Preparations

With the Dans out of the way, we are now on the run-in to 'proper' Christmas, killing our own turkey, doing the big food-shop and any other acquisitive missions which become necessary, doing any food prep that can be done before the day, and generally getting the place ready for our Seasonal visitors. It is an exciting one, this one, as we are happily welcoming into our home at this important time, 3 people only one of whom we have ever met before. How brave is that? What could possibly go wrong? :-)

A very generous gift of this yule log table
centre decoration comes from a good
village friend, along with a bag of red beet
which he knows we love.

Yep. These people are our French Help-X volunteer from September, Augustin (a.k.a. 'AB') and his mother and younger sister. When AB was here helping, it was just a month out of his 5-month tour of Ireland and we worked out that he'd therefore be still in Ireland over Christmas. We wondered whether he'd be a bit lost in a strange city or might be going home to family for the holiday.

The car gets a jet-wash at the local valet place. It's not been so
clean since we've had it. 

We ended up inviting him back here for the 24th-26th and then, when he found that his Mum and Sister would be coming over to see him, we asked him to bring them too. Liz loves doing this 'hospitality' as you know and will love the chance to practise her French and reminisce about Paris and it will be great fun to see AB again. We will both thoroughly enjoy showing these French folk how Christmas is done in Ireland. Not sure what they'll make of it. We know that they are all really looking forward to it. I will tell you all how it went in the next post. Joyeux Noël!

Bringing the big turkey in for Liz to 'process'.
One dog, at least, is interested. 

Because of all this, we are in a frantic 'prep' mode but as the guests do not arrive until a Christmas Eve afternoon train from Dublin, we can do it all in safety and privacy - no-one to see our frantic chasing about. I dinged the 2nd turkey-stag (the one for here) on the 20th. I like to do all my 'killing' prior to the Solstice. It might just be a silly foible, but prior to the shortest day we are on a down-slope and it is OK to finish a few birds, but after 21st, when we are climbing back up out, it feels wrong to be ending anyone's time on earth.

Fast handiwork in the de-feathering dept. 

This fella looked nearly as big as the one Liz took down to the In-Laws last week. He continued to look that big as he was plucked out and 'dressed' (euphemism for disemboweling and removing extraneous lower legs, head and "giblets" (another euphemism)).

The trussed, short-fuselage version. 

Because they get a night dead, hanging up, head down, by their feet, they come into the kitchen with their legs straight out behind them. This guy, oven ready, gave us quite a scare, being "too big for the oven". We had visions of having to joint him up and cook him in bits - the 'crown' (bone-in both breasts), wings and legs.

Resting in the afternoon

I knew I could do better with a bit of amateur trussing, so I brought him back in from the fridge and heaved his legs into a squat-bend. He is a muscly chap but I prevailed. I lashed his ankle joints together and down to his 'parson's nose' and then ran my twine round under his armpits, shortening his profile by a good 6 inches. Liz always cooks these whole turkeys 'empty' with the 'stuffing' in a separate tray, to let the heat straight into the body cavity, so we can also push the front opening closed without any stuffing bulge. Even shorter. He now fits on the roasting tray, and therefore in the oven. He weighs 8.7 kg and we are very proud of him. He is survived by our hen bird who is only about 4 kg and will now be a keeper till spring. She may give us some eggs.

More left-overs. This one a burger risotto. 

What else have we done? The big 6 kg Christmas ham we brined and froze back in the Autumn had to come out of the freezer to thaw for 24 hours. That big joint gets boiled briefly and then simmered for 6 hours in (cheap, fake) coca-cola. It is the only time we buy 'coke' all year, not being fans of fizzy pop at all. The big lump of meat then gets cooled down and, before the Big Day, has its skin removed and then that fancy diamond design cut into into the sub-cutaneous fat. We stick a clove into each diamond and glaze with some combination of the coke-liquor and mustard to give the lovely golden colour to the baked ham.

Extracting venison marrow using a corkscrew for the dogs,
We did clean the corkscrew afterwards!

Liz has also been whizzing up stuffing mixes, soaking chick-peas for hummus and worrying about other Christmas specials like fancy custard, mince pies, red cabbage, cocktail sausages, pomegranates and so on. Liz went present-shopping to Sligo today, so she's now all over me for having 'finished hers' when I still have a mini-mission to do tomorrow. All good clean fun.

By the time I talk to you again, it will all be over.

Ellie's bigger than me!

Sometimes Dad wishes he had his camera with him. Tonight we sneaked a quick walk round via the cemetery, in between wintry showers, and we were delighted when we met Ellie, my sister, out with her Mum. She's gorgeous! She's a s big as Archie, but has not had the hair cut yet, so with all the thickness of bright white fur, she looks bigger still - about one and a quarter times my size in any direction

We were both off the lead, so we had a superb race about. Gone was the wee cowering submissive thing of our first visit - here's a dog who is confident, fast, manouvre-able, full of beans and who loves to rough-and-tumble. She was easily my equal and often got the better of me, bowling me over! We loved it!. Dad and her Mum watched grinning to see the change, and enjoyed (meanies!) me not getting the upper hand all the time. We ran and ran and ran, and back in the Rec Haggis also decided to join in, so three dogs were racing about, cannoning into each other and trying to roll each other over. Quite a sight

Dad has told Ellie's Mum about Leybourne Lakes too, so maybe next time we'll have 7 dogs gathered!

Meanwhile, Meg's guts are all sorted, and Dad has her on Chum "Senior" to see how that goes.

Look after yourselves

Deefer

We are Family

There you are - as promised, a pic by the Angel-B of all 4 of us returning from Ellie's first ever walk (in which I am ashamed to say, I tried to beat her up) ; Come on... who hasn't at some point, tried to kill their sister? This is, from left to right, Ellie, Meg, yours truly and the H-Man

Out again today and MUCH better behaved. Once I'd said a (vigorous) hello to Ellie we were like best mates, and trotted around the Rec together as happy as Larry. Dad wishes he'd taken the camera because at one point we were looking very cute looking over a small cliff together (at a very handsome Setter called Bailey, who'd been chatting up that ol' tart Megan. Our stances, shape, poise and size were identical, like 2 peas in a pod, except for the fact that I am the shaggiest dog you ever saw, and Ellie is immaculate bright white and smooth coated. Probably why I tried to roll her on her back in the mud!

Came home via the cemetery - the world just keeps getting bigger each time we explore!

Look after yourselves

Deefer

(Maximum stairs descent now 10. It can only be days before I realise that if you can do 10 without a controlled plummet, you can probably do all 13......)

Sister Act

Well - the world is getting bigger, broader and much more exciting, all in a rush. I have now been for 2 "proper" walks (as opposed to a quick amble to the Rec and then a charge-around-in-circles). The first, yesterday saw us all down paths and through countryside to where dad has his allotment, and then we went on a (soggy) tour of inspection. More of a mud bath than an allotment at present

Then today, an even longer one which took about an hour, down lanes and paths in a big circuit to some feilds where I was allowed off the lead (I prefer to follow Haggis about than run off), down to the tidal creek which was our Town's original reason to be. We saw where they now restore the 100 year old Thames Sailing Barges (100 years! Wow! I'm not even 100 days yet!), and then we strolled along the creek bank up on the levee, making a big circuit back to home

And then, Excitement of Excitements, Dad got a text to say that my Sister (Ellie) was being taken to "our" Rec for her first ever walk outdoors, and we were to be there to meet her. The photo shows us minutes after greeting (It's a dog thing, that sniffing bums!). Haggis is behind us, Megan off to the right. I am (obviously) the shaggy, grubby individual, and Ellie, in spanking bright white, is yet to be soiled by the outside world.

I was off the lead and I must admit I probably piled in a bit fiercely (OK, rolling her on her back and growling MIGHT have been a bit strong!), and the humans decided it was in nobody's best interest for Ellie to be beaten up on her first ever walk, so (shame) I was put back on the lead. There-after it was all a bit more sensible, and Ellie quickly grew in confidence. Dare say she'll be beating me up next time, as the word is I'm a bit of a tart and a scared-y cat. Great fun though to see her again and , yet again, the Angel B was on hand to take pics, so I'll put up a few of those over the next few days

The humans are drinking mulled wine

Sigh.....

Deefer