Brandy...

Sometime, I wonder where I get my energy from.  Having woken up at 4.52am for the fourth day running, I did a mental list of what needed doing on this 'day of rest' (who am I kidding, I am female, the 'day of rest' has yet to be invented for us).  Because a trip to Prague is on the horizons, the ironing needed doing, so I did all that after I'd published Sunday's meanderings.  I then loaded the washing machine, did a little more internet Christmas shopping, emptied the dishwasher, unloaded the washing machine (hung a few bits on the radiators so that I could iron them after twenty minutes or so) and made a fresh fruit salad for my breakfast for the next few days.

And then the husband materialised.

'What do you want to do today?' he asked me as I put the ironing board away.

Do?  Well actually, I didn't really want to DO anything as I had already DONE it....while he was still snoring his head off DOING sod all.

But I reined in my snippy words, and we decided to take the boys off for a long wood walk which was lovely, and the husband, sensing that I needed a boost, made me bacon croissants when we got back which were polished off with a cup of tea.  

Then the groceries arrived.  Some of you will know that in a previous lifetime, I used to make cakes for a living.  Christmas was always an incredible busy time, and I used to make around 200 Christmas puddings and 50 Christmas cakes for the Christmas Fairs I used to frequent.  Of course, I no longer make those loopy amounts, but old habits die hard (along with the ability to throw away recipes adapted for six Christmas cakes at a time) and this year I had bought enough ingredients to make half a dozen of each.

Well ladies, the shopping turned up at 1.30, and by 2.15, the cakes were in the oven.  I never worry about soaking the fruit for a day before because when cooked the cakes get fed so much brandy that drowning is more of a possibility.  By the time I come to ice them they are as flammable as a can of 4* and just in case I haven't used enough, I tend to mix the apricot jam with yet more brandy when I'm covering the cake with marzipan and icing.

But this was not the best thing which happened yesterday..

Last year, a friend of mine had a decoration in their kitchen which I fell in love with.  Despite trawling around every garden centre this side of Birmingham, I couldn't find one for myself, and I'll be honest with you here, I sulked all Christmas.  Coming back from the walk yesterday, we drove past the Christmas Barn (only open between the middle of November to December 24th in case you're wondering what they sell), and at my screamed demand, the husband screeched into the car park.  'I'll see you in a couple of hours', he said cynically, hunkering down in the drivers seat in preparation for a long wait.

Believe it or not, I was back in the car within six minutes, clutching the last one on the shelf.  I don't want to spoil the surprise for my children, so I can't tell you what it is.

All I can say is that is requires several batteries.

And nerves of steel...