The weekend vanished.............

We are just home from an evening of carols, candlelight, mulled wine and mince pies at church. And it has been cold, but not like it has been recently. It is beginning to feel like Christmas.

Speaking of mince pies (the fruit mince), I had my hands covered in flour from cutting out the pastry when the doorbell rang yesterday, and my friends from Scotland appeared at the door for coffee. And tea. This is England. So I shoved the first lot of mince pies in the oven and relaxed and chatted. Consequently, the first lot are a little too well done. One does not want brown pastry on one's mince pies. However, I watched round 2, 3, 4, 5 etc and may just have whipped them out of the oven a little too soon, so had to shove them all back in for a few more minutes. Then I discovered that the pastry was actually cooked, but the extra brandy I added to the mincemeat was dampening it.

I do realise that this is mind-blowingly boring, but so is my life at times, so we will just have to accept these minor irritations. Where was I......

I added brandy because, when I opened the new jars of mincemeat from a well known supermarket starting with "S" it was rock hard. Mincemeat should be squishy. So I turfed it all into a bowl; and added some KWV 10 year old brandy to the mix. Well, it was Ten Year Old Brandy when Geoff bought it about 20 years ago, so make that 30+ year old brandy. It must be worth a fortune now. But it is destined to be added to Christmas cake and mince pies instead.

Yesterday, I also marzipanned the cake, so that is now drying before it is iced. And, because the pastry for the mince pies only uses egg yolks, I had some spare egg whites.so that meant meringues, of course.

I tell you all this, because I asked my kids what else they wanted for Christmas (to eat). No biscuits (cookies), they cheerfully announce, when I have a mountain of them made. No. They want apple muffins. I can make those. But only on the day when they will be eaten.

Mountains of biscuits.

Ah well. They will go. One day. I think. (The biscuits.)

So the weekend has been a combination of taking things slowly, trying to rest while marzipanning, etc, and having coffee with friends, as well as time spent at church. Hmmm. There were a couple of supermarkets as well, and the wrapping of presents, and a few other things now that I come to think about it, but that is not important.

My daughter is in the air on her way home. I won't see her until next weekend, but she will be on British soil on Tuesday morning. And David heads home on Thursday. Just in time to help his mother deliver cards and other assorted things one needs help with now that one is no longer young and sprightly.

The wrapping is finished, and items on the lists are being crossed off. I must remember to take some photos! I have lists everywhere, and about everything. Micro management, people. Think it will work????

Hmmm.