my knickers

So soon as Christmas time's right by
An' I stop bein' sae full o' cheer
I'll get awa back tae Fairyland
An' I'll see yous a' next year.

This is for Alison, I thought of you when I read it...hope it makes you smile too. xxx

Smile Carole?!? I near choked on my coffee. I hope it doesn't do the same to Alison:-))) How funny:-)))

Persey - I missed you. If you get the chance to look in I hope you have a wonderful and safe Christmas with your family and lots of great pressies.

Sue xx