Celebrate the Brexit bonus!

Francis: Why are you always on about women, Stan?
Stan: I want to be one.
Reg: What?
Stan: I want to be a woman. From now on, I want you all to call me “Loretta.”
Reg: What?!
Stan: It’s my right as a man.
Judith: Well, why do you want to be Loretta, Stan?
Stan: I want to have babies.
Reg: You want to have babies?!
Stan: It’s every man’s right to have babies if he wants them.
Reg: But you can’t have babies!

Stan: Don’t you oppress me.

Reg: I’m not oppressing you, Stan. You haven’t got a womb. Where’s the fetus gonna gestate? You gonna keep it in a box?

My first thought when it was revealed that here in the UK we will be able to buy wine in pints, as now unshackled from EU rules means we can.

The script is from Life of Brian, and Reg want's to be a woman, but when pointed out that he doesn't have the equipment, the compromise is that Stan has the right to be a woman, rather actually be one.

The thing about wine is it pretty comes in standard sizes. Mostly 70cl bottles, or multiples thereof, or even half that. In order to be able to sell wine in pints, wine will have to be available in pints, and the industry, or at least some winemakes will have to have the bottling facility to supply wine in pint bottles.

So it may come to pass, probably will come to pass, that we have the right to buy wine in pints, but not actually buy wine in actual pints.

In other words, a typical Brexit empty victory.

And this is something the Government wants us to celebrate!

[they] were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should."

Tuesday 26th December 2023

Boxing Day.

And my turn to cook.

On top of that, of course, it was a bumper day of sport, though no Prem games on Sky or Radio 5, and Sky only having the Footbal League, while the Prem was on either Amazon Prime and TalkShite.

Instead Radio 5 had the "round the grounds" service, not commentary but details of goals and other exciting action.

It was to be the best weather of the week, so I was stuck inside, cooking, of course, with just time between preparing and cooking to take a shot out of the back door.

Lunch was to be roast beef and all the trimmings, which meant starting to prepare at ten, and the meat going in at half eleven, in order for the six pounds of meat to be cooked by two.

Added to that was stuffing and pigs in blankets, steamed vegetables and roast potatoes, and lashings of beef gravy.

Jools went to collect Jen and Sylv to be here for one, when we had drinkies.

And then I pulled everything together to dish and serve for a two o'clock start.

A choice of three wines to accompany the meal too, which meant it was all rather wonderful. And the cook did not clear up, instead prepare for an afternoon of cards, which I won. Heavily.

And then to the second half of the main games via the radio, and setting up Amazon to watch the football.

The day ended with me watching two games at the same time: Ipswich v Leicester on my laptop and Man Utd on Jools's.

Football from midday all the way through to ten in the evening, if you have enough money to pay for the subscriptions.

So, here is me watching the two late games: Ipswich v Leicester on the left, and Man Utd v Aston Villa on the right.

Both great games, with Ipswich levelling with a deflected shot in injury time, and Utd coming from behind to win 3-2.

Monday 25th December 2023

Merry Christmas.

The big day dawned with strong winds, light drizzle and temperatures of nearly 15 degrees.

We had time for a coffee and wrap the last of the presents for family, before Jools took me to Jen's to collect her and Sylv so we could go to church.

Just the other side of the Deal Road, north of East Langdon is West Langdon, and they have a church that I have never been in, so we would go there.

Sylv was ready, so they both climbed in the car and Jools took is via narrow lanes to West Langdon, and because the church is at the end of a narrow single track lane with no parking, so Jools dropped us off at the fingerpost, and we walked up the lane, dodging horse eggs flattened on the road to the church.

Where we were greeted warmly upon entering.

St Mary is a simple Victorian church, with just stained glass in the east window.

I explained my project, and went round taking shots, before we took our places in a pew near the front.

This is not usual for me, in fact I can only remember going to church a couple of times at Christmas before.

Now, churches.

Thanks to the project, I know of low, high, nonconformist, traditional. But staying for a service is unusual for me.

With about a dozen of us, the service began, all taken from the Common Book of Prayer, another first for me too, with just the one hymn, a carol, but at the end.

Jen and I were the only ones who did not take Communion, I'd have no idea what to say or do. But Sylv did.

We ended with Oh Come All Ye Faithful, and that was it.

We walked back down the lane, where Jools was waiting, taking us back via Whitfield to drop them off, and then back to Chez Jelltex for brunch and brews.

At one, we drove back to Jen's, where we had a drink while we waited for the others to arrive: Mike, George, Trinny, Cath and two family friends of Jen's.

So, there was nearly ten sitting down to turkey, ham and all the trimmings at three, as Charlie delivered his address to the nation on the wireless.

The meal wasn't huge, but enough. I had double portion of sprouts as the carrots had gone, but hey.

Two glasses of fizz, crackers and laughs.

And then retiring to the living room for the exchange of presents, with more drinking and laughs.

We drifted back home at just gone five, with us heading back along very deserted roads back to St Maggies, as the cats needed their dinner.

In fact, Scully was in the wood store, waiting, and meowed loudly as I walked down the drive.

Merry Christmas.

Sunday 24th December 2023

Christmas Eve.

And we were all just about done.

No need to go to into town or Canterbury, no trips to Tesco needed.

For the latter it would mean waiting until ten as it was a Sunday, apparently.

Already after four days I am unsure of the day of the week.

After a lay in, we got up and Jools went to the pool for a session, then called in at the pet shop for a fresh bag of kibbles.

And back home for brunch of cold sausage rolls and a brew.

And after sitting around doing our hobbies, I prepare and cook carbonara with two bags (well, it is Christmas) of Guanciale which I cut up a week or so ago.

Also, a little bit extra cheese and ten extra turns of the pepper grinder, and was ready to go.

I cooked spaghetti for the first time, browned the Guanciale, mixed the eggs and cheese and pepper. Brought them all together, while Jools poured fizz.

On top of all that, I had made some "so knead" focaccia which was just cooling down too.

There was football pantomime on the tellybox, Chelsea at Wolves. Wolves won 2-1 to add to the seasonal mirth.

Ho, ho, and indeed, ho.

And that was it for the day. Outside the wind blew and got dark early. We waited until half five before putting the tellybox back on the watch Carols from Kings, always festive.

We had salt beef rolls for supper, cleared up.

And that was it.

Next stop, Christmas.

Saturday 23rd December 2023

It is that time of the year, wake up and after the first coffee, drive to Preston to collect our order.

Not much this year, as Jen is taking care of Christmas Day dinner, but roast beef for Boxing Day and a hunk of salt beef for sandwiches.

Unlike previous years, no rain, no storms, in fact quite a clear day, although at half six, the sun had yet to rise.

I was the only customer at first, our small order was ready, I had forgotten pigs in blankets, but there were sausages and bacon spare, so Mark made us a dozen quick.

Jools wanted to go to Canterbury for some shopping, so she asked which station would be best to get her to Canterbury West. Minster, I said, should be two trains an hour.

And after looking, a train was due in twenty minutes, so a quick dash through Stourmouth to Thanet Way, along and down Minster High Street, getting her to the station with ten minutes to spare.

As I was driving back, I thought sunrise was looking good, so I went via Deal, and sat on the sea wall as the sun came up.

Not a breath or wind, and few folks about, a fine way to start the first day after the solstice.

Back into the car and a quick drive through Walmer and back home. In the woods between Ringwould and Walmer, it was still dark, and yet people were driving without lights on, despite the fact their cars were almost invisible. I flashed a few, but I don't think they got it.

Once home I had breakfast, put the shopping away, and prepared the vegetables which would be added to the salt beef to be cooked through the afternoon.

Once Jools came back at midday, I made a match of sausage rolls, which were soon cooked, and all crispy and golden brown.

Perfect with a fresh brew.

And then, despite it being the just two days before Christmas, there was a pretty full fixture list to get lost in, kicking off, as it were, with Leeds v Ipswich on the tellybox, and Leeds romping to a 4-0 win.

Norwich then overcame Huddersfield 2-0 before the "big" match of Liverpool v Arsenal, which ended 1-1,was exciting too.

By which time it was half seven, dark and outside the wind building for another storm.

Friday 22nd December 2023

Shortest day of the year.

As described on Thursday, there was a six hour lightning strike by staff controlling the Channel Tunnel, which resulted in chaos, which continued into Friday.

In fact getting worse as the morning went on.

And I had to get Jools to work, and pick her up later.

Eeek.

Getting round the jams around town was easy enough going out via the Alkham Valley, once we had got through the cars almost clocking the Duke of Yorks roundabout.

Coming back meant going up Stone Street, cutting through Postling, then again to Barham and onto Dover and the hellmouth that was Tesco at eight in the morning, falling just short of fights breaking out over the last bag of potatoes of loaf of bread, but getting close.

Then back home via Whitfield, West and East Langdon and to home, back at twenty past nine.

Back home I unpacked the shopping and put it away, had breakfast, coffee, second breakfast of crumpets.

At which point I decided all was well with the world.

Only possible fly in the ointment was having to go back out in the afternoon to pick up Jools from her office Christmas party. Through the day I kept an eye on the traffic, and from about 11, things did begin to ease, though not really around the port.

Jools texted to see if it was easier picking her up from Dover Priory if she got a train, but the madness was that it was easier for me to get to Folkestone that to the centre of Dover.

I left at three, going down the Alkham Valley again. At the roundabout at the end of the road, it was jammed going into Folkestone by lorries trying to get back onto the A20 towards Dover even though it was shut.

I went to the third turnoff for Folkestone, doubling back to the Leas where she was at the Burlington Hotel. And after a 20 minute wait, she calls to say she was done, I found her outside the hotel, she got in and we tried to get home.

In fact, the Elham Valley could be reached, so we went up that before cutting through at Elham to Swingfield, then to Lydden and up Whitfield Hill and home.

Oddly, no traffic anywhere on the route, even on Whitfield Hill, nothing on the roundabout either, so we whizzed round, a short blast down the A2 and home.

Phew.

Time for a brew and a handful of Celebrations from the tin that's not an actual tin.

At quarter to seven, with traffic mostly back to normal, we drove along to Whitfield, down the hill onto Temple Ewell, to meet Sean and Ange again, this time for a meal out at The Fox.

I had never been there before, as parking always looked so tricky, but turns out down the narrow lanes of the village, they have a large car park, so we left the car there, went inside to meet with our friends.

Oddly, for the Friday before Christmas, it wasn't too busy, but we had a reservation anyway. Friday night is steak special night, two for thirty five quid, and a bottle of wine.

Bargain!

Doubly so as Sean was paying, and as there was four of us, that meant there were two bottles of wine to drink, which we made disappear.

The steaks were OK, as were the free bowl of onion rings.

Merry Christmas.

One and all.

Thursday 21st December 2023

Getting Sylv ready to leave is rather like herding cats.

It shouldn't be like that, but it is. And yet she has raised a family and owns her own home, and all that, so maybe she's not as daft as we think?

The plan was to leave at nine, so to have as much daylight for the trip back down south. This was not helped by me not getting up until eight, but after a brew and some toast, and some help, we were all fed and watered by nine, we loaded the car, reloaded the car, and were on the move at ten past.

We filled up on the drag to the motorway, where I took this snap of some typical housing, though most of the modern stock is quite swish.

Having filled the car, back on the road, over two roundabouts and onto the motorway, the rain fell which made driving hard, though was brighter. Onto the M62 and up the long hill to the summit again at Saddleworth, where once in Yorkshire, the clouds lifted and the rain stopped.

There really is a huge black cloud over Manchester, I half joked.

We made good time to the A1, turned south and made really good time. We had the radio on the listen for traffic news, I was also checking on my phone, and all seemed good.

The weather got better and better, and we motored south, though traffic was heavier, we were doing fine and it was only two hours before we were at Newark, and the flat lands of Cambridgeshire stretched before us.

We made it to Peterborough by five past midday. More pies and coffee from the thermos, before we were back on the road south by half twelve, this time with me in the driving seat.

We really did make good time, and soon we turned off towards Cambridge, easing down the newly improved road, turning down the motorway, at which point we were told there was a twenty minute delay on the approach to the Dartford Crossing.

Not too bad.

We cross into Kent by two, and the traffic news brought some breaking news, that the folks who run the Channel Tunnel, the actual tunnel, had gone on strike suddenly, and all trains through it were cancelled.

This would mean chaos in Dover and on the M20 near the terminal, so we turned on one of the roads up the north downs to go on the M2 instead.

A wise choice as by then the M20 was closed and all roads around the closure were jammed.

We did fine, and just before four I drove us into St Margaret's so I could be dropped off, and Jen drive them back to Whitfield.

I was shattered.

Nothing a brew wouldn't fix.

Still tired after.

And we were due to go out with friends for a quiz that night, could I be bothered?

Maybe.

I cooked hash for dinner, and so the vegetables went down very well, and I was feeling good enough to go out.

The roadworks into Walmer had even finished, so no waiting at traffic lights. We parked outside The Lighthouse, and inside Sean and Ang were waiting getting the drinks in!

Which is nice.

In the end, I had a great time, we all did, I think, and we came 5th, in a very close finish, two more points could have seen us finish 3rd, and in one of the monied spots.

But not tonight.

Home for eleven, and time for bed.