December
Now, the mad lead into the silly season left me full of franticness and stress. Why? No idea. I think they pipe it though the PA systems in every shop, bar and restaurant in the world for the days leading to Christmas Day. The one thing however that kept the stress levels to a manageable level were copious amounts of mulled wine. In two of the squares in Manchester town centre countless German market stalls sprout up at around the 2nd week of December. They emit delicious aromas the likes of which you never smell [collectively anyway] any other time of the year. There is mulled wine by the bucket load, bratwurst sausages [Ahhh!], stollen, ginger biscuits, waffles, crepes and many other edible items that you really don't need thrust at you before Christmas Day. Having said all that - the atmosphere this all creates is quite magical and I love it. It gives Christmas a context for me and a way of experiencing all the 'cold' Christmases I missed in years gone by. I can happily announce that in the face of this mass temptation I only really indulged on a handful of occasions and still managed to keep off the 5kgs I lost in September-November. I will however be introducing mulled wine - or Gluhwein as it is traditionally called in Germany - to my next Australian Christmas experience.
Ian and I both had Christmas Do's on the 19th at our respective work places. I gave in to the pressure and lashed out to purchase the first pair of heels I've owned in nearly five years. Do I have to say that they killed my feet and if it was not for the endless champagne that I drank, I would have been in excruciating pain? I glammed up for the night and danced my toes off [literally] and had such a good time. After two years at KPMG I now have a good group of ‘work’ mates [some who fall into ‘outside’ work mates which is nice] who make me feel so much a part of life here.
Around midnight I felt as though I could stay the night with my 4 bloke work mates and neck champagne out of the bottle [very sophisticated] but as I hit the cold air I was very glad that I had a lift home and was tucked up in bed by 1am. An apology here to my sister [and father] who I allegedly called from my mobile to her mobile disturbing their shopping. I really don't remember doing that. Honest.
Christmas Eve / Christmas Day
A quiet time at the Parsonage as we three [Edith, Ian’s mum] ate, watched an obscene amount of telly and my new Lord of the Rings DVD at least twice. [Finding it hard to leave Middle Earth actually – more on that another blog…]
Now, the mad lead into the silly season left me full of franticness and stress. Why? No idea. I think they pipe it though the PA systems in every shop, bar and restaurant in the world for the days leading to Christmas Day. The one thing however that kept the stress levels to a manageable level were copious amounts of mulled wine. In two of the squares in Manchester town centre countless German market stalls sprout up at around the 2nd week of December. They emit delicious aromas the likes of which you never smell [collectively anyway] any other time of the year. There is mulled wine by the bucket load, bratwurst sausages [Ahhh!], stollen, ginger biscuits, waffles, crepes and many other edible items that you really don't need thrust at you before Christmas Day. Having said all that - the atmosphere this all creates is quite magical and I love it. It gives Christmas a context for me and a way of experiencing all the 'cold' Christmases I missed in years gone by. I can happily announce that in the face of this mass temptation I only really indulged on a handful of occasions and still managed to keep off the 5kgs I lost in September-November. I will however be introducing mulled wine - or Gluhwein as it is traditionally called in Germany - to my next Australian Christmas experience.
Ian and I both had Christmas Do's on the 19th at our respective work places. I gave in to the pressure and lashed out to purchase the first pair of heels I've owned in nearly five years. Do I have to say that they killed my feet and if it was not for the endless champagne that I drank, I would have been in excruciating pain? I glammed up for the night and danced my toes off [literally] and had such a good time. After two years at KPMG I now have a good group of ‘work’ mates [some who fall into ‘outside’ work mates which is nice] who make me feel so much a part of life here.
Around midnight I felt as though I could stay the night with my 4 bloke work mates and neck champagne out of the bottle [very sophisticated] but as I hit the cold air I was very glad that I had a lift home and was tucked up in bed by 1am. An apology here to my sister [and father] who I allegedly called from my mobile to her mobile disturbing their shopping. I really don't remember doing that. Honest.
Christmas Eve / Christmas Day
A quiet time at the Parsonage as we three [Edith, Ian’s mum] ate, watched an obscene amount of telly and my new Lord of the Rings DVD at least twice. [Finding it hard to leave Middle Earth actually – more on that another blog…]
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