I still have no recollection of last year’s Xmas Day in ThePalace(OfLove), but it would have played out in very similar fashion to this one.

We generally keep it pretty sedate – food prep, hanging about, some low key feasting, maybe some pottering.

When searching for some clue to the mysterious 2020 festive season, I found a message on the family chat from 30/12/20 expressing concern that daily covid cases had jumped from 6 to 18.

Such innocence! Yesterday was 6,288 and will undoubtedly climb over the next weeks.

♥

For the longest time I’ve avoided using wrapping paper on family gifts, but there are a few rolls hanging about in a cupboard accumulated over many, many years, so I’m now slowly using them up rather than continuing to store them.

+ Bessie’s birthday gift hiding underneath

♥

We feasted on spiced lamb, hummus and pinenuts, with fatoush on the side – or is it the other way around? And fried pita bread – truly food of the gods.

When our food processor died late in 2020, we replaced it with a Magimix. It was horrifyingly expensive and honestly worth every single cent – spectacular results on the hummus.

And of course, we scoffed the traditional pavlova.

I have resolved to delight Future Me by writing up this pavlova recipe in a less narrative form.

I cannot express my complete and utter loathing of this type of recipe writing.

♥

In the afternoon I potted up the wee succulent from my concreting class (which to my astonishment is still alive), and another I’d grabbed from ikea earlier in the week.

I’m very pleased with the results! Many lessons learned from my first solo efforts, which I’ll regale you with separately.

♥

strange festive bug

I spent the evening watching a couple of episodes of 2016 Landscape Artist of the Year on the youtubes. I was delighted to discover this as our streaming service has had only the one single season available for over a year. I’ll be quickly devouring this as I’m sure it will be vanished before much longer.

There’s really something delightful and soothing about watching people make art.

♥

Today I think I need to brave the supermarket and hopefully source a heavily discounted turkey to shove in the freezer. Winter Me will be very appreciative if I can do this.

Bessie and Hansel over this afternoon/evening for Boxing Day feasting. We are highly envious of Joan’s freezing weather and extensive Christmas Markets – it all seems extremely festive and magical.

17 more days until I return to work – how totally wonderful!