Feliz Navidad !

 Or Happy (Spanish) Christmas !  

After this year of heatwaves affecting the garden, the highlight of Guy and Lucy visiting us and then us all going to Manchester for the wedding, and finally some minor health issues, Sue wanted a change of scenery.  So we went back to Sa Tuna and Begur on the Costa Brava coast to stay in our friends villa. It's about a four and a half hour drive for us and so we were able to get there and do some Christmas food and wine shopping on the Thursday 22nd.  Clear skies, warm sunshine getting up to 20 degrees ! What more could you ask for?

We really loved the fact that the beach and the town were deserted of people!

Christmas morning we walked through the town of Begur.  Again no people other than a few when they came out of the church from mass.   The town has sympathetically retained its charm from the late 19th century when locals, having made their fortunes in Cuba and the West Indies, returned and built substantial homes.

There are still a lot of these houses which are now chic second homes for people from Barcelona.  This Cuban influence is evident throughout.

For our fairwell meal on the 27th we went to a restaurant 'El Far' next to an old lighthouse.  As we were eating more and more spanish families arrived to much kissing, laughing and excited chat.  We loved 'people-watching'!

So, rested and relaxed, we hope that the New Year will be safe, healthy and not as bad as the newspapers say!!!!

Like Buses

 We have not blogged regularly for some time (not much different happening here) then all of a sudden three blogs in quick succession.

As I told you we are flat out socialising this week. Thursday evening we booked a table at the catering college for their special Christmas meal. We have not been for several years as the college, along with everything else, was affected by Covid. In fact it still is as we were served by a lecturer because a number of the students were suffering from Covid.

We began the meal, as all good French people do with an apperitif. It turned out to be the best cocktail I've ever had. Mandarine liquer topped up with champagne and decorated with clementine and marron glacé. Followed by foie gras royal, a sort of thick soup which coated a vegetable paté. The fish course was lobster served with three different heritage vegetable purées. The piece de resistance was the main course which was pidgeon (our favourite meat) the breast wrapped in cabbage leaves and the leg taken off the bone and mixed with morrell mushrooms. Delicious, but by now I was full. Not to worry I was sharing the meal with a human dustbin who was happy to hoover up what I couldn't manage. However the dessert, a combination of a baba, chocolate sauce and clementine sorbet, was enormous and beat both of us. 

Today is a day of rest for our stomachs (friends for lunch yesterday) ready for recharging for another lunch with friends tomorrow. What a hard life!!

Old Codgers

 Yes, today we became officially old. 

 At 10 o'clock this morning the Mayor and a lady helper arrived to give us our Christmas box which is dished out to all residents of the village who are 75 years old and over.  This came as a surprise/shock as, whilst it is a nice Christmas gesture, it officially recognised us as being OLD.

I did surreptitiously feel into the bottom of the package incase there was a bottle of wine there, but no.  Still, rich pates and chocolates are  very acceptable.  

Happy Christmas!

Christmas Season

As we haven't had much to say lately I thought it was time for a catch up. I certainly feel Christmasy as I sit here sipping my home made wine. You probably have visions of disastrous parsnip or potato. Fear not this is "proper" and palatable. We were given the recipe by some French friends and it is based on walnuts which are prolific here, with copious quantities of wine and spirit added! My excuse if this gets a bit garbled latter.

We got back at the weekend from five days in Surrey with our dear friends Paul and Jennifer. As you know it was very cold in the UK last week so we didn't venture out too much, although when I think about it we did. Lunch in Guildford, a visit to a National Trust property which was decorated with a theme of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and a meal at a super restaurant on Thursday evening. However it was even colder when we got home but the socialising has continued all this week. We are off to Spain next week for a few days over Christmas so we are not just sitting here looking at each other.

Of course nothing is happening in the garden except the rabbits are eating the newly planted iberis in the "wedding cake" despite covering them and we have tried to deter the deer from eating their favourite plants. Hope springs eternal!!

However Mr Fox continues to visit regularly, and Mr Hare occasionally and for the first time a buzzard has investigated the odd bones and meat which we put out. We always see a pair of buzzards circling in the summer with their off spring but "times is hard" in the winter and they are forced to scavenge whatever they can.

 

We hope that you all have good festivities as we intend to do and we are even venturing out on New Years Eve. 2023 must be better!!

Finished !

 Yes, we've finally finished planting all of this year's bulbs.  The last 100 Tulips were planted this morning.  

It seems to have taken us a long time but Sue had to weed/clear the serpentine bed before the bulbs could go in.  But we can now concentrate on the festive season which starts for us tomorrow with the first of our friends coming for a meal !