HoHoHo. It’s Christmas.
Judith has been passing on her reads, and l am very impressed with one of the authors. Lucinda Riley. Two novels that l have demolished swiftly, The Love Letters and The Butterfly Room are both enthralling. They capture you in the plot she creates. The stories grab you, and it’s not long before you just can’t put the book down. The Butterfly room was a little difficult to get into, but after a couple of chapters l was totally engrossed. It’s so unpredictable and moves at pace. It’s the only book that whilst reading it has became impossible to see the print due to moist eyes. I must becoming a big suck.
I managed to buy the new Jack Reacher novel The Sentinel, the first written in collaboration with his brother Andrew Child. I have all of Lee Child’s novels, and they are real page turners. Most have been read in one day due to their ability to be totally spell binding. You just can’t put them down. Unfortunately, this new book doesn’t do it for me. It’s ok, but far from the polished work of the now retired author, Lee Child. He’s a hard act to follow, and l will miss the pleasure and anticipation of waiting for a new release.
Back onto another love, Christmas movies, of which l refer to the great box office masterpieces, such as Miracle on 34th street staring Richard Attenborough and the fabulous It’s a wonderful life , James Stewart, along with The Snowman, animated to the song of Walking in the air.
Well this year we have A boy called Christmas. And guess what. Christmas junkie Judith was dying to go and see it. Unfortunately it’s not on at the big multiplex cinemas. On the positive, we found that is was showing in our local Dunoon cinema.
The story, read by no other than Maggie Smith is all about a young boy called Nikolas who sets out on an adventure into the snowy north in search of his father who is on a quest to discover the fabled village of the elves, Elfhelm. Taking with him a headstrong reindeer called Blitzen and a loyal pet mouse. The scene is set.
Fortunately the showing was at 1.45 in the afternoon, and only six people attended the viewing, including ourselves. All retiree’s, that’s a presumption, they looked elderly. Unlike myself.
It was good fun, but Stephen Spielberg could have made it truly magnificent. Yet then again it was a Canal+ project, presumably on a lower budget. Would still recommend seeing it, but perhaps at home when comes onto Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Christmas is also about traditions and rituals, of which we have many, although now without our family it is slightly different. Definitely less arguments about who is doing what. But miss the banter, dad slumped in the armchair snoring, Gwen fussing, trying to offer us even more food. Good memories.
Nevertheless, there’s still lots of fun to be had, food to be prepared, bottles to open, odd glass of something special to drink.
Already hosted a small local party and visited the neighbours. In fact Cath cooked us a full Christmas lunch with all the trimmings and Christmas pudding. The fire brigade had to be called when Ian used a pint of brandy to flame the pud. Joking. But he didn’t hold back when he poured the spirit. The turkey was amazing, so sweet and juicy. Best l have had for many a year.
Cooking becomes important at Christmas. Before the main event we put our aprons on, roll our sleeves and start cooking. This year we have tried some new dishes, Mary Berry ginger biscuits, Basque burnt cheese cake (really easy recipe), cheese shortbreads, apple and pork sausage rolls, slow cooked shoulder of lamb served hot in a home made milk roll and last but not least, spiced whisky (we made a sugar syrup, infused with cloves and orange zest. Mixed with chopped crystallised ginger. Allowing it to steep for a month. Using 1/3 sugar syrup to 2/3 whisky. ( to be honest, l just added the whisky into the syrup until it tasted perfect). A great little home made gift to give friends and relatives. Click on the links to see the recipes.
There’s also the great raised pie, made with a warm water pastry to use up all that left over turkey. I’m often banging on about this dish, but it’s just a great filler for the New Years party. Once cooked and cooled, you can freeze it. If it’s too big, cut it into four quarters and freeze individually.
I have enclosed the recipe, just in case anyone feels the need to try it out. The pie is not too difficult and its totally delicious.
Raised Christmas Pie
What can we do with the left over turkey?
We normally all buy a bird that is far too large for the numbers attending the Christmas Day meal, especially this year as social gatherings are definitely not wise.
For the past five years l have used the cooked meat, especially the dark meat to make a pie for the continued festivities over the New Year, and it goes down a wow. Its relatively easy to make and it can last at least a month in the freezer once made. This year, as we didn’t have a turkey, l just used chicken.
This old fashioned festive raised pie looks stunning on any buffet table and is truly substantial, just the ticket for any get together or that special New Years Eve bash.
For the filling
750gm of cooked turkey
750gm good quality sausage meat
500gm eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped into cubes
10 juniper berries, crushed
1 teaspoon each of grated black pepper, grated nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves
2 onions peeled and chopped
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
150ml port
75ml brandy
Remove all the cooked meat from the turkey and cut into 1-1½ cm chunks. There’s no need to be too precise.
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl ensuring that they are all thoroughly combined.
Leave to marinate for an hour.
The pastry
350gm plain flour
Good pinch of salt, grated nutmeg and icing sugar
150gm white vegetable fat
150ml of milk and water mixed in equal quantities
Mix the flour, salt, nutmeg and sugar in a large bowl. Add the fat to the milk and water mixture in a pan and bring to the boil. Add to the flour mixture and mix well to a smooth past. Cover and chill for 20 minutes.
Knead the pastry lightly, then use to line the 20cm loosed based cake tin that has been greased with lard. The tin should have the sides lined with cooking parchment that protrudes over the rim by 10cm that has also been greased with melted lard.
Place the pastry in the bottom of the tin and work it up the sides to the rim. It may slip whilst it is still warm, but as it cools it will stay put. Ensure that there are no cracks or holes and that it is as even as possible.
Set your oven to Gas mark 6 or 200C
Spoon the marinated meat into the pastry case and pack down well until you reach the rim of the tin, doming it slightly.
Put a lid of foil inside the baking parchment, pressing it down onto the meat.
Bake on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then reducing the oven to mark4 or 180C for a further 1¾ hours or until thoroughly cooked, removing the foil after an hour.
Let the pie cool completely in the tin, placing it in the fridge as soon as it is cool enough, and then carefully remove it from the tin.
For the topping
300gm cranberries
1 sachet gelatine
300ml red wine
75gm sugar
Dissolve the sugar into the wine, add the cranberries and cook for a couple of minutes until just cooked. Strain the juices into another pan, add the gelatine and dissolve thoroughly.
Top the pie with the cranberries and once the gelatine has almost set, pour over the pie, ensuring that it fills all the holes around the edges and it has covered the cranberries.
Chill in the fridge until set.
The pie can be made 5 days in advance of eating if kept chilled.
If you wrap it well, it will last at least a month in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge for approximately 48 hours before serving.
You may find that it is better to cut into small portions prior to freezing.
Its great for a winter picnic.
This year we are away for Christmas, sailing on the new Iona, heading down to the Canaries. Nevertheless we have decided to move Christmas Eve to Tuesday 14th, with Christmas Day on the 15th. Gives us an opportunity to celebrate in our own home, opening the presents, and just stuffing ourselves with too much food and champagne, the odd glass of vintage port, chocolate, dates, more chocolate, malt whisky. Then a visit to the loo.
It’s truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Most of the main trunk was rotten in the centre, so used the logs to build a few wilderness homes for the hedgehogs or anything else that was looking to relocate.
Weather has been wintery to say the least, but did manage to escape the worst of the storms last week whilst staying in Portpatrick.
Crossed on the ferry early in the morning, just before they cancelled all sailings and took a steady drive down the coast stopping off along the way at Largs, Irvine and Troon. Walking around Troon after being sandblasted whilst looking at the dramatic waves hitting the beach.
Portpatrick Hotel
Stayed in the old shearings hotel, The Portpatrick. Brilliant location, high on the cliffs, looking down onto the harbour.
Quite strange. We escape the safe confines of our own home and travel to a full service hotel. For the past eighteen months we have only used Premier Inns. They seem to have got to grips with the necessary covid hygiene precautions. Feel very at home with their facilities and safe and comfortable using them.
Yet at the Portpatrick hotel, we were mixing with other people, using all the facilities, restaurants, bars and lounges. Not a pleasant experience especially when you encounter the fearless or is brainless unmasked guests, who seem to float around in a fog of delusion. Coughing and sneezing in the still vault of a restaurant whilst awaiting for the hapless unskilled staff to lift their eyes from staring at the carpet to register a need for service.
The restaurant manager reminded me of Uncle fester from the Adams family, surreptitiously drinking from his water bottle whilst slouching in wait for his guests to arrive. Must say, as our stay progressed the service seemed to improve dramatically.
Had a noisy night at the hotel, listening to the storm, but the following day was relatively fine, although still blowing a real gale, so we put off the coastal path walk and headed inland to the Galloway national park. Superb circular walk, although quite a few large trees down that needed scrambling either over or under.
Really cold, but the sun eventually came out. Superb walk.
Odd ladybird making the most of the sunshine
Start at the car park at the southern end of the village and ascend the steps to where the path follows the cliff top across Taylor`s Peak Bridge, towards the spooky ruins of Dunskey Castle and onto Knockinaam. Although you can turn round at any point, or come back by the road.
Walk Portpatrick to Killantringan Lighthouse and Bay
This walk follows the cliff path south from Portpatrick and follows the first two miles or so of the Southern Upland Way.
After three nights in Portpatrick we crossed the snow covered hills, slipping and sliding to Edinburgh for a couple of nights.
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| Edinburgh Castle, all lit up and festive |
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| Judith had an idea that this may look good outside our house. Don’t think so. We don’t have an arched doorway, or a thousand baubles, or the time |
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| Great message. Most of the people had taken notice |
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| Loved the cooking process for the salmon. Very rustic. It’s cooking and smoking at the same time |
Once again managed some great city centre walks, mainly through the old town, visiting the central canal basin, right in the heart of the city, flanked on all sides by looming skyscrapers. In the evening we pottered about around the back of Princes street and through the squares. Vibrant.
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| Lochrin Canal Basin |
Caley Palace picture house that is now a Wetherspoons bar and restaurant.
The following day we did a circular walk along the river Leith, taking us up to Stockbridge in the West End. Walked through Dean Village and the famous Dean cemetery and onto the Scottish gallery of modern art before returning along the river with the Gormley statues dotted along the way, as well as the odd kingfisher darting across the top of the fast flowing water. It’s amazing how peaceful it was, even though hemmed in on all sides by the ancient tenements.
Eventually returning to Deans Village via some attractive Mews. Old stables that in the 20s had been used as work shops and garages had now been repurposed again into attractive homes. Delightful. And ultimately Stockbridge with its multitude array of interesting artisan shops, restaurants and of course highly priced charity shops, specialising in retro and vintage cloths.
Managed to eat well, although most of the restaurants that we intended visiting were fully booked. Nevertheless, we didn’t miss out.
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| Fetters College. One of the most exclusive public schools in Scotland. It boasts Tony Blair amongst its former students |
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| Dean Cemetery, home to the famous and wealthy, including many Scottish Colourist’s Francis Cadillac and JD Ferguson included |
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| Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art |
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| Pleasant little coffee shop in the gallery |
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| One wonders why not. Anything is possible |
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| Traditional Mews along the river |
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| Not surprisingly, many of these are now being converted into posh apartments |
Departed Edinburgh after two packed days and drove to Livingston stopping off for another walk around Rosalyn Chapel and castle before heading back to Innellan.
Scotland's daily COVID figures Saturday 11th
Scotland has recorded 4,087 new COVID-19 cases and 12 new deaths in the latest 24-hour period.
The country has now recorded a total of 761,889 cases since the pandemic again, along with 9,719 COVID-related deaths.
Today's figures compare with the 5,018 cases confirmed on Friday.
It comes after Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned of a "potential tsunami of infections" in the face of the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
She said the virulent new strain will "run riot" through the wider population as she cautioned the R number could rise above 2, meaning on average every 10 people with the virus will infect more than 20 others.
On a lighter note, Australia is trying to get the vaccine message out in a different way.
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| Not politically correct, yet still funny |
Some facts for all who enjoy lists!
Ten firsts of 2021
things that happened for the first time this year
1. The World Trade Organization was led by an African woman.
2. A purely digital artwork sold at auction for millions.
3. A human brain was wirelessly connected to a computer via a transmitter Devine
4. Mexico elected its first transgender lawmakers.
5. The world’s first 3-D-printed school opened in Malawi.
6. El Salvador became the first country to make Bitcoin a national currency.
7. NASA’s Perseverance rover made oxygen on Mars.
8. National Geographic cartographers recognized the Southern Ocean as the world’s fifth ocean.
9. SpaceX launched the first all-civilian crew into space.
10. Sales of zero-emission vehicles surpassed diesel sales in Europe
It’s ok if you are in a bubble
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