Just a quick update on our Christmas break for the sake of posterity. We were less prepared than we've ever been for the festivities this year, with Ruth labouring away in the kitchen on Christmas Eve making homemade gifts of chillli jam, panforte and lemon curd, while I frantically wrapped presents. After a little gathering on the 23rd, which descended into a whisky drinking session till 2am with my Dad and mate Kev, our heads were hurting. On the night before Christmas, our Californian friend Frank, who had been stranded in London for a week because of the heavy snowfall, came to visit so we had a buffet followed by chocolate log and a few pints in our local. Later in the evening, we settled down in front of the TV with more present wrapping to do, and watched the entirety of the BBC's Nativity that we'd saved on the V+ box. Very entertaining retelling of the story, and surprisingly moving.
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| Rosie with new trike |
Rosie woke at a pretty reasonable 7:30am on Christmas Day, though I fear in future years when her awareness of what's in store grows, we'll be having an earlier wake-up call. Ruth & I maintained our tradition of present stockings for each other, and I was the lucky recipient of a pack of sesame snaps, a Houellebecq novel, some Korean chilli rice crackers, Dr Stuart peppermint tea bags and a bottle of winter ale. Ruth's mini gifts from me weren't quite so well chosen, ranging from a permanent marker pen to Bendick's mints. Breakfast was smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with muffins, but we opted against Bucks Fizz this year. Then we spent an hour or so opening presents with Rosie, including the grand unveiling of her new trike, on which she enjoyed a quick tour of the street once my family arrived around midday.
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| Out for a ride with Dad and Phil |
Despite being close to 90, my Nan still insists on doing Christmas lunch for all the family, and the turkey, stuffing and trimmings were as delicious as ever. Ruth had made a lovely Christmas pudding too, which we set alight with copious brandy. We got so caught up in scoffing and boozing, and keeping an eye on Rosie as she toddled around the house, that we forgot to watch the Queen's speech. After some more presents, we headed back to my parents' home, where a few games and more indulging were in order. Our annual tradition of a game of Banana Split (also known as Scattergories) led to a very unlikely outcome - me not winning for the first time ever. I'll have to lay off the Cava next year.
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| Christmas lunch chez Nan |
Boxing Day, after a mini lie-in and the news that England had bowled out the Aussies for 98 at the MCG, we left on our merry way to East Anglia. After weathering a few traffic jams, we finally made it to the Suffolk coast to enjoy a walk from Walberswick to Dunwich. The biting wind off the shoreline and the faint glow of the winter sun made for a challenging but restorative tramp along the beach, and worked up our appetite for a pint of Adnams. Retiring to the Bell Inn, we enjoyed a few ales and shared some sandwiches and onion rings, and even spotted our friends Charlotte and Geoff from Dublin. That night, we returned to Norfolk for a delicious cold meat buffet and Pictionary.
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| Out walking in Walberswick |
Our time in Norfolk was very relaxed, including a lovely night at Marge & Terry's where salmon, pigeon and beef were served to 14, and the red wine was endless. We also had a day shopping in Norwich and paid a visit to Ruth's Grandad in Coltishall, while all the time enjoying some great company, food and booze. Our stay was rounded off with a family breakfast to celebrate Ruth's Dad being awarded an MBE for services to the community, and after a fry-up and fruit salad we headed back to London.
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| Paul Playford MBE |
New Year's Eve was spent at home with out friends Jamie, Kath and baby Jacob, maintaining a long-standing tradition of getting pissed together, playing Cranium and watching Jools Holland's Hootenanny. This year, we went for the simple food option of an M&S curry takeaway, and drunk plenty of red wine, fizz and a few cocktails to see in the New Year. Going to bed at 2am and being woken by the babies at 6am made for a challenging day, and the most we could muster in the evening was sofa and home cinema. We did get out a few days before the dreaded return to work, not least to give Rosie a spin in her new trike, but the main theme was relaxation and our mantra for 2011: less is more.
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