On the Run-up to Christmas, on Patrice's Porch

Our last chat before Christmas, Patrice. Doesn't time fly!


1. What is your favourite way to have potatoes?

I love potatoes. I really, really love 'em. 

I love baby 'new' potatoes with butter melted over them. Yum. 

I love creamed potatoes: lots of melted butter and milk added, and even some cream cheese. Double yum.

And I love a variety of takes on dauphinoise potatoes. I love leek sautéed in butter and added to the dauphinoise, and then grated cheese sprinkled on top before baking. Triple yum.

Duke of York Reds and Whites

When we're having fresh mackerel straight from the sea, there is nothing quite like our own earlies. Boiled in their skins and tasting awesome!

Our own Roosters from the year before last

There's the world of difference between the taste of home grown tatties and bought ones. 

As I mentioned, I love potatoes!

2. Do you keep your house toasty warm or a bit cooler?

I love warmth in the house. Ohhhh yes, inside, I love to be toasty and warm. Since we got the stove, our kitchen area is absolutely toasty! I may have mentioned (once or twice) on the blog that I love our stove. It's a similar love to the love I feel for potatoes: it goes deep, folks. Really deep.

But because we spend so much of our day here in the kitchen area with the stove, the rest of the house can end up being neglected. It's normally when we go up in the evening to sit in the Family Room, or even when we head up to bed that we realize just how cold the rest of the house is!


3. What would you most like to see under the tree?

Hmmmm, I really don't know. Let me think....

Help me out, folks. I really don't know. We don't do much in the way of presents for ourselves - it's mostly for the kiddos - so I've not really spent much time thinking about a gift I'd like.

Oh well, go on then - give us trans-Atlantic plane tickets for next year. Yeah, that would be nice!


4. Do you have an Elf on the Shelf? This one may not translate to other countries. Just tell us something you want if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Nope. I haven't a clue what that is, so I shall ramble on about something else. Rambling, as you know, Patrice, comes rather naturally to me.

Last night as we went to bed, the winds here in Ness had reached 90mph. Okay, so it wasn't over 100mph like we had the other day, but our older kids were a bit concerned because they were heading off on the ferry early this morning. 

Bleugh! My stomach is churning at the mere thought of the Minch on a windy morning. Of course, their concern wasn't how rough the sea was going to be, but that the ferry may not sail. That would be a disaster (the meaning of the word 'disaster' changes depending on the stage of life one is at. Yep, that's a fact.) because they were meeting up with some friends from London who now live in the US of A, and were flying up from London for two days just to see them.

Well, the London/USA kids' grandparents also live in Inverness and I'm sure visiting with them was really their reason for coming so far north. Or maybe not.

Anyway, to cut a long story short - erm, excuse me, I heard that guffaw: I can cut stories short. I can, you know - they did get away, they did meet up with their friends, and they are having a great time. 

I assume. I'm having to assume because I haven't heard from them. And I take that as a good sign.

Anyway, because the older kids are away, the Wee Guy and I were home alone today. We took a complete day off: we sat in front of the stove, read books, and had cups of tea. It was bliss! It was also such fun to read for a while, then listen to Calum telling about what he'd read, and his story would lead us onto some related topic and we'd just a good blether whilst dunking our biscuits in our cuppa.

Bliss, I tell y'all.


5. Have you put up a Christmas tree this year?

We haven't actually. When we took down last year's tree, we decided it looked a bit robach. It had seen better days, so it got the heave-ho. But if you're planning to buy a new Christmas tree, do it in the January sales. Don't leave it until December, when your money has other priorities! 

*      *      * 

Patrice, I believe you're not going to be on your porch next week. I'm not sure why you'd miss a week ... ? Maybe the weather? I'm quite sure there's nothing too important on next week. 

Please say Hi to Wendell, and tell him we're all glad he's out of the horsepital (Patrice, I love it!).

See y'all in two weeks' time.

Oh, and have a great Christmas, y'all.