2nd Jan 2009
Happy New Year to all. We saw in the new year, twice, at a party on Hogmanay. Twice because French time is one hour ahead of Scotland. We ate wonderful roast lamb, ratatouille and roast potatoes followed by French patisseries and accompanied by copious quantities of wine.
Both children managed to stay awake until 2am, just as well because oldest child became 12 at midnight.
We rolled home at 2 and straight to bed after a bit of pressie opening. Youngest child managed to stay asleep until 9.30am, thankfully, when we all surfaced and spent all day in pj’s again until the afternoon. OH (other half) fed all the animals wearing pj’s under a long coat and with hat, gloves and scarf etc.
We got dressed in time to go to a Campanard Supper at ‘the Chateau on the hill’, which is owned by some lovely, well to do, people of whom we have made acquaintance.
The Chateau is in process of renovation and what was a dreary, grimy storage room has been transformed into a regal dining room / banquetting hall with open fire and an original
Potager – french stone equivalent of a hostess trolley – set beside the fireplace. The potager has 3 firebox openings at the top lined with a metal grill. Ashes are taken from the fire and placed in the fireboxes, then a pot of soup or pot of coffee is placed on top and it keeps warm all day (of course with the constant attention of the maid).
We ate French bread, pate, cold roast beef, cold ham, stilton (very French not) , Christmas cake, handmade chocolates, handmade almond cakes, OH says ‘slugs’ which was prunes in bacon, or devils on horseback. I liked them anyway. Many wines from the cellar which is endless. Both children managed to behave and charmed French and English alike. We were the only Scots there, as usual.
Today, 2nd Jan. OH took oldest child and 2 friends ice skating. All came back with no bones broken and only mildly wet bums and all had a fantastic time. I stayed at home with youngest child and started to tackle the usual after Christmas debris. Tea was cooked on the wood fired range as is the norm these days. The only problem tonight was I added too much chili powder and blew the top off all of our heads.
Happy New Year to all. We saw in the new year, twice, at a party on Hogmanay. Twice because French time is one hour ahead of Scotland. We ate wonderful roast lamb, ratatouille and roast potatoes followed by French patisseries and accompanied by copious quantities of wine.
Both children managed to stay awake until 2am, just as well because oldest child became 12 at midnight.
We rolled home at 2 and straight to bed after a bit of pressie opening. Youngest child managed to stay asleep until 9.30am, thankfully, when we all surfaced and spent all day in pj’s again until the afternoon. OH (other half) fed all the animals wearing pj’s under a long coat and with hat, gloves and scarf etc.
We got dressed in time to go to a Campanard Supper at ‘the Chateau on the hill’, which is owned by some lovely, well to do, people of whom we have made acquaintance.
The Chateau is in process of renovation and what was a dreary, grimy storage room has been transformed into a regal dining room / banquetting hall with open fire and an original
Potager – french stone equivalent of a hostess trolley – set beside the fireplace. The potager has 3 firebox openings at the top lined with a metal grill. Ashes are taken from the fire and placed in the fireboxes, then a pot of soup or pot of coffee is placed on top and it keeps warm all day (of course with the constant attention of the maid).
We ate French bread, pate, cold roast beef, cold ham, stilton (very French not) , Christmas cake, handmade chocolates, handmade almond cakes, OH says ‘slugs’ which was prunes in bacon, or devils on horseback. I liked them anyway. Many wines from the cellar which is endless. Both children managed to behave and charmed French and English alike. We were the only Scots there, as usual.
Today, 2nd Jan. OH took oldest child and 2 friends ice skating. All came back with no bones broken and only mildly wet bums and all had a fantastic time. I stayed at home with youngest child and started to tackle the usual after Christmas debris. Tea was cooked on the wood fired range as is the norm these days. The only problem tonight was I added too much chili powder and blew the top off all of our heads.
Happy new year to you too - sounds like you had a good one.
ReplyDelete