Always makes me smile.
List
Christmas Bounty
Despite agreeing to cut back on present-buying this year, I did give and receive quite a few nice gifts. Now Boxing day has passed, I gather them all from around the base of the Christmas tree, and examine them.
This year, many were edible.
Chocolate-covered pumpkin seeds.
Gingerbread cookies.
A large tin of Scottish Shortbread.
A box of ‘Stollen Bites’. Juicy little cakes!
Two boxes of delicious Baklava cakes.
Two boxes of chocolate-covered Brazil Nuts.
A large bag of salted Pistachio Nuts in their shells.
Others could be consumed by the glass.
Red wine of course, my favourite tipple.
I received five bottles, one enjoyed on Christmas Day, and another yesterday.
(Three left!)
Things to watch.
Two films on DVD.
‘Official Secrets’, recommended by Fraggle.
‘JoJo Rabbit’, which received rave reviews all year.
Useful items.
A large calendar, with photos of Sharpei dogs for every month of the year.
A Dog’s Trust calendar, sold to provide homes for abandoned dogs.
A Weekly Planner with ‘Born to be a Sharpei dad’ on the cover.
‘Obsession’ by Calvin Klein after-shave balm. My ‘signature fragrance’.
And last but not least, a new pair of my favourite sheepskin slippers, which I am wearing as I type. This year, I chose ‘Dove Grey’ instead of tan.
We went into Stage 4 lockdown yesterday. It is supposed to last until Easter. No restaurants or bars open, no ‘non-essential’ services like hairdressers or dog-groomers allowed to open. All charity shops and clothing shops closed until further notice, and no non-essential travel allowed.
Not much of a start to 2021, but we all have to make the best of it.
Christmas Bounty
Now the dust has settled on the festive season, I spent some time going over my pile of ‘bounty’, the gifts I received this year. Having made the decision not to just get more ‘stuff’ that we don’t need, it was nice to open my pile of presents and discover that everything I had was something I wanted and could use.
So without boasting, or rubbing it in for anyone who didn’t get anything, this is a list of what I found under the tree on the 25th.
The Phantom Atlas.
This is a sumptuous hardback book featuring detailed reproductions of antique maps.
Most of them are wildly inaccurate, or deliberately misleading, and that makes the book all the more enjoyable.
A new keyboard for my PC.
I have the desired replacement for the one I am using now that is almost worn out.
It is a Geemarc brand, ‘big key’ keyboard, with black letters on a yellow background.
Perfect for not straining my eyesight after long hours at the computer.
Two long nightshirts.
Looking like very long T-shirts, I like to wear these under a dressing gown when I am mooching around the house.
It has to be extra cold for me to wear them in bed.
Four bottles of red wine.
This included one ‘special reserve’ in a fancy box.
I have only drunk one of them so far.
A tin of Scottish Butter Shortbread.
The best biscuits (cookies) you can get, in my opinion.
DVD films.
First Reformed, starring Ethan Hawke.
The Guilty.
A German film a about a police emergency operator.
Chocolate-covered Brazil Nuts. (Two bags)
I don’t eat much chocolate, but these are in dark chocolate, which I prefer.
A selection of Baklava.
Those Greek/Turkish pastries full of chopped nut and honey syrup are a big favourite of mine.
Chocolate-covered fruits and nuts.
This mixed box included Pecans and cranberries. All delicious.
Calendars.
One was a Sharpei calendar, with a different dog for each month.
The other a Dogs Trust charity calendar.
Vouchers.
Joint presents for Juie and I from two of her children.
One is for a meal for two in an Italian restaurant, Prezzo.
The other for a special afternoon high tea, in a well-know Norwich restaurant, Bourgee.
I think you will agree that this was a very good selection of gifts. They came from Julie, her children, my cousin, and some of our neighbours in Beetley.
More importantly, they will all be used, read, watched, worn, or eaten.
I hope all of you had an enjoyable time.
Ten Things I really Like
In the absence of a fictional muse at the moment, and slightly confused by feeling unwell and taking lots of medicine, I started to think about things I really like. I suspect this happened in my mind to offset the doldrums of thinking about being ill. Whatever the reason, it cheered me up. So here is a rare ‘top ten’ from me, and a very personal one at that. It is not in any order of preference.
1) Red Wine.
I like it a lot, and will drink any red-coloured wine, even Cabernet Sauvignon. My favourites are Pinotage, Chianti, Burgundy, and Shiraz. I also enjoy Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, Dao, and Rioja.
2) More red wine.
As above, but more.
3) Watching good films again.
I love to re-watch a film I enjoyed, and realise why I loved it so much in the first place. Some random examples of this would include ‘The Duellists’, ‘Goodfellas’, ‘Donnie Brasco’, ‘The Hunger’ (1983), ‘Zulu’, and of course ‘Blade Runner’.
4) Eating Out.
I don’t mind cooking. I cook most of our meals, and I am happy to do so. Some of them amount to little more that ‘hotting up’ something bought already prepared, and adding a few vegetables. But I do cook some things from scratch, and when I am in the mood, I serve a very good roast potato, if I say so myself. Despite that, eating out in a restaurant is something I have always enjoyed. It doesn’t have to be a fancy, or expensive place. As long as the atmosphere is convivial, and the food is cooked and served by someone else, I am usually very happy indeed.
5) Watching foreign films with subtitles.
Most of you already know that I rate foreign films highly. In most cases, I enjoy them more than films in my own language. There are various reasons for this, but I would say that the dominant one is that it is good to not know who the actors are. This stops any preconceptions based on previous roles, or earlier bad performances. An imaginary example of this might be an actor like Bruce Willis appearing in a 19th century epic costume drama. Given his reputation, I would already be thinking ‘This is not going to work’. However, put the Danish equivalent of Bruce into a similar historical epic, and I am none the wiser.
6) Listening to sentimental old songs.
This has got worse as I get older. I love nothing more than to hear a really old song, and wallow around in the sentiment of it. I’m not talking the 1960s or 1980s here. The songs that really get to me are much older than those. You might never even have heard of most of them, but when you get to my age, look them up, and feel your eyes moisten. ‘We’ll Gather Lilacs’, ‘Pennies From Heaven’, ‘The Very Thought Of You’, ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’, ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’. And many more…
7) Wandering about with Ollie.
Having such a good companion as my dog Ollie means that I have to go out. And when we are out walking, even on the most familiar routes, I relish the fresh air, and contact with nature. But even more than that, I welcome the chance to think. Out on those walks, I think about a lot of good stuff, including most of what I write about on this blog. If not for Ollie, I would probably be watching 24-hour rolling news, and writing nothing at all.
8) Memories.
No surprise of course, but I do love my memories. The best thing about them is that I still remember them, good or bad. When I stop writing about memories, you will all know something is badly wrong with me.
9) Solitude.
I have mentioned this before, but I get a lot of pleasure from time spent alone. I am aware that this is a choice, and if it was not a choice, it might not be so enjoyable. But solitude is something that can be studied. It can be developed, almost like a trade or a skill. Once you have mastered the basics, it is really very good indeed.
10) Blogging.
This had to be included, didn’t it? Since starting out, somewhat reluctantly, in 2012, blogging has become my ‘other life’. What I do with certain hours of the day, how I keep in touch with so many people, maintaining an active mind, and developing friendships in that great community. It wouldn’t have been a list of things I really like, without blogging being featured.
There you have it. Feel free to dislike any of the things I really like. I won’t mind.
And if you want to add your own ten, or even just a few, please leave a comment.
Who is your ‘Worst Briton’?
I have had a request from my American blogging friend, chuq, over at https://lobotero.com/
He is a predominantly political blogger who writes a lot about the situation in the Middle East, and the current politics in America. Anti-Trump, pro-peace, and a history buff too. He served in Vietnam during that war, and has a lot of experience working in hotspots too. Prompted by an online article, he would like to know who the British readers consider to be their ‘Worst Briton’. If you are in Britain, or live elsewhere but come from here, please give that some thought, and add your own choices in the comments.
Here are some examples of my own ‘Worst Britons’, to give you an idea.
Edward VIII/ Duke of Windsor. A treasonous Nazi-loving member of the Royal Family.
Margaret Thatcher. The hideous woman who ruined this country during her time as Prime Minister.
Tony Blair. That odious, self-seeking man who destroyed the Labour Party.
King Charles I. A man so vain, he led the country into civil war, rather than recant his ‘divine right’ to rule.
They can be historical figures, entertainers, current personalities, political leaders, murderers, sports stars, criminals. Anything you like, as long as they are British.
Thanks in advance, Pete.
beetleypete 