Sunday 13th October 2024

Sunday.

And a day for relaxing at home, before week, or 5 days, of travelling for work.

The main event of the day centered around the roast dinner I would serve at half one, when Jen would join us to eat, drink and be merry.

This preparation was not helped by the fact we didn't wake up until quarter to eight.

Which is nearly dinner time.

Time then barely to make coffee and feed the cats before it was time to put the wireless for Radcliffe and Maconie.

Too late then for Jools to go swimming at seven, it goes without saying.

So, once we had breakfast and second coffee before I started the preparations.

Meat un-bagged and seasoned, with a sprinkling of flour on the fat tied to the outside. Wait then until ten to eleven before putting in to roast.

Potatoes were peeled and soaked in water which was refreshed every half an hour so to flush the starch out. Then put to cook and boil until they had nearly turned to flour.

Then left to cool before roast in goose and duck fat.

Vegetables peeled, sliced and ready to steam from one.

Jools asked as I put in the beef to roast, she asked where the Yorkshire pudding was? No room in the oven, I said. You told Jen there would be them.

So, I had to make a batter for the pudding, and to confuse Jen I called it a batter pudding.

Which was its original name, I believe.

Soon, the kitchen and house was filled with the smells of roasting beef and soon roasting potatoes and steaming vegetables.

And the cool kitchen became something akin to the dungeons of hell.

Jen arrived, we had a wine, which did not help my planning, or the grand carving of the joint.

Having been under control for several hours, the last ten minutes is a rush as everything is cooked to perfection, so needed to be served.

We sat down to eat at twenty to two, along with lashings of gravy, it was much anticipated and so doubly delicious.

The wine, was one of the bottles bought that Monday morning in Montalcino. Much carried and driven under escort across northern Italy and through France.

Afterwards, Jen and Jools cleared up, and I began the battle to stay awake. It was tough. The best part of a bottle of fine, strong wine downed and making itself very much at home.

Jen left at four, leaving an hour for coffee before the kick off of England v Finland on ITV.

It was better than Thursday's, but then almost everything would. England ran out 3-1, but that flattered England, and raises yet more questions.

That done, it was time for a shower and then pack for the week away.

We went to bed at nine, despite not being tired, the wind rustled the trees outside.