Happy New Year!

Wishing all my blog readers a very Happy and healthy New Year, let's hope we all get an Olympic gold in the happiness medals... ;-)

Warwick Castle.

We went to Warwick Castle in October, I never got round to blogging about it anyway here's some of the photos.

Sir Fulke Greville, Earl of Warwick.

Lots of tame Peacocks wandering around.

I found this highly amusing...

View of the castle from the river.

The Trebuchet.

Crow.

Merlin.

The Queen Anne bed...she was supposed to be visiting and sent it on ahead for her stay, but she ended up not going so it remained at the castle. I like her style...

A standard Holly bush, how beautiful.

Waxworks in the Daisy exhibit, very life like..a bit eerie.

Couldn't resist this leather piggy foot rest...

Creepy corridor running above the main hall..

Looking down from the creepy corridor..

Beautiful stained glass windows..

Video screens describing the history..here's Daisy, COuntess of Warwick reputedly the mistress of Edward VII...where the music hall song came from Daisy, Daisy...

Family coats of arms.

Mock up of the dressing room of the HRH The Prince of Wales.

Roundhay Park, Holiday Tuesday.

After being cooped up for Christmas we thought we'd go and have a wander round Roundhay Park in Leeds...we were amazed to see about half a dozen squirrels feasting on acorns..see if you can spot them hiding.

Just visible among the branches.

I did think he might leap at me at one point like Squirrel Nutkin in a rage!

Rooks circling above.

Catkins...the looked like caterpillars.

The drinking-water fountain.

Sun just setting above the trees.

Brooches

Lovely Christmas brooches I was given by friends.

Boxing Day.

Well it was a real Christmas card view...

Tee hee...fooled you! It was just the placemat...actually this is what it looked like last year...this year it's been really mild weather!

A box of crackers for Boxing Day!

Christmas Day.

I made the Bread Sauce...infuse milk with a Bay leaf, black pepper corns, Mace, salt and pepper and the clove stuck onion. Stir breadcrumbs, cream and butter in and serve just warm.

Push softened butter between the Turkey skin and breast and protect the breast with streaky bacon before roasting.

The Turkey.

My Christmas wreath...the holly was vicious!

The beautiful Christmas tree in the Piece Hall, Halifax.

Christmas Eve.

A busy day in the kitchen trying to get organised for tomorrow..making lists of lists and ticking off! I love making bread sauce, the smells are wonderfully Christmassy...stick cloves into a peeled onion ready to go in the milk tomorrow.

Cloves stuck in an onion.

Cranberry sauce bubbling away.

Put fresh cranberries in a pan with a little caster sugar, water and a couple of teaspoons of cherry brandy. Boil until the berries begin to burst, then turn the heat off.

Chestnut and vegetable soup.

This has become a firm favourite on Christmas Day at our house..my Dad loves it. 

Onion, carrot, parsnip, celery, chestnuts, vegetable stockcubes..easy peasy! Blend and serve with a swirl of cream, a few bits of crumbled bacon off the turkey and a few chopped chestnuts.

Christmas Eve lunch was griddled asparagus served to dip in lightly boiled eggs...yum.

Christingle service.

They even had a real donkey!

The Christingle...minus a few sweets!

I made chicken liver pate and melba toast and goats' cheese filo parcels with red onion marmalade and roasted cherry tomatoes for dinner.

The children made Mary Berry's Christmas Cake In a Bag...they did it mostly without my help too! We'll cut it tomorrow and see what it tastes like! It smells delicious. Served of course, the true Yorkshire way, with a slice of Wensleydale cheese.

My Christmas papercut.