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Stephen & Elisabeth in England
Tuesday, 27 December 2005
Weird Art
Mood:
d'oh
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Yesterday Stephen & I characteristically checked out the Boxing Day Sales. We came away with our original Christmas present for the flat idea: 2 canvases & some paint. Here's the result: ![](155_5568_1.JPG)
![](155_5569_1.JPG)
Can you guess who painted which one?
These were inspired by our fabulous gift of Heidsieck & Co's Monopole Blue Top Champagne Brut. Mmmm.
Today, what's in store, let's see: food shopping, collect dry cleaning, buy a crossword puzzle book (I've got to learn how to do these early so as I get older I can keep my mind in good shape...always plan ahead I say) and a Time Out magazine as we are finally going to sign up for a subscription.
Also, I'm going to try vacuuming the dust out of the extractor fan in hopes it will work once again, there's laundry and dish washing, and budget making...I better go now!
Monday, 26 December 2005
This is what I did on Christmas
Mood:
a-ok
Now Playing: Elisabeth playing excessively morbid union songs written by Brecht on the piano upstairs
Topic: Stephen Says
Arrived at work on the 24th at 2PM and all was quiet - everyone was jolly & in a good mood and looking forward to Christmas day. As my shift ended, everyone uncharacteristically went to bed early and so I meandered down to the sleep in room where I watched a DVD before turning in. For dinner that night, I ate 1/2 a pizza. At midnight I was a tad peckish so I ate another 1/2 pizza. In the morning, I got up at seven and had 1/2 a pizza for breakfast. It's nice to know that even while working, I can keep my Christmas traditions alive. So anyway, Sunday was spent pretty much just cooking. I was on shift with my Australian collegue and the two of us had to throw together a traditional English Christmas lunch for 14 (Though only 11 turned up). At 7:30 I had our 9KG turkey thrown into the oven. A tight squeeze, I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't even fit in the oven. 15 minutes after waking up, I was fisting the bloody thing, taking out it's giblets and, later that day, spent a good deal of time basting & probing it. I have never been as intimate with a piece of food as I was with this bird. Here it is in the oven: ![](155_5563_1.JPG)
After that, the two of us prepared: Boiled carrots, roast potatoes, steamed broccoli & brussel sprouts, 2 different types of stuffing, gravy, honey roasted parsnips, a disasterous trifle that I had made the day before (With some assistance), a Christmas pudding (Well, I just boiled it for 3 hours) and assorted nibbles, juice, soft drinks and booze.
Everything was calm, cool & collected and I suspect that the 2 foreign men suitably impressed the English ladies who showed up at 2 o'clock only to see that the house was stress-free, kitchen was clean and there was no panicing.
So yep, everything was good. The residents told me that Elisabeth really should come because she shouldn't be spending Christmas on her own and, after the meal was done, E retired to the lounge to watch Singing in the Rain with everyone while we tidied up. Withness the destruction of the turkey:
![](155_5565_1.JPG)
All in all a very pleasant and Christmassy day. We retired home around 5is after I'd spent 27 at work. I'm off today and back to the project tomorrow; E continues her massive block of time off.
We've bought paints and blank canvases and will be painting tonight - sprucing up our flat with unique pieces of outside art. Unless we go out for a curry. But our energy is low & there's a bottle of champaign chilling in the fridge so who knows.
Sunday, 25 December 2005
Champagne Breakfast
Mood:
celebratory
Now Playing: Mozart: the Marriage of Figaro
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Ahh...that's better. Pop goes the cork & slurp goes my mouth. Stephen was a dear and called me last night & invited me again to have Christmas lunch at his residence. I've accepted & so will be trotting off in a few hours. Trusting you all are having/had a very happy Christmas & are groaning with the weight in your bellies. Let's drink to good health!
Saturday, 24 December 2005
Update: Twas the Night Before Xmas
Stephen's at work. I tried cleaning the bathroom & whilst dislodging a chunk of dust from the extractor fan, it was sucked in, and the fan is silenced forever. And because the fan automatically switches on with the light, I'm afraid to turn on any lights. So candles galore are dotting the bath tub & sink. Stephen will be pleased. Oh jeez. New Year's resolution: call the landlord for repairs. Meanwhile I took a bath by candelight..,very relaxing, highly recommended, & read a short story by Banana Yoshimoto. Now, I thought it would a bit like Haruki Murakami's Norweigian Wood, but it's a bit too bare and boring for me. Not bad, but not teethy enough. I have since given up cleaning for the day, and have also decided not to go to the Christmas Eve service, partly because the Anglican church in the town centre, I discovered, does not have a midnight mass. So I've listened to BBC4 all day & have heard the King's Choir traditional Christmas Eve service & have had my share of Christmas jingles from internet radio. So. I've eaten, and now I'll relax this evening. Perhaps finish reading Hamlet backwards. Joy to the World!
Twas the Day Before Chrismas
Mood:
caffeinated
Now Playing: Arethra Franklin
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum, Bailey's and Jack D.! Hoping you are all in the festive mood and have safely arrived where you are meant to be, for those who have been traveling. What a great time of year...so much time to blog! So please expect to see daily updates for the next 10 days, but don't get used to it, because it ain't gonna last! Yesterday Stephen was off work & I had a half day. It has been quite a busy week in having the company x-mas party on Fri, chores on Sat while hungover, Sunday down to see Stephen's family, working Mon & Tues. on Wednesday our small dept. had a team training day in Guildford followed by some shopping & then dinner at a nice restaurant where I had some very rich food and lots of wine. In bed by 12:30. Worked Thurs. hungover which led to yesterday's 1/2 day, where we ate breakfast together, did some "work" and then home. Stephen & I did some kamikaze strolling through the mall waiting for King Kong to start at 3:30. Ok King Kong. I didn't want to see this based on the trailer because it appreared to be a typical action thriller with very good special effects, but very little of interest beyond that. Stephen & all the good reviews convinced me to see the movie as it was "a perfect movie" "not to be missed". Do you see where I'm going with this yet? Basically, I should have trusted my instincts. It was not a very engaging film & probably not the result that Peter Jackson was aiming for. Anyway, it was a good way to kill 3 hours...we came home ate and ate & drank & went to bed early. Stephen is now preparing for sleeping in tonight at work. I think I'll be going to the Xmas Eve service in the town centre to sing some carols and what not...but not before I give our apartment a good once-over...it's been moving quickly towards the "unexeceptable" point. That's all for now...keep on truckin.
Thursday, 22 December 2005
Buh
Mood:
irritated
Topic: Stephen Says
This'll surprise Elisabeth. I'm actually blogging. Actually I'm doing because I'm so irritated right now that I can't go to bed, so I'm drinking a 35 pound bottle of wine E brought back from her night out with office people. This is the benefit of working at an office. Or at least being married to someone who works in an office. My irritation is work related but whatever - it's going to get sorted soon so it's only an ephemeral irritation. Buh. I haven't done much blogging because I haven't been doing much of anything. So in lieu of something interesting to blog about here are my thoughts on 3 DVD's I bought the other day. Groundhog Day: I've only seen this once before on TV but Elisabeth talks about it alot. It's actually quite good - a romantic comedy that's not cheezy and totally realistic. Well, except for the whole paranormal aspect. I mean, the romantic angle isn't forced down your throat like, say, a Tom Hanks movie. A tight script, Bill Murray plays Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell plays Andie MacDowell and it's directed by Egon from Ghostbusters. Not laugh out loud funny but 'oh, wasn't that clever' funny. The highlight: The groundhog's mouth in every scene that the groundhog's in. Fletch: Chevy Chase. Every line that Chevy Chase says in this movie is hysterical. The trailer is laugh out loud hysterical and it doesn't even show the best parts. Hands down the funniest movie ever made (With Clue being a close second). There is nothing funnier than Fletch. The highlight: Every single line that Chevy Chase says. Slap Shot: Best hockey movie ever. Best sports movie ever. It was made in 1977 and has the most foul swearing in it that you'll ever hear outside of an Eddie Murphy stand up routine. It's also got more realistic violence & gore than Saving Private Ryan. the highlight: The Hanson's beat the living daylights out of the opposing team. Before the national anthem. The lowlight: Paul Newman in a fur-lined brown leather coat. Nope, still irate. So, I've been reading books by Paul Pahulianichuckiwhateverthefuck. The guy who wrote Fight Club. Only problem is that the 2 books I've read by him read like their being narrated by exactly the same person: Ed Norton from Fight Club. More twists & turns than an M. Night Shammalammadingding movie (And more logical & sensible too!) but they still leave me feeling empty and, well, frankly, I just can barely care enough to just finish the books. By the way, the books I'm refering to are Choke (Guy pretends to choke on food to gain sympathy & money from strangers to keep his alzenheimer afflicted mother in hospital) and Invisible Monsters (Supermodel who has her face shot off goes on a road trip with a pre-operative transexual & her kidnapped boyfriend and they all steal drugs from rich people.) Right now I'm reading Philip Roth's The Plot Against America. It was supposed to be the most important book published last year. So I'm reading it this year (How retro). Basically, I'm 15 pages in and he's just skewering the Republicans. Just 15 pages in and I reccomend it more that What's Up Chuck Paulachuck. But then again, Philip Roth did win the Pulitzer Prize...
Tuesday, 20 December 2005
Blogger Heads
Mood:
lazy
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
I can't believe that Stephen hasn't blogged! He's had two days in a row now where he didn't' have to work until 2pm. I mean really, we're at blogger heads about this. So I'm guessing that many of you are thinking about Christmas, perhaps about to hit the road or sky or rails, and I can honestly say I prefer my own plan to just stay right here on my touchkin. I even forget Christmas is only a few days away, and that's so refreshing! In other news, we had a relaxing trip down to Dorset where we lunched with Stephen's family. It's just gorgeous in the New Forest, all frosty and silent...whoo whee! Work has been really pleasant this week with way fewer phone calls and a chance to work through the backlog of credit notes & collections I inherited. Tomorrow is a team training day in Guildford followed by a few hours of free time and then dinner at Cambio, apparently a very nice restaurant. Having nothing to wear of course, I took advantage of Debenham's extended X-mas hours and bought a nice skirt after work. I also then stocked up on food to tide us over the weekend. Otherwise, not much doin'---looking forward to my 10 days off! Stay tuned to this blog!
Saturday, 17 December 2005
The Poop
Mood:
energetic
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Why does our blog have an advertisement for deodorizing your poop? Last night I smoked too much, swore too much, and danced too much. BUT I managed my alcohol very well. So the office xmas party was very insightful & fun. People say they see me in a different light now...what? what did I do? I had to call Stephen when I got in, and got a groggy hello at 1:30am...poor sod...had to sleep in at work last night. Anyway---today is chore day...must get a move on. }}}}}}}}}Later on{{{{{{{{{{ Back from chores. It's lovely sunny, brisk day and it's good to get fresh air. Three things in particular have spiced up the day: 1. I got carded at Sainsbury's buying cider & wine. 2. There was a man on Oriental Road with his leaf blower who blew all the leaves from his driveway into a large pile on the road. Didn't bag. Nothing. Just a big pile of leaves on the road. I felt very lucky to be present as the first car drove through the pile & dispersed the leaves back to their original location, while in the process almost loosing sight of the road & swerving all over the place in order to find an end to the cloud of leaves they unwittingly stirred up. 3. On my return journey from the dry-cleaners, a car hit the sinking pothole on Oriental road that was filled with water. Splash and my leg's soaked. Luckily drycleaners have learned to cover the clean clothes with plastic. Stephen'll be home soon & I've planned for an Italian night c/o Elizabeth David. We'll have Fennochio, radish & cucumber insalata, followed by Spaghetti all'olio, aglio e saetini with a side serving of spinaci con uvetta (spinach with sultana & pinenuts)...plus more green olives with pimento & an olive pave. So hopefully Stephen can relax this afternoon as tomorrow we're taking off on a trip to Dorset. In regards to Extra Virgin Olive Oil---does anyone have a particular brand to recommend?
Thursday, 15 December 2005
Warm & Warmer
Mood:
happy
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Stephen is installing our new toilet seat, and it's only 9:14am. I'm not at work yet because I have a Dr.s appointment for prescription renewal & so I am sitting in awe of a man who can change a toilet seat first thing in the morning. We'll post a picture of the new lid I'm sure... Yesterday I trotted down a street not too far away to check out the Italian food store...and boy, what an NDG moment! A little Ma & Pa shop with all the pasta, fresh veggies, cheese, olives, pannetonne, biscotti and wine that one could wish for...and they have black beans! Something not even Waitrose stocks over here. So we were outfitted with some olive oil, black beans and some olives with pimento--seriously yum. Oh, and god bless Magical Dehumidifier...not only are our windows condensation free and the air cleaner, but it actually emits warm air, so it's actually warm in our apt!! Something to be truly grateful for... Ok--the Dr. awaits. Adios!
Wednesday, 14 December 2005
Madness!
Mood:
energetic
Now Playing: A religious debate on yep, you got it: BBC radio 4
Topic: Stephen Says
So this is what a new dehumidifier will bring: re-arranging the upstairs, throwing out trash, tidying up, vaccuming, ironing, dishes, dishes, dishes! Tomorrow I'm going out to buy a bunch of things to spruce up the flat. Kitchen things, mostly, shelving, get the dry cleaning taken care of, take out the recycling, buy some coat hooks, etc, etc, etc. E&I have agreed not to exchange presents this Christmas; just get the flat in shape and make it a little more livable and a little less weird. We will succeed on the first and fail on the last, I believe. W'happened? I'm expecting to hear from the landlord tomorrow, telling us that we're being given our one month's notice.
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