Festive Season Frolics

 

Fortnum & Mason's flagship store on Piccadilly in London,
decorated to resemble a gigantic advent calendar

Happy New Year, Readers! 

(I feel as we are only in the middle of January it's still permissible to issue that greeting)

It's been a busy few months for us, what with a heavier than usual number of social commitments interspersed with the normal daily grind of full-time work. However those social activities have come as welcome relief from day-to-day drudgery, and have included a couple of visits from family and friends.

In October my brother Mark and sister-in-law Kerrie arrived from Sydney to spend a couple of days chez Persen-Joy before they jaunted off on a short driving tour to Bath and Cardiff. They returned to us for another couple of nights ahead of commencing two cruises through various bits of Europe and Scandinavia, including a northern lights cruise up the west coast of Norway, as part of which I managed to coordinate meetings with two branches of our Norwegian relatives. Mark and Kerrie then spent their final few days with us before returning to Sydney.

We enjoyed showing Mark & Kerrie around our local area, which included a stroll around Waverley Abbey
(the first cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128)

We had beautiful autumn weather for our drive over to Petworth House in West Sussex,
visiting Bignor Roman Villa en route (the ruins of which were discovered in 1811) 

Not the world's best group selfie! 😂 And it was a tad breezy!
Having fun in Arundel, West Sussex (with Arundel Castle in the background)

I hadn't seen M&K since I was last in Australia (in 2016, for my Dad's funeral) and it was a joyous thing to be able to spend multiple days with them over an extended period of time. They regaled us with great stories of their travels - the fun times and the disasters! Both Kevin and I were sad to bid them farewell, and we were reminded of the vast physical distance between us and our loved ones in Australia.

The first couple of weeks of December gave us 'proper' winter weather, with a hoar frost that lasted a whole week. So beautiful! Every blade of grass, every branch and leaf on every tree encrusted in white, with some spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Overnight temps tended to hover around -6ºC but we dipped down to -8ºC one night, and the daily maximum often remained below zero - my ideal weather!

In fact it was so cold that for a few days Frensham Little Pond was frozen over completely, the ice thick enough to support the weight of those morons stupid enough to venture out across the ice - with dogs and children in tow - crossing from one side of the pond to the other and back. I say morons particularly, as just the weekend before three children had died, having fallen through the ice in a lake up in Solihull (West Midlands). A fourth child later died in hospital from his injuries. Thankfully the Frensham morons appear to have survived their irresponsible behaviour without consequence.

This kind of big freeze happened a number of years ago, but it's relatively rare in our increasingly warmer winters.

The view from our back garden - a beautiful frozen, white world 

Many of you will know I am NOT a fan of spiders or their webs.
But the hoar frost transformed them into a thing of beauty

A golden sunrise viewed from our backyard on a frosty December morning

Now how's that for a spectacular sunset and cloud formation?
Viewed from our backyard early December 2022

Rugged up and rosy-cheeked, on a 10km ramble down to Frensham Little Pond, around Bourne Woods and back

A frosted landscape in Bourne Woods

Chunks of ice resting on a frozen Frensham Little Pond - frozen all the way across

Another shot of Frensham Little Pond, completely frozen over - December 2022

One of the very cute cottages that abound in Frensham village

Holly leaves rimmed and covered in frost

Kevin in early afternoon winter sunshine, in a frosty lane beside the Church of St Mary The Virgin in Frensham

A week of sub-zero temperatures (up to -8ºC) was too much for my glazed terracotta bird bath / water bowl!
If I'd emptied the water it might have survived, but the constant freezing / slight thawing / re-freezing resulted in this fragmented mess

The Farnham Christmas Market happened to be scheduled on one of these freezing days and it was wonderful to stroll up and down Farnham's streets (many of them closed to traffic for the event), enjoying the festive atmosphere and the dozens of stalls selling handmade goods, fabulous foods and vintage wares. A brass band provided very cheery music (refer short video below) and we stumbled across some of the Frensham students performing songs in the courtyard of The Bush Hotel.

For once I had the foresight to book a table at one of the town's smallest but best pubs - The Queen's Head - so after a couple of hours strolling around in the freezing air and purchasing goodies such as smoked olive oil from an artisan organic producer based just outside of Naples, we enjoyed a late lunch. The Queen's Head was, as usual, crammed with jovial locals and their well-behaved dogs. This tiny establishment really does offer some of the best pub food in the area, and its rustic interior with open fires was just the ticket on a cold winter's day.

Arches in The Borough, Farnham, decorated with fairy lights

The Blue Bear Book Shop in Farnham went all out with its festive decorations!

Kevin and Yours Truly with a few thousand other people at
the Farnham Christmas Market

Wreath on one of Castle Street's elegant Georgian houses

Many of the local pooches were decked out in festive attire at the Farnham Christmas Market

Kevin checking out the menu in one of Castle Street's many dining establishments

Hoar frost on a magnolia tree in the churchyard of St Andrew's in Farnham

Enjoying the chill - in front of St Andrew's Church in Farnham

Hoar frost on fence railings at St Andrew's Church in Farnham

Kevin raising a pint in The Queen's Head, Farnham

For various reasons we were unable to make plans to spend Christmas abroad or even somewhere else in the UK this year, and we also took the decision not to host our usual Christmas drinks party at home. Nonetheless, we managed to make much of the festive season with local events and also an overnight stay in central London on the 23rd of December. 

We were obliged to drive into Marylebone and pay for overnight parking, as well as two days' worth of central London congestion charge, but the series of rolling strikes across many of the UK's public services (solidarity with the UK's striking workers! ✊) meant we couldn't rely on the trains.

On a last-minute impulse I got tickets for us to see a production of one of my favourite novels, Virginia Woolf's Orlando, at the Garrick Theatre near Leicester Square. In the lead role was Emma Corrin, whom some of you might have seen in various film and TV roles. Emma identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns 'they' and 'them' which means they were a pretty marvellous fit for this wonderful story which follows a gender-fluid character through three hundred years of history. Prior to the performance I was struggling to imagine how such a tale could be represented on the stage, but we were happily surprised. And trust me - Emma Corrin is an actor to watch.

Crowds of Christmas shoppers and tourists among the Christmas lights on Regent Street

Christmas lights and yet more crowds at Oxford Circus

Piccadilly Arcade sparkling in blue, silver and gold

The Garrick Theatre near Leicester Square, where we were treated to seeing
Emma Corrin in the titular role of Orlando, one of my favourite Virginia Woolf novels

Inside the Garrick Theatre prior to the performance

The highlight of this pre-Christmas stay in London was our special festive meal at The Gate in Marylebone. I have mentioned many times previously in Tunnels of Green that my favourite vegetarian / vegan restaurant is The Gate in Hammersmith, but some weeks before Christmas I was phoned by that branch to say for a number of reasons they were obliged to close early on Christmas Eve, and would I consider dining at their Marylebone restaurant instead? We had in fact just been to the Marylebone restaurant a couple of months prior with Roy and Tracy, after we saw a production of To Kill A Mockingbird at the Gielgud Theatre in the west end. 

With our lunch venue changing, we were also obliged to change our hotel but none of this really impacted on our enjoyment of the meal, particularly because - Oh, the anticipation! - as they do each year, The Gate was offering its special Christmas menu. This included the outrageously indulgent Dark Chocolate Sphere - a spectacular vegan dessert comprising William Pear puree and chocolate mousse encased in a dark chocolate shell, served with creme patissiere, dark chocolate crumb and a hot fudge sauce. When the sauce is poured over, the sphere slowly collapses into the most delicious, chocolatey, molten goo you've ever tasted. See action shots below! (and who needs dairy?!)

The Gate in fashionable Marylebone - venue for our special Christmas Eve meal

About to tuck into our mostly vegan Christmas meal at The Gate in Marylebone.
In the centre of the table is a side serve of The Gate's famous Polenta Fries with Garlic Aoli.
I don't think we've ever visited The Gate and been able to resist ordering these as a side dish!

Dark Chocolate Sphere: Stage 1 (pre hot sauce)

Dark Chocolate Sphere: Stage 2 (hot sauce in progress)

Dark Chocolate Sphere: Stage 3 (meltdown!)

We really enjoyed our 24 hours of London Christmas celebrations, wandering the streets to admire the lights and ogle the posh stores decked out in their festive finery. We threw Covid caution to the wind and joined the throng of people in Fortnum & Mason, marvelling not only at the goods but the prices... and I confess we did end up purchasing the world's most expensive loaf of rye bread to take home with us the next day. It was excellent. 

Er, OK - I'll enter Fortnum & Mason via the 'tramp' entrance...?!

No, Dear Reader, that label is not a typographical error.
This bottle of cognac in Fortnum & Mason costs £2,895.
(The bottle next to this one was priced at £7,000 but I preferred the look of this bottle)

View from the top of the spiral staircase at Fortnum & Mason

Fabulous iced biscuits in the shape of Christmas baubles - a snip at £17 in Fortnum & Mason
(Yikes! But they are so pretty)

So many beautifully decorated shops in London - including La Fromagerie in Marylebone,
a short stroll from where we were staying 

Superb coffee (and food) at our breakfast venue in Marylebone - Aubaine, just across the street from La Fromagerie)

Baubles and lights galore at The Ritz, London

Christmas Day itself was an extremely quiet affair, on our own at home, with most of the Frensham residents having travelled away to be with family. We had a long Scandinavian breakfast and then set out on a two-hour hike where we encountered only a couple of people exercising their dogs; no doubt most people were at home making preparations for their Christmas dinners. Jovial Christmas greetings were exchanged. But mostly the lanes, fields and woods were completely empty. 

However, at one point a tractor came pootling along the road, the driver attired as Santa and his two passengers as Santa's helpers, with Christmas tunes jangling from a small speaker. As the tractor neared it slowed, and one of Santa's helpers energetically flung a couple of objects at us, shouting 'Merry Christmas!' 

Have we offended in some way? we were thinking, until we retrieved said items - they were little Santa goody bags containing a striped candy cane and tiny Santa chocolates! 

You've got to love rural Surrey.

And so it was home to leisurely prepare a meal that was neither lunch nor supper - a sort of late afternoon repast - and exchange gifts, with Maree's Christmas Playlist providing the musical backdrop. Quite a different Christmas to our usual celebrations but very relaxed and enjoyable.

Christmas goodies flung with festive abandon from a passing tractor
as we were out walking on Christmas Day

Over the Christmas / New Year period we set out hiking nearly every day, except for one or two days when we decided that, even with rain gear and wellies, we could not be tempted out to do battle with the heavy precipitation.

I will never understand the preference to walk in hot weather, becoming sweaty and thirsty. Yes, winter walking often involves rain, mud and necessitates multiple layers of clothing, but there aren't many things that beat a bracing hike in frosty air, stopping to eat packed sandwiches and enjoy a thermos of coffee whilst perched on a log.

Dog-walkers galore at Harting Down, West Sussex

There was the odd challenging hill in our 12km walk at Harting Down!

Winter dormant trees, ploughed fields and rolling green hills.
We found a spot near here to eat lunch, sheltered from the icy wind.
Harting Down, near Petersfield in West Sussex 

Our social activities have continued into the New Year, with the first week of January being particularly frenetic and including supper at the house of one of our Frensham neighbours, for which I volunteered to prepare dessert. I enjoyed trying out a Mary Berry recipe, making my first ever chocolate mousse cake. I'm happy to say it was a success.

My first-ever chocolate mousse cake, my contribution to supper with friends. It was a hit!
The wines in the background are from Georgia (the former Soviet country, not the state in the south of the USA).
It is apparently one of the hottest 'new' wine regions - though they've been making wine there since 6,000BC!

A couple of Sundays ago we caught up with our very good friend Susan, visiting from Sydney with her daughter Cartin who has just completed her HSC. Due to continuing industrial action with the trains (again - solidarity! ✊) we once more made the decision to drive into central London and pay for parking and the congestion charge. We've been pleasantly surprised by the ease of driving into central London, though admittedly we've mostly been doing this in the winter months, and with some feelings of guilt at opting for less environmentally friendly travel. 

The day we met with Susan and Cartin it was supposed to be showery in the morning and then fine but grey. In fact it bucketed down all day. Fortunately we had made plans to meet at London Bridge station and wander around Borough Market which is mostly under cover, then have lunch at a nearby restaurant. We dined at 'O ver Borough Market - what a find! Its USP is that it uses sea-water rather than salt in its recipes, apparently a tradition from Naples. I'm not sure how much difference this makes to the flavour of the food but I can unequivocally state that it was delicious, the service excellent and the ambience just right. It's a small restaurant with many vegetarian options and we will definitely return.

View of a very wet London from 'O ver restaurant in Borough Market

On a slightly less cheery note, both of us have had some health issues during 2022 but the main news is that about nine months ago Kevin was diagnosed with prostate cancer. With a family history of this illness, Kevin has actively monitored his prostate health for the past nearly 30 years and so it has been caught very early, and the prognosis is good. He's been undergoing treatment for a number of months and this will continue for some time. Some of it is not pleasant, but the outlook is very positive.

On top of this, the organisation I've worked for since 2016 is going through a financial crisis and restructure, and the past six months have been horrible. A significant number of staff will be made redundant, myself included. So unfortunately 2023 is not off to the best of starts. However, we soldier on.

The year does already hold something really special to look forward to - Morrissey recently announced a London gig in mid March, and for once I was successful in booking tickets, fingers poised above the keyboard at 09:59 on 13 January, ready to snap up any seats I could get when the sale opened at 10:00. He's performing at the Eventim Apollo, where in 2014 I was one of the fortunate few to attend one of Kate Bush's first live performances in 35 years (I wrote about that incredibly special experience on Tunnels of Green - link here). 

Now, I state that Morrissey will be performing, and I have secured tickets, but sadly with Moz that's no guarantee that the event will in fact proceed. He does have a bit of a reputation for cancelling concerts at the eleventh hour, and recently he cut short a performance in the USA, leaving the stage after only 40 minutes... with no explanation. We are talking about a 63-year-old who has had a few health and personal issues in recent years, just like the rest of us. I'm confident he doesn't cancel gigs on a whim, but naturally I'm desperately hoping this concert goes ahead.

We are going!
(please don't cancel, Moz 🙏🏼)

Lastly, an update on Daisy May, the little tortoiseshell cat we inherited back in July.

Just before Christmas I discovered that Daisy May and I share a birthday! Although our ability to travel away is now somewhat curtailed, she has brought much joy to our lives and finding out that she and I have the same birthday was serendipitous. In early January Daisy turned 17 and I turned... well, quite a bit older than that! (although a kind friend pointed out that in cat years Daisy May is definitely more senior than I)

Taken in early autumn, thankfully with the summer drought broken and our lawn returned to lush green - a study of Daisy May.
I call this shot Cat With Dandelion 😻

Daisy May and Yours Truly in matching hats and bibs, celebrating our joint birthday

Say 'CHEESE' !!! 😂
(Daisy May was not impressed)

 

I wish all of you many good things for 2023. We are expecting another swathe of  Australian friends to visit the UK this year and thus anticipate pub visits, country walks and many pleasant reminiscences over fine food, wine and beer.

Until next time,

- Maree  xo