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I feel like a walking advert for the dangers of holiday overindulgence. I don't think I've eaten so many good meals and drunk so much wine in one week before - even counting Christmasses past.
Tuesday: a wonderful home-cooked meal hosted by Nerissa and Alaric, attended by several friends, to celebrate Robert's elevation: bacon-wrapped prune appetiser ('like meat sweets') roast duck with cooked cherries and salad, and a fruity dessert with cream, washed down by two wines (one white that was a like a fizzy ice wine, very sweet).
Robert finally received the promised Pelican medallion from Master Terafan (delivered just a day or so too late, after N&A had left for University). It's not perfect - I can see why Terafan wasn't happy with it, as the enamel didn't work out quite as planned - but I still think it's lovely.
Thursday: we hosted Sixtus Goetz , for a couple of days. He's a former Drachenwalder who hangs out on on the Armour Archive, and is now working in the Middle East. He's clearly starved of intelligent, non-work related conversation! and happily stood us a splendid rich meaty-and-beany keep-away-the-cold meal at the nearby Spanish restaurant. Laxeiro.
The restaurant is supervised by a very well fed long-haired white cat, apparently named Gilbert, who has his own Facebook account. The cat is more hip than I am.
In summer Gilbert sits outside on car roofs to sun himself and greet his public, but that evening we found him curled on a wicker bar chair.
Saturday: After a morning visit with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
purplemermaid , Robert heads off to the annual East London Pig's Ear Festival, where I find him and nz_bookwyrm and Master Paul, cheerful if a bit wobbly, a few hours later. My own half of cider was a bit disappointing (drier than I like) but at the end of a festival there's less to choose from. Robert helps everyone soak up their beers with another hearty meal, rounded out by our Christmas present from Paul and Anne: pears in chocolate sauce!
Unfortunately, the jar they came in started leaking, so we had to make the best of it, and eat them right away. I felt like I was swimming in a pool of warm dark chocolate (Anne doesn't muck about with anything less than 70% cocoa), with only a couple of well-cooked pears to cling to!
Sunday: Afternoon at A&S with Ynes in her lovely S. London flat, then away with K&O to Sir Vitus' for an early Christmas dinner with his family. Quail's eggs and homemade mayo, homemade oxtail soup (very different from canned!), fish cannelloni, and roast duck (again! 2x in one week) with potatoes and veg, followed by mango lasagna and coconut custard - again supported by great goblets of wine, and a taste of Vitus' homemade cider (again, a bit dry for my taste).
Vitus and Glacie enjoy hosting, and have a lovely space near Hampton Court for BBQs and armoring weekends. Glacie is looking rather tired of being pregnant (wk 34), though.
Soup and salad for me for the rest of the week!
Tuesday: a wonderful home-cooked meal hosted by Nerissa and Alaric, attended by several friends, to celebrate Robert's elevation: bacon-wrapped prune appetiser ('like meat sweets') roast duck with cooked cherries and salad, and a fruity dessert with cream, washed down by two wines (one white that was a like a fizzy ice wine, very sweet).
Robert finally received the promised Pelican medallion from Master Terafan (delivered just a day or so too late, after N&A had left for University). It's not perfect - I can see why Terafan wasn't happy with it, as the enamel didn't work out quite as planned - but I still think it's lovely.
Thursday: we hosted Sixtus Goetz , for a couple of days. He's a former Drachenwalder who hangs out on on the Armour Archive, and is now working in the Middle East. He's clearly starved of intelligent, non-work related conversation! and happily stood us a splendid rich meaty-and-beany keep-away-the-cold meal at the nearby Spanish restaurant. Laxeiro.
The restaurant is supervised by a very well fed long-haired white cat, apparently named Gilbert, who has his own Facebook account. The cat is more hip than I am.
In summer Gilbert sits outside on car roofs to sun himself and greet his public, but that evening we found him curled on a wicker bar chair.
Saturday: After a morning visit with
purplemermaid , Robert heads off to the annual East London Pig's Ear Festival, where I find him and nz_bookwyrm and Master Paul, cheerful if a bit wobbly, a few hours later. My own half of cider was a bit disappointing (drier than I like) but at the end of a festival there's less to choose from. Robert helps everyone soak up their beers with another hearty meal, rounded out by our Christmas present from Paul and Anne: pears in chocolate sauce! Unfortunately, the jar they came in started leaking, so we had to make the best of it, and eat them right away. I felt like I was swimming in a pool of warm dark chocolate (Anne doesn't muck about with anything less than 70% cocoa), with only a couple of well-cooked pears to cling to!
Sunday: Afternoon at A&S with Ynes in her lovely S. London flat, then away with K&O to Sir Vitus' for an early Christmas dinner with his family. Quail's eggs and homemade mayo, homemade oxtail soup (very different from canned!), fish cannelloni, and roast duck (again! 2x in one week) with potatoes and veg, followed by mango lasagna and coconut custard - again supported by great goblets of wine, and a taste of Vitus' homemade cider (again, a bit dry for my taste).
Vitus and Glacie enjoy hosting, and have a lovely space near Hampton Court for BBQs and armoring weekends. Glacie is looking rather tired of being pregnant (wk 34), though.
Soup and salad for me for the rest of the week!
