Stormy Weather

**salymap** · 21-12-11, 16:35

Not good weather for people with bad sight, very murky today Hope the sun shines for Christmas Day as it often seems to.

**Anna** · 21-12-11, 16:44

It's been bright and sunny here, and an amazing 14.4 degrees at lunchtime. Crazy. We are forecast sunny for the 25th, so ideal for the post-prandial walk through the woods! I am panicking slightly and need to do a detailed shopping list. Christmas always sneaks up doesn't it and suddenly says "BOO!, Gotcha!"

**Serial_Apologist** · 21-12-11, 23:18

Originally posted by Anna View Post

It's been bright and sunny here, and an amazing 14.4 degrees at lunchtime. Crazy. We are forecast sunny for the 25th, so ideal for the post-prandial walk through the woods! I am panicking slightly and need to do a detailed shopping list. Christmas always sneaks up doesn't it and suddenly says "BOO!, Gotcha!"

I've managed to arrange my Xmas food provisions this year so as not to have to buy more than 5 last-minute items at a time. The local Saint Sprees is packed by this stage with lengthy queues of people with trolleys loaded up taller than themselves. Imagine a half hour wait with ice cream in the trolley!

To explain: fortunately the fags 'n' Lottery counter accepts shoppers with five or less items. The solution to pre-Christmas grocery shopping is *planning*. Simples!

**greenilex** · 22-12-11, 01:31

Luckily Southampton is well provided with international halal outlets which remain open.

No need to panic that the samosas will suddenly run out....

A peaceful holiday for me rather depends on the corner shop.

**marthe** · 22-12-11, 03:15

Mild, windy, and rainy here today. Sunshine forecast for tomorrow, then rain for Friday, sun for Saturday, rain, possibly snow for Christmas day. Last minute errands are the order of the day tomorrow through Saturday. Tomorrow I'll get the Christmas cake made by the English Cousins (literally two English cousins, Patty and Sarah http://www.englishchristmascake.com) and the requisite bottle of sherry.

**salymap** · 22-12-11, 07:56

Morning marthe and all, This talk of cakes, marthe, reminds me of a beautiful cake, sent to us by my mother's sister, resident in the US from WWI, when she married a Canadian soldier. It was not iced,
but it was very moist and fruity with a hole in the middle. We still had some food shortages in the 1950s and the cake was most welcome.

I have seen similar cakes advertised over here but they are rather expensive.

On topic, mild but haven't looked out to see what it's doing.

**greenilex** · 22-12-11, 10:32

Sounds like a Stollen, saly....you can get the right shape tin here nowadays.

**aka Calum Da Jazbo** · 22-12-11, 11:18

... must say of all the xmas cooking on tv at the moment .... the only on eto grab my attention was last night .... the piccata on rick Stein's Spanish explorations looks irresistible but where is the recipe?

**marthe** · 22-12-11, 14:30

Mornin/afternoon all: saly, I'm sure that your aunt's fruit cake was indeed welcome. Actually fruit cake isn't popular here because most Americans prefer light, fluffy cakes with gobs of creamy, fluffy frosting. I actually like cakes with a bit more substance and fruit cake (as long as it's moist) fits the bill. Time to get the Christmas Cake from Sarah who lives around the corner from me! It's a beautiful day, sunny and windy so a walk down the street will be quite enjoyable.

I'll be making Danish Chritmas Bread or Belgian Cramique for Christmas breakfast.

**Serial_Apologist** · 22-12-11, 15:04

Originally posted by marthe View Post

Mornin/afternoon all: saly, I'm sure that your aunt's fruit cake was indeed welcome. Actually fruit cake isn't popular here because most Americans prefer light, fluffy cakes with gobs of creamy, fluffy frosting. I actually like cakes with a bit more substance and fruit cake (as long as it's moist) fits the bill. Time to get the Christmas Cake from Sarah who lives around the corner from me! It's a beautiful day, sunny and windy so a walk down the street will be quite enjoyable.

I'll be making Danish Chritmas Bread or Belgian Cramique for Christmas breakfast.

I'm quite sure being forcibly subjected in childhood to dry fruit cake, along with marzipan (euch!) and ceiling plaster topping, put me off fruit cake for life. I am quite sure I have experienced electric shocks through some of the ingredients interacting with teeth fillings. Puts a new slant on "currents"!

**salymap** · 22-12-11, 15:17

Afternoon S-A I don't like dry fruit cake either but that cake from the US was beautiful. Moist and fruity and can still remember it well.

Talking of fillings,after breakfast muesli today, I definitely had tooth ache slightly. So a bottle of oil of cloves now sits at the ready in the kitchen cupboard. Apparently it is stillthe best thing for the problem, apart from a dentist of course.

**Serial_Apologist** · 22-12-11, 15:49

Originally posted by marthe View Post

Mild, windy, and rainy here today. Sunshine forecast for tomorrow, then rain for Friday, sun for Saturday, rain, possibly snow for Christmas day. Last minute errands are the order of the day tomorrow through Saturday. Tomorrow I'll get the Christmas cake made by the English Cousins (literally two English cousins, Patty and Sarah http://www.englishchristmascake.com) and the requisite bottle of sherry.

We all seem for the time being to be in a very benign weather pattern, marthe; even Toronto is not expected to go below - 2 C (28 F) over the Christmas period, and be above freezing each day; so very little chance of a white Christmas, either side of the Pond, unlike last year.

**Anna** · 22-12-11, 16:20

I love marzipan, it's the best thing about Christmas cake, but I hate the icing so that has to be picked off! I don't bother buying one anymore, so much of it just doesn't get eaten so it's a complete waste of money. Not quite as warm today, 13 (55) and heavy rain forecast for tomorrow but I'm not complaining as last year the night of the 25th was the coldest ever here on records going back to 1929 at -13.9 (6.95)

**marthe** · 22-12-11, 21:26

Quite warm today at about 59 F (15?C), but it's clouding up now for tomorrow's rain. The Christmas Cake, prettily decorated with a holly sprig, is now sitting in the kitchen counter. Fruit cakes were never a favorite in childhood but have become an acquired taste, though I've always been fond of marzipan. As children, we received little boxes of marzipan fruits in our stockings. They were almost too pretty to eat! I do agree about the plaster-like royal icing. Our wedding was in England and the cake was a traditional fruit cake with royal icing over a layer of marzipan. Nobody warned me that the cake-cutting ceremony would require an axe to cut through that icing! There were a few comic moments at the head table while yours truly attempted to cut the cake! American wedding cakes are frosted/iced with a soft, fluffy butter cream frosting that's much easier to slice.

saly, I hope your tooth is no longer aching. Oil of cloves usually works like a charm.

**greenilex** · 23-12-11, 08:09

Morning all; grey and damp but a sweet temperature.

There is definitely something addictive about marzipan, and almonds in general. My grandson has started icing the fruitcake I made last week. I fully expect to find the top covered in Lego.

Toothache is really bad luck....hope it's better now.

Stormy Weather

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