We have normality. I repeat, we have normality.
Today is Twelfth Night so that's the festive season all over and done with for another year. The tree and decorations came down yesterday. It took me all morning to take them down, manage to fit them all back in the boxes and lug them back up in the attic. As usual, we have loads of food left over, mainly biscuits and chocolates. Mr Next-door bought us a HUGE box of Thorntons Classics Favourite Puddings and I think there's a box of chocolate liqueurs, neither of which have even been opened yet. Luckily, most of the Christmas cake has gone. It was a much smaller cake than usual and my sister took a huge wedge back home with her so that helped. It needs eating up by the end of this month and I think we should manage that. Previously it would last well into February and we'd finish it off just in time to start on my birthday cake at the beginning of March!
There was some Christmas pudding left over which was unplanned. My mother and I usually have some on New Year's Day and although we'd got a single portion one for her, there somehow wasn't one for me! I had a look in Sainsbury's when I did the halfway-between-Christmas-and-New-Year shop but they had no single portion ones left. I ended up having to get a much bigger one - it was reduced from £10 to £1.95 so it was a great bargain. And incredibly tasty too. I got two days worth out of it before I'd had enough and there was still half of it left. But I had a plan for the rest of it. I had some errands to do today so while I was out, I got a tub of vanilla ice cream. I let it soften a bit, broke up the leftover pudding into decent sized chunks and then stirred that into the ice cream. Et voilà, Christmas Pudding ice cream! And it's really good too ;)
There was some Christmas pudding left over which was unplanned. My mother and I usually have some on New Year's Day and although we'd got a single portion one for her, there somehow wasn't one for me! I had a look in Sainsbury's when I did the halfway-between-Christmas-and-New-Year shop but they had no single portion ones left. I ended up having to get a much bigger one - it was reduced from £10 to £1.95 so it was a great bargain. And incredibly tasty too. I got two days worth out of it before I'd had enough and there was still half of it left. But I had a plan for the rest of it. I had some errands to do today so while I was out, I got a tub of vanilla ice cream. I let it soften a bit, broke up the leftover pudding into decent sized chunks and then stirred that into the ice cream. Et voilà, Christmas Pudding ice cream! And it's really good too ;)