Saturday 6 December 2008

Christmas tree and the uncanny


Our first real Christmas tree! It's little but it's just right. We had fun putting some decorations on, though the boys needed some help as the needles were a bit sharp! On getting it home last Sunday in the dark, it was lopsided which took me straight back- our tree at home was also at an angle most years! Which somehow felt as if it typified our distance from perfectionism! This tree probably is still at an angle but isn't there always something more imminent to do than get get fraught about a less than vertical fir that's been whisked away from its naturally supportive foundations!


Rohan and Luca have coughs and colds so their appetite only seems to amount to breakfast at the moment. They hardly touched dinner apart from corn-on-the-cob, even with the promise of chocolate pudding to follow. The colds are clearing though, so won't be too long hopefully until they enjoy their food again.

Vegan Quiche: The base was readymade-have found 'Jusrol' do a ready made base. (Even though shortrcust pastry is not difficult to make, it's just when I do make it sods law usually operates and one of the boys needs help with the potty when I have flour and pastry sticking to my hands!) For the filling, I used 2 blocks of silken tofu, mashed with a fork and mixed with a little soya milk and turmeric. Separately sauted 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 3 large mushrooms. Then hand blended the mixtures together (boys wouldn't eat pieces of mushoom) adding some basil leaves. The mushroom flavour was nice and strong. Sweetcorn and cherry tomato works really well in this kind of quiche. (Vegan Quiche with onion gravy, cous cous, sweetcorn and salad.)

Mit and I had a really lovely few hours in London on Sunday. An amazing friend offered to have the boys for the afternoon to play with her twin boys and actively encouraged us to do something more exciting than go out for coffee! So we went to the National Portrait Gallery and had a good look around, and lunch at the crypt at St Martins in the Field church. A new entrance has been put in, and its very grand. There was a good vegan option on the food front- ratatouille and roasted spuds and sweet potatoes- with a nice glass of red! (We got the train). Standing in the queue I saw two women who looked really familiar and realised I had stayed at their gorgeous retreat in Wales four years ago! I love those uncanny incidences in life! We chatted and it really was uncanny because they are rarely in London and so are we. They are remarkable women and their retreat and location helped me get perspective back at a painfully difficult time. They are now looking at selling the houses due to ill health; some buyer is going to be in for something incredibly special.

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