Just a thought....
Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

Saturday, 25 December 2010

Christmas and ghosts of the past

The ghost of Christmas present...



I woke up this morning to a call from Hamish. It was lovely hearing his voice and hearing of his plans for next year. Coming through, I was greeted by kisses and hugs from Jurgis and Romany (it's beneath Specs' dignity to show affection when no offerings have been proffered)... and a surprise at my desk!



Jurgis had snuck out early when all of Brazil was still fast asleep (including myself) after fireworks had continued into the wee hours of the morning to Steal my Christmas present. Yes... the ultimate romantic thief! Isn't it pretty? He swore blind that the blooms he cut (they would have been carefully cut to enhance further growth on the bushes - he's fussy that way) were outside the property.

The last time he did that, we were still dating. He'd stolen a rose from the neighbours for my birthday. That brought back memories : )



While looking for this photo, I found other photos, which had me thinking of people loved so much and long gone. My almost-Christmas baby - the reason we stopped celebrating... a photo of Hamish holding her. Ouma and Jurgis' dad, both laughing in the same photo - a very rare occurrence.

A little later, I called Tat and we switched to Skype. I met the family she is staying with. What nice people. They've included her beautifully in their entire Christmas tradition. It was fun meeting the gran in her red sequinned dress, looking very glam, I might add... and the dad who enjoyed sharing child-torment stories with Jurgis... and mom who was bustling in the background with dinner preparations. The girls were a joy too. Tat showed me the gifts she got. She's been spoiled. I'm glad : )

In the excitement of calling Tat, I forgot to put the turkey in the oven, so that went in later.... a good thing really. We had a light lunch of quiche while we waited. Of course, the day would not be complete without a kitchen disaster. I managed to scorch the cauliflower and marrows. Luckily, I could cut off the burnt bits and drown them in cheese sauce. Aside from the newly-named dish of 'smoky cauliflower and marrows', I made our usual green beans, roast potato, roast onion and, of course, the turkey. The green beans are interesting. I found a recipe many years ago for "American green beans". I have since learned that these are not exactly American per se. The beans are lightly cooked in garlic and salt. They're then tossed with bacon and olives - I use olive oil, as I have no olives on hand. Very scrummy!

The ghost of Christmas present...

I have absolutely no photos of my childhood Christmases, probably because they were such.. uh... interesting times. Ouma was, and still is, known for her dinners. It's one of the few things the entire family has always agreed on. She was an exceptional cook. Any meal with her was a time to fill up to overflowing with all things good and delicious. Christmas consisted of cold ham, tongue, carrot salad, potato salad, rice salad, asparagus salad, a leafy green salad. For dessert, there was always trifle... ooooooh for some trifle! Christmas cake too and usually ice cream. Oh and always a granadilla fridge tart!

The day is fading now, replete with good feelings and general post-turkey laziness. It's hot... really hot. Even Romany didn't want to get up to take a bone. We're lying draped over our chairs. Jurgis is busy reinstalling his drive. Luckily, he actually enjoys that. The fan is working hard at circulating the hot air. I think we may go to bed early tonight. Looking at this photo, I see Romany is starting to show his age. For the first time, he actually looks like an ageing dog. His black 'n tan Rottie muzzle is showing substantial white now. Jurgis' foot makes a good pillow ; )



Hope your Christmas day was good - or whatever you celebrated today, even if that was just life : )

17 comments:

  1. I'm hoping I didn't cause the cauliflower disaster? But it sounds like it all came out well. It's 3pm here and nobody has come downstairs yet. So much for Christmas morning. Not around here.

    I will probably start dinner soon. Without any of my little kids here (all grown), any day is just a regular day. Even a holiday. Oh well.

    My laptop is working again (knock wood) and I'm still breathing!!

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  2. Breathe, Kat, breathe.... wishing you ample refreshing breaths : ) No, you didn't cause it. I had the timer set for the turkey, so didn't set the timer for the veg and that went belly up because I was writing this blog and sifting through photos. Aside from the food and talking to Hamish and Tat, it's an ordinary day here too. I need to go to bed early tonight, so I can prepare for Monday's classes tomorrow.

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  3. Merry Christmas Tint and Jurgis..and Tat!!! Turkey is in the oven here, have skyped with all of my family...god bless skype ek se...xxxx

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  4. Ek sê! Ditto... so very much, my friend! I hope you're having a beautiful day otherwise. Big hugs!

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  5. Overcast here..very windy, I think there is a BEEEG storm brewing...

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  6. Send some over! Hope it's no more rain!

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  7. Oh, the flowers are nice, and that's a cool story. It does your heart good to know that Tat is in good hands. I actually didn't damage any food this time; the pie crusts turned out nice, the chuck roast (we've had plenty of turkey lately) wasn't overdone. I did forget about making cranberry sauce, but nobody missed it. Sorry about your cauliflower! Romany looks sweet! Our dog, Ben, has quite a face full of white fur, his paws, too. Dignified!

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  8. The cauliflower turned out well enough in the end. Not stellar, but very edible. Yes, it is good to know Tat's in good hands :)

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  9. Cauliflower with cheese sauce ... that's the best!
    I love those flowers ... what a sweet, romantic man Jurgis is!

    The day is almost over here. Typing this it's 10.15pm. All is quiet and cold ... it snowed a bit today and now there's a warning for sleet. I hope it won't be dangerous to drive tomorrow. I have to be in church for our Christms play and afterward to brother.
    I listened to a new Christmas DVD by David Phelps (that man can SING!!) and I read a lot. It was a nice day!

    Enjoy the rest of your Christmas day!!

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  10. What a sweet surprise from Jurgis. :) I'm SO glad Tat is somewhere good and not doing her best Cinderella impression. ;) All of your food sounds sooo good. I'm freeeezing, so I'd like some of your heat, please. Romany looks so sweet.

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  11. Jurgis is such a romantic! :D Wonderful that you could Skype comfortably with Tat and the family. It must have helped. :) I think this year will now be remembered for some special moments and not just because Tat wasn't there, and that makes me happy for you.

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  12. You have such a romantic husband! Nice to know they exist. So good to see you could connect with Tat. We sure love our internet!

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  13. Hah, I discovered smoked rice the same way as your cauliflower. LOL Problem is although it was actually delicious... it cost me one VERY burnt pot. Sandy keeps trying to figure how we can recreate smoked rice without the sacrifice of my cookware.

    So glad to hear Tat's well taken care of . :-) And Jurgis sounds a sweety. The secret romantics are the best - I've got one of my own so I know! ;-)

    I had similar thoughts going through our Christmas photos for my blog post. There were so many faces of people no longer in my life, one way or another. Many sad memories as well as good ones. I suppose in life the trick is holding on to the good/happy stuff and letting the rest go. I have a Pagan friend who has a bonfire every solstice - she writes out her grief/regrets and lets them burn in the fire. Not a bad idea really - I might do that for new year. Way better than making resolutions you never keep.

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  14. what a good idea!!

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  15. What a lovely read this morning XXX And such love all the way through it.

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  16. We used to that at the Summit Lake annual solstice! The friend who did that every year moved away. The party is much missed. Maybe next year....

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  17. Snuck over from Faye's page.....love this blog and Romany is adorable!

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Tint~