I’m not doing anything overtly festive this year but that doesn’t prevent me in the lead up to the ‘main event’ on Christmas Day from setting the scene to mark the festive season.
Gerhard was in yesterday with pots of poinsettia and herbs to give the balcony a touch of Christmas colour (and fresh basil for those summer tomatoes that I’m looking forward to).
Then over the bridge in an Uber to cousin Julie and Dennis’ to join friends for a pre-Christmas meal of Sydney rock oysters, and swordfish from the barbecue. Reminds me that I should go back to swordfish again and got search for my old mango and cucumber salsa recipe as the garnish.
A plaintive plea from 100-year-old Aunt Beth (via a one-finger, one-line email) telling of her craving for some easy to handle stone fruit had me busy pressing the new-season nectarines, plums and apricots at Harris Farm wondering which of the wide choice might be the sweeter, and ready-to-eat. My friend the Chookman, Ian, kindly walked around some little chicken sandwiches to compete the mini-Christmas lunch in Beth’s room.
The final Christmas touch for my apartment has always has been to retrieve the Lladro ‘Flight into Egypt’ porcelain from its box (that I’d bought years ago in New York with my late good friend, Joe Walsh), and set it up in pride of place, until Epiphany.
Merry Christmas!