Mmm, Christmas....

... dontcha love it?! I'm always so totally lazy over Christmas (no change there, then!), apart from all the cooking, which I love anyway. Made a gluten-free Black Forest Gateau this year (thanks to Delia!) and the now-traditional tofu cheesecake, and we've got mince pies and Christmas cake and yule log and all manner of fancy biscuits and chocolates and toffee, but it's the cheese and pickles I'm more interested in. I LOVE Christmas dinner (sooooo many different things!!) and I also love cooking it, shutting myself away in the kitchen and getting on with it. The Daughter bought me a jar of Hibiscus flowers in syrup, which according to the label you are supposed to put into glasses of champagne, so I am going to have to start drinking that now, ALL the time! How dreadful. Anyway, here's my gateau.



The cat had the most marvelous Christmas too - we got her one of those fleece chairs that hangs on the radiator so she doesn't have to sit on the phone - and a catnip mouse, which we wrapped up and she unwrapped - that was funny.



Back to work tomorrow, with nothing whatsoever to do and no-one to talk to! The only reason I'm going is because I haven't enough holiday left to take the day off! It's going to be a looooooooong day! Still, Friday we're invited to a little party at our friends' house, and Saturday we've got my very best friend and her family coming over, and bringing my Mum with them. We'll be having Christmas dinner all over again!! Yay!! I did soya steak and mushrooms en croute yesterday, Saturday I'm doing sosmix in different flavours, baked in the oven. And there'll be other grown ups to sit round the table amidst the debris and chat after dinner!! That's almost my favourite bit...... we don't really do that - 4 hours to cook it and 20 minutes to eat it and everyone's gone!