Petes Pix 2022

To Aylesbury for a light lunch with Toby, Emma and Jack. Toby poured a refreshing glass of Lanson Black Label Champagne. Jack was almost crawling, but hadn't worked out how not to trap his leg when he pushed himself up. He wasn't impressed with our present of a knitted Santa Claus figure, throwing it to the floor and playing with its wrapping paper.

Christmas lunch with  Peter & Sue and Peter’s sister Sarah so they did all the shopping and cooking and opened their cellar. We enjoyed a super meal, the best turkey I have had. Sarah said she knew nothing about wine but had been told they’d picked my favourite. When we arrived Peter was decanting a wine I recognised from the distinctive label as The McRae Wood, but we started - of course - with Champagne. With the roast a wine was poured from a decanter and it was so full bodied and packed with fruits. Sarah said it was the best wine she’d ever tasted and that it was ‘silky’. I concurred and was very pleasantly surprised to learn it was Ch Batailley 2013. I’d bought half-a-dozen EP but drank the last one in April 2021, I should have kept them longer. McRae Wood was great and the Cabernet Sauvignon ice-wine a succulent companion to Christmas pudding with custard. We went home with stomachs bursting and full of Christmas cheer.

I haven't made one of these in a while and this one turned out well. I used  Toby's batter recipe; 200g plain flour, 200ml milk and 4 eggs.

 A couple of the festive postboxes visited this year by the Yarnbombers

  Woke up this morning to snow and despite slight melting near house, it was much the same all day and it lasted for a week, hardly melting except on main roads. R ain during the following Sunday night cleared it away.

  Posted out my third Commonplace Book Cover shows our October holiday Narrowboat Annabelle at Gaskell’s Bridge,  River Trent, Alrewas, Staffordshire, England 16 October 2022. Back cover inserts:  Jack, Emma, Toby, Peter, Joan at Prae Wood Arms, St Albans, England 16 September 2022 and Dan, Krisie, Joan, Peter at Dylan’s, Criccieth, Wales 24 January 2022