Posted on

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!

Presents!
Presents!

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.

My Christmas books
My Christmas books
Espresso cups
Espresso cups

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.

German clockwork toy
German clockwork toy
Box of meccano
Box of meccano

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!

Time for a rest
Time for a rest

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!
Mince pie, vanilla cream, cuppa tea!
And we're done
And we’re done
Posted on

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?
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?
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”

Posted on

Dark November Days – digging out from the doldrums?

Friday 30 November, 2018

Doldrums for the weather and for my blog. Hopefully, the photos will tell the story of what’s been happening during this mostly dreary month. With any luck my ennui won’t show!

Taken early in November. The bark is going and the leaves getting sparse
Taken early in November from my window. The bark is going and the leaves getting sparse
Street art in the back streets of Dalston - ethereal, magical
Street art in the back streets of Dalston – ethereal, magical
A catfish noodle salad box at Bánh Mì Hội-An, Hackney Central
A catfish noodle salad box at Bánh Mì Hội-An, Hackney Central – Passable, cheap, not really a salad!

Behind the counter at Bánh Mì Hội-An, Hackney Central
Behind the counter at Bánh Mì Hội-An, Hackney Central

Continue reading “Dark November Days – digging out from the doldrums?”

Posted on

The MAO and Giovanna

Tuesday, 2 October, 2018

The temperature dipped and on went the warmer clothes. Calendar Fall is already here and now Real Fall is settling in wherever it can. The light is different and the air is clearer. How long till I can really see the Alps?

The sunrises are golden
The sunrises are golden
The architecture is golden too
The architecture is golden too

The free museum days in Torino are perfect for me. I don’t like to spend too much time looking around and in London this means I can pop in for a short time, leave when tired, and come back again when I have an inclination. Torino has designated days each month for free visits. First Tuesdays, first Saturdays, first Sundays…with a few others thrown in for good measure. On the first Tuesday of October, I went to the MAO – Museo d’Arte Orientale (Museum of Oriental Art). It’s on Via San Domenica in the Quadrilatero so an easy walk.

Narrow street of the Quadrilatero
Narrow street of the Quadrilatero
One side of the MAO's beautiful gate, which leads to a corridor - like a zen garden
One side of the MAO’s beautiful gate, which leads to a corridor – like a zen garden
The architect's date stamp, a stepping stone to another time
The architect’s date stamp, a stepping stone to another time

The exhibit on the main floor was of photographs of the Nomads of Asia. This didn’t sound all that interesting but I was wrong. I was so struck by these peoples who wander the plains of Asia – China, Asia, India, the middle East – living a life unchanged for hundreds of years. Some of the colours and clothing and customs were stunning. It seemed almost impossible to imagine that they were living in the same century that I was, or on the same planet at times.

These women in Russia had the most beautiful dresses. They stood beside a tent made of dozens of animal skins
These women in Russia had the most beautiful dresses. They stood beside a tent made of dozens of animal skins

Of course, I am struck by the images of women, doing the tasks that have never changed. The only clue that these are modern women are in the photos showing plastic bags and other paraphenalia around the walls of their tents. In three different regions of this massive continent, there are so many similarities.

And, most strikingly, this woman weaving, while tending to her child. No doubt there is food simmering somewhere that she will pay attention to. This multitasking changes from culture to culture yet is always the same in nature. The job of nurturing.

I’m always struck by the Gujarati of India. Gujarati people are descended from Aryan nomads who lived in the  valleys of the Indus River in 2000 BC and settled in Gujarat. They now make make up about one third of the diaspora worldwide.

The Aryan colouring of the Gujarati of India
The Aryan colouring of the Gujarati of India

As is often the case, the museum was more interesting than expected. I loved the photo exhibition. I liked the exhibit spaces less and I felt a little stifled.

Continue reading “The MAO and Giovanna”

Posted on

A day to tackle what to do, and at our Toret

Tuesday, 11 September, 2018 32C

Getting hotter! Just happy to stay home really. What’s the hurry? But we did know that we were running out of food so a short market visit was in the cards. Talking of running, Krish went for his first run since arriving. I don’t like him running in the heat and, in typical Krish fashion, he didn’t get out of the door until close to noon but get out he did. He came back having run ten minutes less than expected but pronounced it a ‘good run.’

While he was out I booked my cooking day – Market to Table. That will be on 5th October from morning till mid afternoon.

A quick lunch before the market, using up what we had in the fridge.

Hummus with veggies, cheese, a hard boiled egg and some fruit
Hummus with veggies, cheese, a hard boiled egg and some fruit

What a hot walk! I almost regretted going out but once up the hill, a cool break in the Orologio Market. We did a couple of circuits, then braved it across the street to the other covered market – does it have a name? Some agnolotti al plin (Piemontese tradition!), two pork chops, a very small roast chicken… not many stalls were open and we were done.

Half-closed market and one lonely shelf stacker
Half-closed market and one lonely shelf stacker

Porta Palazzo has a whole other feeling when it’s closed. I like the skeletons of the stalls and carts, not so much the piles of empty boxes and rotting fruit.

Hard to imagine this will be empty and gleaming later tonight
Hard to imagine this will be empty and gleaming later tonight

Krish had brought out three or four bottles to fill from the toret. Toret means little bull – and each fountain has the bull head as a spout, over 700 torets throughout the city. You can even get an app to show you the nearest one.  The water is purified from the River Po and these days the water company has taken over their care. At any rate, every day we fill our bottles and drink it. And I keep joking about whether there’s something growing in our bellies as a result!

Down by the farmers market is one of our closest Torets. First, we let a couple of birds have their fill and then it was our turn.

At the Toret
At the Toret

Krish went to  meetup for English speakers in Turin. I stayed home and started a new doll, the first in a long time. A hot, humid evening. I meant to make a To Do list and start checking things off but I didn’t get very far.