Saturday 24th December 2016

Christmas Eve.

In case you didn't realise.

Yes, after a long hard year with work, traveling hither and thither across Europe on an apparently weekly basis, I had been home for a week now, and with the project on hold due to unseasonably mild and windy weather, there would be no work to get in the way, just relax, dink some beer, do some cooking and listen to some music.

But first, there is the meat to collect. Two months ago I din't know what I would be doing at Christmas, so didn't go over the top with the order, just the basics; a huge turkey crown (huge for two, but hey), salt beef, a game pie and sausage meat. And unlike in previous years, there was no gale blowing, no rain hammering down. In fact, it was a pleasant driving along empty roads to Sandwich and then over the empty fields to Preston, where there was just the one other customer there, so we exchange season's greetings, I give each of them a pint of Christmas beer.

They present me with a huge bag of meat, and after more chit chat, I leave them to it, and they hope they could finish for the day by midday and head to the pub opposite.

On the way back, with the radio blaring out, the sun rose ahead of me as I neared Deal. So wonderful it looked, I stopped to take a picture, as it seemed so perfect.

Deal was still quiet, most shops still yet to open, but people were about, already carrying bags of groceries and presents. Along the +coast road, past the castle and back home. Back home for breakfast.

After eating, the first task is to put the salt beef onto cook. I fry some onions, warm some spices and put that in a large pan with meat and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 hours. I make some rolls to go with the beef, so come one in the afternoon, still hot salt beef in fresh rolls. How perfect is that? Quite perfect I believe. And the salt beef is splendid, tangy with the spices especially the cloves, combining with the warm rolls, melted butter. They needed nothing else, just a huge cuppa, obviously.

Off back out to pass presents out. To Jools' siblings; sadly Kath's dog won't let anyone in, so we pass the present at the door with Tess making it clear we should leave. So we do. At Mike's, there was no answer, so we leave the bag of beers and ales outside and drive to the Rack of Ale to wish Trish the best for the season. It is already full of people, yet only having been open for 50 minutes, we have a beer, pass her two bottles of our Christmas beer, drown our beers and go home.

All done for another year.

On TV we watch Scrooged, my favourite Christmas film, then Muppet Christmas Carol comes on, which is my second favourite crimbo film.

So full of Christmas spirit, I make a batch of sausage rolls and open a bottle of Danish Christmas beer.

All was dark outside, and no sound could be heard, except the sound of the wind in the trees. It was already mild, and due to get milder; so no white Christmas again this year.

Whether is just the accumulation of the travel, or the fact that my brain isn't thinking about work, by nine I am pooped, so we go to bed, so lest we see Santa when he calls.