February Funday

Oh dear, more dietary indiscretion. I suspect I shall have to put my guests on a diet when I feed them again.

Bear and Marie turned up. Fortunately they came on the train, so were free to drink. So we started with champagne cocktails, accompanied by nuts and things. We then graduated to red and white wine. My food (chicken loaf and marmalade roast ham, with potatoes and onions, with a mushroom sauce) was a little overdone, but still tasty. The puds were a disaster as I made the mistake of using bought pastry cases which were as hard as iron. These were filled with creme patissiere and topped with raspberries, served with clotted cream. I managed to locate some dinner rolls, anticipating a cheese course which didn't happen, but I ate one, thickly smothered in butter. These, hard as iron today, will form the basis of my next culinary experiment, about which I will blog later.

Anyway, everyone enjoyed themselves. The big subject was Nibby, who may well have sold her house, and if all goes well, will come back in August to stay in Macclesfield while house hunting. We are all very excited at this prospect. Bear found out that my 70th birthday is in December. He thought I should have a big party to celebrate (though I feel commiseration would be more appropriate). We shall see.

Alice rang in the middle of all this as she wanted to collect the specs she had left the previous Saturday, but arrived while my guests were still here, so she just grabbed them and left, which was probably a good idea anyway as she had just arrived from oop North by train and wanted to get home.

It was so good to see Bear and meet Marie, who is very pretty and jolly.