Gusty

 I had a very leisurely start to the day. It was 07:15 before I emerged and went searching for a fresh coffee. Storm Darragh was barrelling towards us and I ducked outside to move the garden furniture to a sheltered spot. In Wales, wind gusts are expected at 85mph - that's Hurrican Force. Even here, we expect 50-60mph winds.  Satisfied that I had taken sensible precautions, I then settled down with the overnight news and my caffeine infusion.

I had my call with the cousins at 09:00. The Aussie contingent was smugly pointing to their thermometers which read 40+ degrees. I pointed out that the measurement could be in Fahrenheit for all we knew.... and that was similar to the temperature here.

After the call, I settled down to consider the Christmas menus. I expect we will be hosting at least one "do" but more likely, two. I started to review the online offerings from M&S and Sainsbury's. Then I decided that despite the weather, I wanted to go and look at some of the offerings. I headed to Sainsbury's and looked at their turkey, gammon, and salmon. The offering looked good, but some had a "Best Before" date the week before Christmas. I bumped into Zoe and she said it would be best to wait until the 19th of the month when the "fresh" deliveries for Christmas would arrive. With some firm ideas, I left the store, crossed the road to M&S, and checked what they had.  I now have some firm ideas and can relax for a week or so.

After lunch, we had some Kindle time. Storm Darragh seemed to be fizzling out and we enjoyed a quiet afternoon before I prepared dinner.

While in Sidmouth, I bought a milk pan from my favourite kitchen shop. I have been so impressed by the quality that I have just ordered a set of saucepans to replace our old John Lewis set. These old pans have not really lasted well - one was thrown away because it leaked, and others are losing their finish. Hopefully, these Swiss-made pans will last much longer.