Tales From Blighty And Beyond

My humblest apologies for not updating this blog very much- have had bugger-all internet access lately and have been rather busy. So, where to start??? Umm, oh, could people please let me know if they have received my postcards? Sent off HEAPS a few weeks ago but am concerned they aren't making it through as nobody has mentioned them. Admittedly many of them were sent from the UK and it seems there have been also sorts of Xmas mail chaos but at least SOME should have made it through by now...

Now, the rest of this will be as I think of it so not quite in chronological order at all. Currently watching the The Vicar of Dibley and scoffing chocolates from a big box given to me for Xmas. The latter is conveniently part of my new highly successful (if we count joy as success) diet of cheese, chocolate and coffee, supplemented sometimes with croissants and champagne. This more-than-passing fad was mostly inspired by my latest journey to France, which began on the first night in a bubble bath at my hotel with the delicious Litchi, a bottle of bubbly and several cocoa-based blocks of delight. YUMMY. Oh, and the fromage from the Land of Frogs is a sublime as ever! Ran around Grenoble buying small round cheeses from the markets (quote Litchi "she's a tourist- can we have the really revolting mouldy one from the bottom?"), and some baked goodies , and plump dates, and drinking hot chocolate with chartreuse, before catching the chairlift up the mountain and wandering through the art gallery at the top and taking lots of photos of the view, grabbing HUGE cafe cremes and then walking down to the city again, stopping to scoff market foodstuffs from our bags on the way. Bliss.... Hmm, more food... trying foie gras again at the markets, eating an enormous crepe full of jamon and fromage... Xmas dinner with Manchester Man yesterday of braising steak and peas and hot chip butties, followed by half a pudding each with tons of custard. Then off to his friend's place to hang out with her kith and kin, which was the perfect example of Northern Hospitality I have come across ever- and they are all mighty hospitable up here! Arrived to be greeted with punch, fruit mince pies, hot toddies, pretzels, chokkies, scotch eggs, cheese puffs, party supplies and heaven knows what else. We stayed up 'til almost dawn telling tall tales and being trashy, before passing out in the magic of central heating. Yay for the silly season!