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Tuesday 27 December 2016

Christmas Day

As usual I woke early at just before 6am. I can't under estimate how lovely it is to have my cat greet me every morning. Who would not want such a friendly welcome when you first open your eyes in the morning.

We opened the small number of gifts that we had bought for each other. How fortunate are we to not need anything. How many people in this world can say this? I count my blessings. I bought David a cashmere jumper in the most beautiful colour of bluey purple. I also bought him some blue canvas deck shoes and two different boxes of chocolates from Hotel Chocolate. We used to love Thorntons Continental chocolates but over the years they have become cheap tasting and not as rich as they used to be. I've moved onto Hotel Chocolate chocolates instead which taste like Thorntons used to taste. 

David bought me some French perfume by the designer Lolita Lempicka. It is called LL'aime. I bought some perfume by Lolita from my favourite carboot seller at the Cheshire carboot sale late last year and loved it. He remembered this and bought this for me. He also bought me some Veuve Clicquot champagne and a huge box of Green & Blacks organic chocolates. Reading our list of gifts has just made me smile as it sounds like a cliche of middle class gifts. We are far from middle class and could not be more working class if we tried.


We started on the Buck's Fizz just after 7am and by 9am I was feeling a little light headed and decided to give the alcohol a miss until late lunchtime when my dad was due to arrive. Believe it or not I tackled a huge pile of ironing from three washing loads. It was sitting on the arm of one of the settees and I needed to get rid of it before everyone was due to arrive on Boxing Day.

We had a delicious turkey crown from M&S for lunch. It should have cost £30.14 but I paid £10 when it was reduced at Easter. It has been in my freezer since then. It was delicious. We ate it with roast potatoes, roast sweet potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts (I did not eat these as they are evil) served with chestnuts, roast parsnips, red cabbage with apple, cauliflower cheese, pigs in blankets that I made myself using Cumberland sausages, and two types of stuffing.



We had already eaten canapés which were smoked salmon blinis and some ready bought party canapés from Waitrose- breaded cheese bites (Camembert & soft cheese), mini roast dinner Yorkshire puds, mini quiches etc. We also had appertisers. My dad chose homemade pea & mint soup that I made on Friday whereas David and I went for a M&S crab & prawn terrine with prawns, salad leaves and some seafood dressing.

I had a choice of Christmas pudding, mince pies, Christmas cake, fruit cake, chocolate log for dessert with a choice of Baileys or brandy cream or three different types of Haagen Daz icecream for dessert. David didn't want anything and myself and dad plumped for warm mince pies with dulce de leche icecream.

Coffees with chocolate mints followed and then we were ready for nodding off for the rest of the afternoon. I didn't eat another thing for the rest of the day but David managed his signature Christmas Day sandwich of turkey, stuffing and sliced sweet pickled onions. I just had a glass of alcoholic egg nog over ice. I always buy my bags of ice as at just £1 I can't be bothered faffing with making my own. I bought a bag of ice cubes and a bag of crushed ice.


Well the whole day was repeated on Boxing Day with all the family round.

Saturday 24 December 2016

A Hectic Week

We walked into our home at 1pm last Saturday afternoon after our return flight from New York. The jet lag coming home always seems worse than from the UK to the USA. Saturday was pretty much wiped out for me. I went straight to bed, woke up at 4pm and then hung around the house feeling sorry for myself because I was still tired and suffering from this awful cough and sore throat. I found a frozen pizza for our evening meal and went back to bed at 8pm.

Sunday was better with me not waking until 9am which is such a late start for me as I am usually such an early riser. It was time to unpack suitcases, start washing holiday clothes and food shopping. I had a chuckle to myself about our freebies from the hotel. I can't resist taking anything that we haven't used so the tea and sweeteners came home with us. I love tea but the hotel provided packet creamer in the room and not milk. Great with coffee but with breakfast tea it tasted vile so we lived on coffee and the teabags came home with us.



I also stocked up on the hotel toiletries and brought home soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. It is a make called Pure and it smells of lemon verbena. Given that this is one of my favourite scents I was not passing up on bringing these home. I read a blog called $100 dollars a month which is written by an American lady. Every Christmas her mum gives her and her daughter a gift of all the freebies she has acquired during the year. There is everything from hotel coffee, toilet rolls and toiletries to mini ketchup bottles. This really makes me smile. Her mum has been stocking up all year and storing everything in bags behind a chair in their spare bedroom.






I had almost forgotten it was the run up to Christmas until I went shopping at Waitrose on Sunday and then it hit me. My word it was frantic with packed aisles and little space due to additional displays being added next to the gondolas. I was shattered when I got home and had to ask David to unpack the car. I spent £20 on flowers and Christmas foliage for my lounge and dining room. Do you think this is too much? I never know whether I have wasted money on flowers or not. I bought two bunches of white oriental lilies at £7 a bunch and two packs of a Christmas foliage. These were six sticks with cinnamon sticks and pine cones on them for £6 for two packs.



Monday evening saw us putting the tree up and we have had to put it in a different place this year to accommodate a full table of eight. My mum has come over from France for Christmas and the New Year. She is currently staying with my step auntie & uncle but will be coming over for Christmas and will be staying with us for a few days over New Year. She has brought her dog Misca with her and I don't know what my cat will think about having a dog in the house. She is fairly timid but because she was a stray she has a street fighter streak in her. She saw a fox off once so I think the dog may be in for a tough time. She has already been up the tree - little madam!



I've been shopping nearly every evening this week and the fridges are packed - I'm cooking two Christmas dinners and have two turkey crowns from M&S. One for Christmas Day when it is just myself, David and my dad and Boxing Day when there will be the eight of us. My mum & dad, my sister, brother-in-law and nephew and niece plus of course myself and David. Everyone apart from my dad is staying overnight so there has been beds to make, spare bedrooms to be cleared of our clutter, and evening snacks and breakfasts to be thought of as well as Christmas dinner. I'm exhausted!!




I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Day and Boxing Day and that Santa calls by to your homes on his travels. Merry Christmas to all my lovely readers.

Friday 16 December 2016

Last few days of NY holiday

We return home tonight after 10 nights in the Big Apple. We've had a brilliant if tiring time and although sad to leave I will be glad to get home. For the last few days I have had a really nasty cough and suspect I have a chest infection so a return home will be welcomed.

So what have we been up to over the last few days? We visited the Guggenheim museum although we did not go into the exhibition area. I wanted to see the beautiful building rather than the exhibits and didn't want to pay the £20+ cost for each of to enter. It was a beautiful day when we visited with blue sky's and the warmth of some sunshine.






Earlier in the day we had returned for breakfast at the Brooklyn Diner and I had the most delicious breakfast called a Tony Bennett. It was cinnamon and raisin french toast with pecans, fresh strawberries and maple syrup. This was so indulgent it felt more like eating a dessert than a breakfast. 


Yesterday the temperature dropped dramatically and it fell to below freezing with a light snow shower mid morning. This was quite pretty as we were at the Rockefeller ice rink at the time and it was lovely to see the snowflakes falling down onto the skaters. 



We headed to ground zero at lunch time and I find the place so moving that I got a lump in my throat. Roses are placed in the names of those who died when it is their birthday and a solitary white rose was placed in the name of one lady. I became a little choked when we visited a couple of years ago too. 


Late afternoon saw us return to the Rockefeller to visit Top of the Rock. We had chosen late afternoon to visit to see the view from the top of the building in the day light, at sunset and when it was dark.  We were there for 2 hours and grateful for the heated section inside the building to warm up cold fingers from taking photos outside where it was decidedly chilly.









We finished the day with some beers in an Irish Bar and then Japanese food in Hells Kitchen. The food was outstanding and we started with the most delightful steamed pork and chicken buns followed by bowls of savoury ramen. 






Well it will be back to the UK and a very busy week on the run up to Christmas. As usual I have a house full with eight for dinner and 5 relatives staying over through Christmas and the New Year. I'm already exhausted thinking about it. I just hope I can shift this cough in time.

Wednesday 14 December 2016

More Days in NY

We are loving our long break here in New York. It is tiring compared to a beach holiday as we are pretty much on the go everyday. I was starting to flag a little by Saturday so David suggested a day out to Rockaway Beach. This is more a summertime place than winter destination but I checked on line to see if restaurants were still open and once satisfied that they were we headed out via the subway.

I can't get over what value for money the subway is here in NY. We have now bought two one week tickets which give unlimited travel on the subway, buses (although we have not used these yet) and even the cable car over to Roosevelt Island. I couldn't believe how high the cable car was at one point. I'm pretty much fearless but David said afterwards that he'd had one of those split second waves of panic when he had looked down at the ground. We could have travelled back on the cable  car but instead chose the subway.









We set off for the journey to Rockaway and enjoyed people watching on the subway. Eventually once we were no longer on Mangattan Island the train popped out into daylight and we could see the districts heading out to our destination. As we got nearer there were boat houses and wooden houses on stilts over the water. I guess it must be magical in the hot summer months as they had seating areas outside near the waters edge.

We arrived at Rockaway and had a walk up to the beach and boardwalk. The high street was cute with some shops and restaurants. We walked up both sides and I kept my eyes open for the gas station. The reason for this was behind the gas station and overlooking the bay towards the Manhattan skyline is a restaurant called The Wharf that has good reviews. Sure enough we found it and walked out of the cold into a cosy bar. We ordered brunch which came complete with cocktails. I had my usual Bloody Mary and David chose a Screwdriver. We ate the most tasty and savoury steak and eggs  with house potatoes and enjoyed the view.







On Monday it was off to Bryant Park for the Christmas Markets and to watch the ice skating. We didn't have a go ourselves but enjoyed ring side seats to watch everyone enjoying themselves and falling over. They have these great figures of snowmen and penguins for children to use to keep themselves upright. If I was going skating I could do with one of these.





We visited Ellen's Stardust diner for breakfast one day. All the staff are Broadway wannabes so they serve your coffee and then get up sing. It was a great atmosphere and we had to queue to get in but it was well worth the wait,