Mud sticks!

When I left for work this morning, rain was beating down and a strong wind blowing.  I always feel guilty leaving the beast outside in filthy weather, but he simply isn’t to be trusted not to pee indoors while I’m out.  Added to which of course he’s supposed to be a guard dog so his true place if I'm being honest, is outside anyway.  As soon as he hears me come downstairs with my shoes on he stands by the front door ready to be ousted.  

He settled down

He knows.  Although he has a perfectly good kennel he always prefers to shelter in a hole in the ground.  I think this is a throwback to the days when he was a pup, living out in the wild, when his mother Bella would dig a hole for herself and the two pups to take refuge in at night, or in bad weather.  So this morning he settled down – and then I noticed something not too far away.  He's at it again!  And I never see him do it!! 

He's at  it again!

This time they are Vito’s.  I swear if archeologists ever dig up our property in some distant future, they are going to think the house was occupied by a one legged couple!!  As it happens my lesson was cancelled, so just over an hour later I got home to find the beast had re-organised the furniture while I was out and made himself more comfortable.

He'd rearranged the furniture

He was very pleased to see me and to go back into the house.

Just love muddy pawprints - NOT!

Just wish he’d wiped his feet first.   Got big feet, our boy!

Christmas Lunch in the UK

Almost exactly one month ago, we were sitting down about to begin our Christmas Dinner.  It had been years since Vito and I had had a full-blown British Christmas lunch, and we’d been looking forward to it ever since our tickets had been booked.  We were not disappointed! 

Presents!!!

I found that Lisa had already been very busy even before I got up on Christmas morning, and the table was already beginning to look festive.   Her parents arrived a while later, and we decided to start the day off with opening all the presents “Father Christmas” had brought.  No-one it seemed had been forgotten J  The little pooch had a great time “killing” her new toys. 

Killing her toys.

 Then Lisa, her mother and Andrew got busy in the kitchen while we steered clear so as not to get under anyone’s feet.  Andrew decided we should formally start proceedings and opened a bottle of champagne,

Champagne!

 a lovely treat!  Our tummies soon began to rumble as delicious smells wafted across the room from the kitchen area, and by the time we sat down to eat we were starving. 

The table looked beautiful.

The table looked absolutely beautiful, with lovely candles, sparkling glasses and crockery and of course Christmas Crackers.  Crackers are an old British custom at Christmas.  They are put on the table, one for each person who offers one end to a fellow at the table while holding on to the other.  Then the crackers are literally pulled apart. 

Christmas Crackers

Inside there is a specially treated strip of card, which creates a small “bang” when the cracker is pulled.  Inside there is a paper hat, a small toy or ornament of some kind, and a (usually appalling) joke!  Pulling the crackers is almost the first thing to be done once people have sat round the table, and the paper hats are immediately worn,

Paper hats are immediately put on

 and often the jokes are read out loud, accompanied by loud groans when the punch line is reached.   Then the meal begins.  Usually a light starter is served as lunch is so enormous and it’s almost impossible to move after the main course.  Lisa had made a dish with asparagus and eggs

A light starter with asparagus

 to whet our appetite before we moved on the to the main business of the day. 

Roast Turkey

Roast Turkey and all the “trimmings”.   By trimmings we mean things like “pigs in blankets” which are little sausages wrapped in bacon,

Stuffing (left) and "Pigs in blankets" (right)

 and stuffing, that is made of onions and sage and which fills the cavity in the turkey, and then of course there are all the vegetables.  

Brussels sprouts, carrot and potatoes

Traditionally we have Brussels sprouts, and often roasted parsnips, potatoes and carrots.  Also served is cranberry sauce a traditional accompaniment to turkey, and also bread sauce, made from, you guessed it, bread.  One addition I was not expecting was that of Yorkshire pudding, which I have always associated with Roast Beef.  It was explained to me that in Yorkshire (where we were) the pudding is in fact served with all kinds of meat, and not just beef.  I am not exaggerating when I say the entire plate was to put it mildly, rather filling! 

Filling plate with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, pigs in blankets, carrots, parsnips, brussels, yorkshire pud, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, and not much room to put anything else!

Then came the “pud”, or Christmas pudding, a rich type of cake, made of dried fruits and served flambéed in brandy and accompanied with cream or a special type of custard.  In fact we were so full of food after the main course that we saved the Christmas pudding for the next day as none of us had space left for it. 

Christmas pudding

 Although Vito and I hadn’t had a proper Xmas dinner for years, we agreed afterwards that Lisa and Andrew had really done us proud.  It was well worth waiting for, and we enjoyed every moment we were with them.  Hope we can do it all again without having to wait another seven years though!   If you’d like to know more about Christmas dinner traditions around the world, click here.  You need to scroll down to read about the UK.  There is more on the origins of Christmas pudding here.  

I was dreaming of a white Christmas.....

Now back at home in wintry Rome, the only reminder we have of a few wonderful days staying with Andrew and Lisa are the photos.  It was the first time Vito and I had spent Christmas in the UK since 2006 and only the second time in fifteen years, so was lovely to be back with the familiar traditions, sounds and scents of my childhood.  I have NEVER in my life been in the snow at Christmas and have always wanted to have a white Christmas. So can’t say like “I used to know” as the old song goes, but oh, how wish I did! Travelling to the north of the UK I actually hoped my wish might come true, but no such luck L  However, there were compensations.  For instance the 24^th, dawned bright and beautiful and saw the four of us, accompanied by Lisa’s parents and our “grand-puppy” - we don’t have grandchildren ;) - on a walk through the beautiful Golden Acre Park. 

Yorkshire has some magnificent countryside, as you can get an idea from these photos of the park. 

The scenery sparkled in the winter sun

Although terribly muddy from recent rain, the scenery sparkled in the winter sun. 

Meanwhile Vito and I snuggled together to keep warm, because although bright and beautiful it was also rather on the “crisp and chilly side”. 

Vito and I snuggled together

Well that’s my excuse anyway and I’m sticking to it J   

The puppy had a whale of a time and thoroughly enjoyed herself racing after a ball that Andrew and Lisa threw for her. The kids were all for walking to a nearby countryside pub but we “oldies” preferred a lazier way, and so we went back to the car and drove to the very traditional little pub

Traditional countryside pub

that Andrew and Lisa had in mind, which is in the middle of nowhere.  The pub was small, but had a warm log fire,

and of course a friendly Christmas tree and welcoming bar.

Welcoming bar

Warm log fire

It also had an enormous car park around the back, so it is evidently a popular watering post, but when I said in the middle of nowhere I wasn’t joking.  Take a look at this.

In the middle of nowhere

 This was the view from the front door of the pub!