2014

Happy New Year and best wishes for a peaceful and fulfilling 2014.

Chris and I had a very eventful and full December in the UK. It started with the wedding of Amy and Carl and then catching up with friends and family. I spent the month staying with my friend Vicki in Jarrow and had a very special time over Christmas thanks to my wonderful friends and family. On Christmas Eve I shared communion at the little Methodist Church in Monkton village and then I cooked a side of salmon for Vicki, my girls and their dad. Christmas morning was the traditional smoked salmon, scrambled egg and champagne at Imogen and Phill’s house. I shared Christmas dinner with my old neighbour Heather, her partner Keith and Dan and Alex and members of both of their families.

Boxing Day is when we re-create Christmas Day and we all went over to Amy and Carl’s flat, the newlyweds, Idg and Phill, Keith and his girlfriend Anne and Chris and I. The tradition is to share the preparation of the meal. Amy started us off with Serrano ham, her home cooked ham, salmon pinwheels and prawns, crisps and dips and elderflower gin and tonics. We then had secret Santa and my present was an album of photos from the wedding, they are lovely.

Then to the meal, Carl made a starter of smoked salmon cheesecake, very light and citrusy. Main course was loin of pork and goose and roast potatoes, cooked by Keith, with Carl’s signature mash and a selection of veggies (my cooking contribution) –the absolute highlight was the gravy!! Pudding was fabulous sticky treacle tart and clotted cream ice cream, thanks to Phill and finally cheeseboard chosen by Imogen; Colton Bassett Stilton, Cornish Yarg, Brinkburn goats and a smelly soft French number whose name I have forgotten!! All accompanied by a selection of wines and finished off with port. It is a good way to share out the work and Chris did a sterling job with the washing up!!

Between the wedding, Christmas and catching up Chris and I have not seen a lot of each other so we decided to spend New Year’s Eve staying in a pub, the Wheatsheaf, in a small town called Corbridge in the Tyne valley. It is a lovely old town an ideal place to live but only if you have plenty of money, a two up two down terrace is £220K which is 22k more than the price I got for my 4 bedroom family terrace with garden. We ate at the pub and then there was a guy singing which made for a good night. Only downside was the telly at midnight and no singing of Auld Lang Syne, strange!!

We are now back at Chris’ house in Spain we plan to spend January here, assuming Chris is not needed at home, and then set off in the van to enjoy the southern coast of Spain and Portugal before heading north to get to Santander around third week in March to sail back to the UK.

On our first Sunday night the three Kings arrived, not on camels but, on the back of a trailer with horns blaring to signal their arrival and instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh the kids all got a bag of sweets and a photo opportunity to sit on the knees of one, or all, of the Kings.  Monday 6^th January is the day of the Kings the traditional day for present giving in Spain.

January seems to be speeding by and I have spent most of the beginning of the month feeling ill with a flu virus, for three days I was either in bed or snuggled up on the sofa with a blanket. It eventually developed into an awful sore throat and after two weeks I went to the local clinic to see the doctor. The system is relatively efficient and with your EHIC is free but the medical staff are pretty surly, she gave me some antibiotics and super strength 600mg ibuprofen for the pain. I have take the antibiotics and feel much better, but decided to use 200mb ibuprofen to avoid taking the lining of my stomach or also taking the acid inhibitors-talk about taking a hammer to crack a nut!!

We had a visit from Chris’ best mate, John for a few days and next week an old school friend of his is here with his wife. The weather is lovely today but was pretty ropey while John was here, we even had some rain!!

That’s all for now

Norma x