December 2018 – slightly weird

30th December 201830th December 2018

Christmas Lights in London

Thursday, 27 December, 2018

There are two enduring memories of going to the west end at Christmas as a child and teenager. The beautiful windows, especially at Selfridges, and the magic of Liberty at Christmas. I’d have saved some money and off I’d go. I remember nothing of the window displays now other than they were beautiful, and so many of them. I’d always feel I could go window shopping on Oxford Street and not care if I bought a thing. The looking was even better than buying – since it was unlimited. Then Liberty always felt like a hidden treasure. Even today I know people who aren’t sure where it is or say they haven’t seen it.

This year I hadn’t made it down to the west end, ‘up west’ as they say. I made a plan to get there before the lights were turned off and I knew I couldn’t see it all in one trip. So I planned two. Part one would take me from Covent Garden to Chinatown, Soho, Regent Street, and Oxford Street. Part two would take me to Piccadilly, Bond Street, then New Bond Street, and up to Selfridges. Even then I wouldn’t see it all. No Trafalgar Square, no Marylebone…but that’s OK.

I don’t think I went to Covent Garden when I was younger. If I did, I don’t remember it. At any rate, it would have been a wholesale market and not that interesting to me. Now I know it really well and, although I put it low on my list because of the crowds of tourists, there are some things I do like about it and some shops you can’t find anywhere else – it is where the most concentrated collection of shoe shops is, so yes I do go sometimes. This time it was about the shops and the lights and the little inside courtyards I wanted to see.

**At Seven Dials, and not quite dark enough to appreciate the lights**

...and these large silver baubles — **…and these large silver baubles**

**But the throngs of people make it a lot less magical**

..so it's nice when you step outside a bit and see there's magic after all — **..so it’s nice when you step outside a bit and see there’s magic after all**

26th December 2018

Christmas 2019

Tuesday, Wednesday 25-26 December, 2018

A nice dry day for Christmas. Lots for me to do. Luckily, I’d wrapped Krish’s presents the night before. Christmas rituals – Christmas lights, Christmas candles, Christmas music.

The crazy thing was that, along with the two wrapped presents for Krish under the tree – OK, the poinsettia – there were four wrapped presents for me. This is actually the first time this has ever happened. He really has found the Christmas spirit, at least for this year!

Then I made eggnog as a surprise. Krish yearns for it every year.

I belong to three Facebook pages for Canadians. Two for London, one for the UK. Eggnog is a huge topic at Christmas, how everyone misses it, where can you buy it, if only there were eggnog… In a blog I read regularly, I found a recipe and decided to give it a go. It’s made with whole creamy milk, double cream, sugar, egg yolks, and nutmeg. I nailed it! It tastes perfect. A big hit!

First try at eggnog - nailed it! — **First try at eggnog – nailed it!**

And I made stuffing and cranberry rolls instead of sausage rolls this year. Sounds odd but stuffing in the UK isn’t the bread affair it is in Canada. It’s mostly sausage meat, with herbs and onions. Some ready-to-cook stuffing topped with freshly made cranberry sauce and sealed all around. I actually really liked this. Lighter and less salty than a sausage roll. New favourite!

My presents were: Three books, and two espresso cups so I can start using my moka now – have been hesitating on that! The books were typical Krish choice – To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Unfinished Palazzo, and The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici. I’ve started on the introduction to the second.

For Krish this year I wanted to focus on memories – the egg nog is part of that. Then I got him a clockwork toy from Bazar Bonino in Torino, and a large box of meccano, which I saw advertised on the local neighbourhood site. All three were a really big success but I knew the meccano would shock and delight him – he was dumbfounded. I hope he makes something with it. I’ll never be able to top this gift.

We watched a lot of romantic Christmas movies. Silly ones. Krish was in charge of cooking. We had pork pie, some leftover quiche, and raw veggies for lunch and for dinner, a steak with mashed potatoes and some red cabbage. Food bulletin done. No photos of the plate before we started!

Boxing Day has been mostly quieter. I’ve done some organising and some catching up on this and that. And now we’re making the late Christmas dinner between us. Stay tuned.

Dinner is done and Christmas proper is over for another year.

Traditional Chrismas dinner - roasted potatoes, turkey, stuffing, brussel sprouts, with gravy, cranberry sauce and pickles — **Traditional Chrismas dinner – roasted potatoes, turkey, stuffing, brussel sprouts, with gravy, cranberry sauce and pickles**

**Mince pie, vanilla cream, cuppa tea!**

24th December 201826th December 2018

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas Eve – Monday, 24 December, 2018

Even a found Christmas can be dull and gloomy and it was like that when I headed out to Brick Lane on the Saturday before Christmas – Christmas Eve Eve! I visited the hairdresser and trusted my head to her. I came away wondering just what she’d changed – there was very little hair on the floor and more time spent on diffusing and perfecting my curls than cutting – but the back did look better, I’d had a good time, and I wasn’t upset. That’s a major achievement.

I stopped at Ambala for some samosas and grabbed a chicken tikka roll for some lunch. But the view from Whitechapel was dismal.

My friend, Judy, sent me a message when I got on the bus and we switched to talking for real (yes!). The whole of Cambridge Heath Road and Mare Street was the same dismal grey as Whitechapel Road had been. And then we passed Mare Street Market and the lights caught my eye. I had to get out to look more closely.

Inside was a real Christmas grotto. I wandered around and enjoyed the atmosphere, everyone laughing and everything glistening.

Continue reading “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!”

21st December 201824th December 2018

Then comes Solstice

Friday, 21 December, 2018

Every year there’s a feeling that Christmas isn’t really coming. It’s not in the air. ‘It doesn’t feel like Christmas,’ we hear. And no, it actually doesn’t. Krish says it’s the lack of snow but I don’t believe it’s that. I think it’s the loss of the magic we imagine belongs the season, remembered from when we were children and Christmas was all about laughter and presents. I was thinking tonight about coal fires. Suddenly I remembered putting the coal into the fireplace and lighting the newspaper below it and the smell as it caught fire.

I don’t remember but I’m sure I’m sure there were wished-for presents since we would write a letter to Father Christmas and burn it on the fire. The smoke and sparks would go up the chimney and from to the North Pole. This was surely true since very year at least one of those presents would show up. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

It’s been very rainy and windy. The days are short and it’s dark some time after 3pm.

**No sign of Christmas in the Little Local. Where are the decorations?**

It's 3:45 and The Narrow Way is dark and wet. This shop sounds a bit extraordinary — **It’s 3:45 and The Narrow Way is dark and wet. This shop sounds a bit extraordinary**

Lisa and i went to Pall Vaults and there was a tiny hint of Christmas in this Cannelle — **Lisa and i went to Palm Vaults and there was a tiny hint of Christmas in this Cannelle**

**And all along Dalston Lane, can you see Christmas?**

But we were heading into the Winter Solstice, For quite a few years I’ve been part of a Flickr group that celebrates each Equinox and Solstice with a day of photos from wherever its members live. I’ve missed a few but not too many. I knew this solstice I wasn’t planning anything very special until we were invited over to Krish’s friend Rosie’s flat for ‘mince pies and tea. Christmas at last?
Continue reading “Then comes Solstice”

15th December 201820th December 2018

More gearing up for Christmas

Saturday, 15 December, 2018

In this neighbourhood, there are houses being sold all the time. The real estate market is booming, even now with things looking so precarious.

When we first moved to Hackney no one wanted to live here. Over the years this has reversed to Hackney being one of the most desirable areas to live. In between there has been much buying up of cheap properties, large gorgeous renovations and the cheap, hasty ones, and the scenery is changing quite rapidly.

The cost of a one bedroom flat has gone from around £100,000 and less in 2000 to £500,000 and more in 2018. All of the buying, reno, selling cycle translates to scaffolding. What a business to be in! If I had invested money in it back when I first arrived, by now I could have been buying and renovating a home of my own.

Earlier this week, I was a bit dismayed when a truck pulled up out front with a large amount of wood planks and metal rods. More scaffolding was on the way. That would make about five houses in this little block that were being done over. My fear was that it would be this one, since there’s been a For Sale sign outside for some time. Scaffolding spoils my view and takes away my privacy, with men outside the window without warning. But phew, it was for three houses over. Sorry, guys!

I suppose the farmers’ markets have been around long before the real estate boom but I’m sure they will have changed. They probably started as honest fruit and veg stalls, bread, cake, a few wholesome crafts – I think I even remember going to the Stoke Newington one when it was like that, and not so many years ago. Now many are artisan markets with stuff no one really needs, but it’s fun to look.

**I kinda fell in love with the pottery at this candle stall**

Turnips - apparently once a Hackney staple - at this honest stall. He was packing up with way too much unsold — **Turnips – apparently once a Hackney staple – at this honest stall. He was packing up with way too much unsold**

**The back of the market has a fragrant Christmas tree lot**

Some places are quite Christmassy along Stoke Newington High Street. This year I’ve noticed that the shopping has begun very early. I’ve never seen such queues at some of the shops. Until the last couple of years you could go into a shop or supermarket on Christmas eve or even the day before and find completely empty shelves. One year we found ourselves without Christmas dinner and from then on, we shopped a little earlier too. Last year it seemed to have improved and I was surprised to see there was still a little selection.

Continue reading “More gearing up for Christmas”