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Monday, December 24, 2018

Twas the night before Christmas

...and all through the house, the Gorse Fox was wondering how to make this rhyme.

He gave up.

Actually it was a nice day. First thing he retrieved the ham from the fridge and coated it in wholegrain mustard and maple syrup, then set aside to be cooked during the evening. Then, along with the Silver Vixen we got on with the wrapping. Perhaps not as extravagant as when our girls were small - and no treasure hunt involved, but we got it all done (despite some fairly odd shapes).

Urban-Cub called. She was in Tesco. "Mum asked me to pick up some crackers. Does she mean cheese crackers or Christmas crackers?" she asked. The Gorse Fox explained that she meant Christmas crackers, but then reflected on the fun, mess, and chaos we could have had breaking cheese crackers round the Christmas table tomorrow.... he wonders if it's too late to change his answer.

At lunchtime we met up with the Sonning Crew and headed in to Chichester. We had lunch booked at Cote Brasserie, but there was time for a swift pint first in Trents. There was a rich choice available in Cote Brasserie and the Gorse Fox selected dishes from different menus. He started with a bacon and lentil salad then moved on the bacon wrapped cod loin on a bed of spinach and lentils. (You may have noticed that the Gorse Fox likes lentils). All of the rest of the Crew went for steak or pork belly. We all enjoyed what we had selected, though perhaps a couple of starters weren't quite as good as last time.

Once we had finished we wandered back through the town and climbed aboard the bus home. As soon as we were in the Gorse Fox fired up the oven to roast the ham. The marinade was reapplied and rum was drizzled over the top. As the Gorse Fox writes this there's another hour to go, but it smells magnificent even now.

Talking of magnificent, the Silver Vixen is watching "The Magnificent Showman" at the moment. The Gorse Fox got a little bored with it and retreated to the kitchen.

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