Happy New Year to you all!
I have been absent on here for a long time now and I won't lie, I expect that after this post I will be again. It is one of my hopes for 2020 that I can try and use this space a little bit more because reading back over my old posts brings me so much joy and nostalgia! I do have to be realistic though and recognise that with everything going on in the world right now I'm going to be very busy and probably very stressed. So we'll see if I can manage to fit anymore posts in - if not, I really do hope you enjoy this one.
I began writing this on Twelfth Night, a festival tinged with memories of my wretched A Level Literature teacher because we studied the play with her, but also the time that we are expected to put Christmas behind us and really begin to embrace the new year. For that reason, I decided to document my two weeks off on here. I had the loveliest break from work and felt truly rejuvenated, so let's look back and enjoy the holidays once more!
21st December 2019
One of my first days off from work was spent baking with my mum. Well, I was actually quite poorly so wasn't allowed to do anything in case I contaminated the food, instead I just watched from afar and took photographs of her while she was hard at work. You can see from this photograph that she made sausage rolls (the most phallic-looking of all baked goods, which we laugh about every single year despite being fully grown adults) as well as mince pies and lemon tarts. Even though I wasn't allowed to join in, it was still fun to watch and be part of the baking day. We had actually had a baking day one weekend earlier in the month too when I could take part so I didn't miss out too much! It's more fun to watch than get your hands dirty anyway, right?
My dad ended up eating almost ALL of the sausage rolls which was most disappointing for me, though I can understand why, they were bloody good!
I think a Christmas baking day is definitely an essential part of the festive season, I feel sorry for people whose parents can't bake to be honest. I've become a lot more skilled in the kitchen recently but I'm still not on my mum's level so if and when I have children I'll be turning up at her door with them in tow so that she can lead our baking days. Hope you're prepared for that Mum!
22nd December 2019
A day later I had my final pre-Christmas mates date with my lovely friend Emily. 2019 was a brilliant year for our friendship, though a difficult year for us both more generally - her more so than me. We really helped each other through difficult times though and grew a lot closer. Since leaving university we have both adapted to home life and have found that our priorities and interests are shared more now than ever before, which has been lovely. We've been friends since we were sixteen years old but I'd definitely say that our friendship has been at it's best this last year and I really hope we manage to top that in 2020! We met on the 22nd for a brunch-turned-lunch date (because the wait was so long) at our favourite ever cafe, The Kitchen! She was headed out for another meal later that day so just got a mince pie whereas I went all out and ordered myself one of their Christmas sandwiches!
Emily looking lovely at The Kitchen.
A MAMMOTH brie, bacon, cranberry AND turkey sandwich, complete with little roast potatoes and a side salad with more cranberry in it! I didn't quite manage the whole thing but I gave it a damn good go - that's what Christmas is about! Or so I kept telling myself anyway...
Em and I had some serious discussions over this beauty, which we tend to always do whenever we meet up to be honest, and that's why this day is one of my highlights of the 2019 festive season. It was just a nice occasion for us to catch up and discuss all of our hopes and plans for the upcoming year. Plus, how could I not look back fondly on this meal? It was DELISH. Thanks for a lovely morning Em, I hope the rest of 2020 is full of happiness for you because you truly deserve it.
Christmas Eve 2019
Cheers! Here you can see Mum enjoying some sherry during the Christmas Dinner prep. It was originally intended for the trifle but of course she had to sample some of it first, just to make sure it tasted okay (I'm sure...)
I won't pretend that I didn't indulge in a little tipple either, we both sat down to a Baileys in the early afternoon. I had mine in my lovely Jj glass which Joe bought me last year from M&S - I saw that they had some very similar ones out this festive season though so I reckon you'd be able to get your hands on one next festive period if you tried to. I use this year round but it is especially perfect for Christmas time!
In the evening we went to St James' Church for the Christingle Service (it was more lively than most years because the church nearly went up in flames) and then popped round to my uncles’ house for a little buffet tea and, you guessed it, some more drinks! Here I am with my youngest cousin, Finlay, who is now far taller than me despite being so much younger. I never noticed Dad in the background of this photo until I uploaded it just now but he doesn't look totally with it I must say... I assure you, he was fine! We've gone round to their house on Christmas Eve for the last seven or eight years I would guess, it's one of our traditions that we all look forward to. Another is hosting my Grandma and Grandad on Christmas Day!
Christmas Day 2019
Christmas morning this year was my favourite one yet. I was the last person up which NEVER happens and I woke up to Joe playing 'Must Be Santa' by Bob Dylan into my bedroom, which was startling but also hilarious - it's my favourite Christmas song ever now and I only heard it for the first time this year! Anyway, I got up and opened my gifts, then spent the whole morning preparing the lunch with my mum. We spent hours peeling and chopping veg, all while chatting and laughing, it was so lovely. It's something that I'd normally never do and I can see now that I've been missing out, roast dinner preparation is serious fun, especially because you know the outcome is a tasty meal. This year is the last year for a while that my mum wasn't working on Christmas day so I'm glad I spent the morning with her, it was good quality time together and also means that I can have a go at doing the veg on my own next year!
Joe made the morning especially cute by playing us Christmas songs on the piano as if they were backing tracks to our vegetable preparing scene. You get a glimpse here of the affectionately named 'tacky corner' - Joe's very own Winter Wonderland scene that he sets up in the dining room each year.
Christmas day breakfast was smoked salmon and philadelphia on toast with OJ and a coffee in my new Central Perk mug.
Dad joined us all just before lunch time and cracked open the champagne. I know I go on about teaching ALL of the time but that's because it's a massive part of my life, okay? So I'm not ashamed to mention it yet again and say that a student's parents got me this to thank me for organising Poetry By Heart and letting him be a part of it! It was really lovely too, super fizzy and sweet. We drank this while waiting for my grandparents to arrive and then as soon as they did I was on drinks duty and Mum and Dad served up the dinner. We eat at 12pm on Christmas which I know is weirdly early but in our defence, we are early risers. Mum, Dad and I get up at 5 O'Clock every day for work and would all consider 8am to be a lie in. So by 12pm we're always absolutely starving! That's when my grandparents eat too because as a farmer my grandad builds up a big appetite in the morning from all of my manual labour and needs his energy restoring to continue with work in the afternoon. It's just the way we do things, so don't hate!
Grandma and Grandad, our guests of honour!
Here it is, the main event, the Christmas dinner. I have to say that I was really proud of the help I'd offered to make this feast, everything tasted lovely - more so down to Mum's cooking than my preparation, but I'll still try to take some of the credit!
After dinner we watched Mary Poppins Returns and had a go at a Christmas quiz before Grandma and Grandad went home and we settled down for a turkey sandwich and more Christmas telly. It was a restful day that I hadn't really been thinking about until it approached and yet really enjoyed. I think this year was the first that I truly just appreciated being with my family and focusing solely on them, that's what it's all about now.
Boxing Day 2019
Christmas Jumper - Tesco
On Boxing Day the roles reversed and we went over to my grandparents house for a second Christmas lunch. My uncle, auntie and cousins also joined us there. This tradition has been going for almost twenty years now so it’s a staple. The one year that Grandma’s oven broke and we couldn’t go round was a bit of a catastrophe! Luckily there was no such crisis in 2019 and we all headed over for 12pm to enjoy the feast.
Shout-out to Grandma, it was a real triumph! Only nine months until the next one...
The in-between phase...
Everybody loves those few days between Christmas and New Year. Overeating, over drinking and under-achieving. It’s a time for rest, for indulgence, for sale shopping, for family and friends. Two weeks in self quarantine is proving too much for some people (most annoyingly) but two weeks off at Christmas is the dream!
I spent a lot of the in-between phase watching Harry Potter in preparation for a little trip away with Maisie and Chloe! Back in the autumn we booked a coach trip to London to visit the Harry Potter Studios and have a day out around he city. The studios were the highlight of the trip for us all, especially after I spent so long binge watching the films!
I’ve visited once before in 2012 but they have expanded so much since then, it was well worth the trip. I’m not as big of a HP fan as Chloe and Maisie are but I loved it, I think it actually turned me into more of a fan!
New Years Eve
My New Years Eve was wild, especially considering it ended at about 10pm! I made the error of not eating beforehand, had about four gin and tonics at my cousins house party and then knew I was NOT ok. As soon as I felt the room spinning and realised I couldmt focus my vision, I decided it was time to call it a night. Stupidly, my mum let me walk home alone and when I got in I spent about half an hour being sick into the toilet. I was asleep by 10pm! It did mean that I didn’t feel too bad in the morning though so that’s one positive.
I haven’t had any wild nights since then and I’m unlikely to now with Covid-19 taking over all of our lives. 2020 is proving to be a strange one so far and it’s difficult not to feel frightened and even bitter. As a key worker I’ve got to go into work on a rota system, I’m struggling to see everybody complain about staying home because I really wish I could be doing the same! My kids need me though and in a way, I need them. I love being a teacher and I’ll keep teaching for as long as the government will let me, I just wish I could do it from the safety of my house! Please distance yourself socially, please avoid public places, please just stay in your houses and recognise that this situation can be solved if you follow the government guidelines. Hey, if you get really bored, why not start a blog? I’d read it!
Stay safe everybody. If you do feel inspired to write, send me the link, I love being nosy!