Thor's Day

Well, Christmas was excellent: Dorothy arrived with presents and also from Julian, and after a cuppa we set off by local minicab into town. Arrived a bit early so we sipped Sipsmith G & Ts and relaxed for a bit. The Christmas tree was very good - a huge mass of white twigs covered in large gingerbread figures from Konditor & Cooke. The private dining room looked out over the streets - and the tourist buses with open tops going past. These were filled with people sitting in clear plastic cagoules, looking rather like giant condoms in the rain. Dear me. The atmosphere at Indigo was excellent with just a few smallish tables, but also one very large family celebrating, so we had a few well behaved children and babies, and their parents were very attentive. The food was delicious: supberb starters followed by turkey for me and for Dorothy, steak. We drank champagne followed by red wine. The puddings were a chocolate pudding about the size of a tennis ball, which collapsed as chocolate sauce was poured over it, and mine was tangerine parfait with walnut ice cream. Fab. We relaxed and chatted over coffee for ages. I then made the rather brave decision to walk back over Waterloo Bridge despite the rain which took just over 40 minutes. I was glad because the buildings were all brightly lit in the dark and the lights reflected in the river. The Festival Hall and National Theatre, floodlit in blue and green, were particularly welcoming as we crossed Waterloo Bridge. I did get rather tired but recouped my energy after a welcome cup of tea on our arrival home. We opened presents, then drank a bit more, ate cake before subsiding for a bit but somehow kept chatting until after midnight, when Dorothy set off home. I really don't know why I haven't eaten out on Christmas Day before as it takes away the stress around Christmas and feels like a really special treat. I had always assumed it was a bit sad to go out for Christmas lunch, but I have now completely changed my mind, and seeing the large family who were there, from grandparents to babies, about 15 people, made me realise what fun it could be, even with an extended family or a bunch of friends.