Last night went out to see a fantastic jazz band - the Harbour Jazz Orchestra - led by Paul Booth - a wonderful saxophonist. Stupidly I didn't reserve tickets, but Eric (Paul's father who runs the club) found us seats next to the band - so we saw them from the back! There were a number of arrangements of Christmas songs: Winterwonderland, the Christmas Song, White Christmas, We Three Kings, Silent Night and a fantastic version of "God Rest you Merry Gentlemen". Interspersed were some more standards: The Man I love and a wonderful BirdLife -which was just so exciting. Incredible the effect that 11 people working together can have - each of them good in him/herself - together quite sensational.
The setting was in a very bland hotel - the Pegwell Bay Hotel - an extraordinary building which has been done up in typical dreary swirly-carpeted hotel style. The room we were in has a terrace - which you can stand on and look out over Pegwell Bay. Since it was night you could see the lights of Deal and lots of ships, lightships and one or two of the French lighthouses, and some French skyglow. Very atmospheric - and cold. I didn't drink, which I was pleased about - a St Clements is a nice drink if you don't have it all the time.
Today's Christmas tasks: all the ones I wrote about the other day, plus cleaning the fridge to receive the vast shopping delivery. Our first "At Home" evening is tomorrow - so need to prepare a few snacks for that (sausages, mince pies, devils on horseback, spinach and fetta pastries, bits of stollen, some foccacia perhaps - and lots of crisps and mulled wine). We had a very successful birthday supper last night and Ned's girlfriend Gina joined us. I made the famous coconut cake - which the boys just adore and the brown bread ice cream, and an exemplary steak and kidney pudding - Ned, mirabile dictu - said he really liked it, and ate all the kidney - Finn left his.
The setting was in a very bland hotel - the Pegwell Bay Hotel - an extraordinary building which has been done up in typical dreary swirly-carpeted hotel style. The room we were in has a terrace - which you can stand on and look out over Pegwell Bay. Since it was night you could see the lights of Deal and lots of ships, lightships and one or two of the French lighthouses, and some French skyglow. Very atmospheric - and cold. I didn't drink, which I was pleased about - a St Clements is a nice drink if you don't have it all the time.
Today's Christmas tasks: all the ones I wrote about the other day, plus cleaning the fridge to receive the vast shopping delivery. Our first "At Home" evening is tomorrow - so need to prepare a few snacks for that (sausages, mince pies, devils on horseback, spinach and fetta pastries, bits of stollen, some foccacia perhaps - and lots of crisps and mulled wine). We had a very successful birthday supper last night and Ned's girlfriend Gina joined us. I made the famous coconut cake - which the boys just adore and the brown bread ice cream, and an exemplary steak and kidney pudding - Ned, mirabile dictu - said he really liked it, and ate all the kidney - Finn left his.
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