Seasons Greetings

The obligatory Christmas post. I wasn't going to do one, but it would seem that most people do, so what the hell.

This has been the first Christmas since leaving home where people have come to us, rather than visiting others. It's also been one of the most relaxing Christmas' that I remember, with no major arguments, things going wrong or lunch at 4pm. Everything was of course vegan.

Having completed most of our xmas shopping in Oct/Nov we instead took a train to Birmingham and had a meal at The Warehouse on xmas eve. It's something that we'd been looking forward to as we somewhat like the place, however their xmas menu was a bit disappointing. The nut roast tasted identical to their standard sunday offering with the addition of 3 brussel sprouts and 2 chesnuts. Not enough potatoes nor well enough cooked (at a guess not parboiled). Still, it was a pleasant excursion and I'll know just to stick to something off their standard menu next time.

The day went pretty much to plan, with time to spare. For our starter we had porcini mushrooms in a creamy white wine sauce on toast. For main:

• 2x Seiten type things ('Turkey' & 'Beef')
• Fakon Wrapped Sausages
• Cranberry & Orange Stuffing
• Maple Glazed Roasted Carrot and Parsnip
• Roast Onion, Pepper, Courgette
• Brussel Sprouts (yuck)
• Awesomely Crispy Roast Potatoes
• Bread Sauce
• Red Wine & Cranberry Gravy

We didn't actually get onto the dessert (sticky toffee pudding) until Boxing Day as we were far too stuffed. Instead of xmas cake we iced and decorated a Stollen.

I got plenty of great presents, including a year's supply of lush products (inc 12 bath bombs), clothes, kitchen things and the world's most awesome glass cake stand.

The sales this year were largely rubbish, as most shops have had identical sales on for weeks prior. We visited family 'up norf' on the 27th-29th, which included a very pleasant late afternoon walk, pictures follow:

For 2010 I've decided to start dieting again. My body seems to naturally stabilize out at 10kg more than I'd like it to be unless I'm actively dieting and going to the gym twice a week. When I stop and try to eat sensibly it just all piles back on. Don't fret, dieting doesn't mean no cocktails or cake, just in even less quantity than I consume already. I'm going to attempt this time round to find some sports I enjoy and get exercise that way, as however much I try to stay motivated I find gym equipment mind numbingly boring.