(Untitled)

[fuchsoid]

Friday was the staff Christmas lunch at work; I had been rather dreading this, since I don't really know anyone there except my immediate boss, Cathy, and I'm generally a bit frightened of any social situation, especially ones that involve free alcohol. When I got in, Cathy was off sick, and I sat in the office, doing a bit of desultory research

Comments

[pondhopper]

Do you mean Turrón? (I've not seen "torrone" as an English spelling).
;)
Sounds VERY in teresting! I'd have loved to hear the gilders talk. Gilding is very important here in Seville wit all our Holy Week art and imagery.

Goose is not a Spanish Christmas food. I've never seen it prepared here even although I suppose the Spanish part was the chorizo and pine nuts (but not the pears).

I'm really glad you had a good time. I think you might be losing some of your social fear...you are quite relaxed around our little group when we meet in London.
:)
(And I do like spending time with you !)

[fuchsoid]

You are quite right, I did mean Turron (can't figure out how to get the accent). I got confused with the Italian version. The food was a sort of English/Spanish fusion, at least for the main courses I think the goose was something they came up with on their own.

Protestant countries are definitely at a disadvantage when it comes to gilding work. A lot of what the guys at work do is exterior gilding on things like the Monument in the city, that they did this summer. I was taught furniture gilding, which is on a much smaller scale than the rather macho architectural work these guys do.

[sollersuk]

a proper craftsmen's pride in their own skills and contempt for bodgers

Um, confused me a bit there. We have a lot of country crafts around where I live, and I have nothing but admiration for skilled craftsmen who, with just an "old grey mare" and foot-operated pole lathe, can turn out chairs, stools etc with beautifully turned legs and so on; that's what a bodger does, but he isn't a cabinet maker and never claims to be.

[fuchsoid]

Ooops, I meant "bodger" in the sense of someone who just bodges up a job, rather than finishing it properly, which seems to be a London usage. I suspect it might derive from cabinet makers looking down (unfairly) on country craftsmen. The ceiling of the room we were in had been gilded by an amateur, and had a lot of overlaps and wonky edges. You are quite right, proper bodgers are genuine craftsmen - having tried one, I think anyone who can make a pole lathe do anything deserves immense respect.