Countdown to Christmas 2021: the one where autumn starts (and Strictly - whoop!). Thread 5

[NoWordForFluffy]

119 (for ease tomorrow!)

Here we go. Couldn't think of a witty thread title. Soz!

Just realised I should have been a bit more specific - I like Christmas cakes to be moist and dense, not too much peel, lots of fruit and booze. Mmmmm. And ALWAYS royal icing, never fondant.

fluffy you're optimistic 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

70 I might have a Mary Berry, if you're interested. She does one like a Dundee Cake IIRC.

peach there's a thread ( quite recent ) on here about cake

Most posters are Delia or Nigella
I usually do a Delia recipe but use sultanas , caster sugar , no spice and white nuts , lots of cherries , grated lemon/orange not candied peel. And Amarretto

Delia gives the tips about weigh everything out (in little bowls if you like ) make sure your tin is the right size , take time to line it , and wrap the tin in newspaper/brown paper on the outside .
Take your butter and eggs out to soften and get to room temperature
And enjjoy the process . It takes a while to make and bake . But your kitchen will smell heavenly

The JM recipe is a melt things and soak the fruit . So it doesn't sound as light as a butter/sugar creamed mix. Maybe more dense like a Christmas Pudding . But I still have last years pudding so I might not do one .
Ahh decisions .

pussycat ElfontheShelf -A Christmas Tradition, I think is originally from the USA . I think most people get fed up after Day 10

I always think of the HallMark films ( they'll be on soon mwah ha ha ) where they do hotchocolate with cream and marshmallows , eggnog , cupcakes with butter icing , candy canes , gingerbread men, chocolate chip cookies .
I like the idea of them but I don't actually like them . If I ate them ( no marshmallows though ) I'd be as sick as a dog !

There was plenty of coffee but it wasn't cheap! Fluffy I think the issue is that I'm really tired so just grabbed everything I fancied

Wreck is the new pump working properly, or did you just overdo it a bit yesterday? I try not to shop when hungry or tired - it's lethal.

Pump is all working, was just a log day. I drove us home and we were back by 11 but it was still tiring. The dc had a good time though and even my shyest boy in the whole world was ever so slightly dancing 🥰

there's no ChristmasThreadBaby this year ? No-one has Taken One For The Team?

While I dearly love this thread, I shall NOT be taking one for the team. Peri-menopause is quite enough to cope with, and whilst I would love a squishy newborn I don't want to do the bit beforehand

Oh god, are you peri as well, lachy? Isn't it shite?!

The neighbours at the bottom of the garden have just had a baby. Almost 10 years after the last one. No ta!

I was idly looking at a kitten pair ( either a M/F or a M/M ) on CPL .
Our resident cats were "The Hell you will matey"

Our boy is lovely and quite shy ( and doesnt spray ) our female is The Gafffer .

If there was a baby in the house they'd drag it through the catflap and hide it in the shed ! DD and DS better be warned in case they think of procreating !

Wreck You'll have to try an "after school kitchen disco" once a week now, just to keep him dancing. 😻
70 My cats are the same. She wears the trousers and he's frightened of everything 😹 whilst I'd love a couple more kittens, there's no way they'd accept them.

@NoWordForFluffy

Oh god, are you peri as well, lachy? Isn't it shite?!

The neighbours at the bottom of the garden have just had a baby. Almost 10 years after the last one. No ta!

Yes! It's hell. I've not yet had the hot flushes (can't wait for those...🥵) but oh my god, mood swings, irritability, and lack of sleep is driving me crackers.

lachy fab, isn't it?
Men just don't know they're born!
until I remind DH how lucky he is to have me 😡🥵🙃

Thanks guys, on the mend now thankfully but yes 9 months was such a long time to be away from home- December felt unbearable, honestly, and Christmas Day was so hard. But this year is going to be amazing

I've just ordered a load of outdoor lights from Very- a few years ago we had some path lights and they got smashed up on the road by a group of teens (later caught by police and made to apologise to all houses they targeted). Not had any since. However we now have a Ring doorbell and a Ring camera so feeling more confident to put some up! And we had some outdoor plugs fitted.

First of all this lovely rainbow tree, then these path lights for one side of the front lawn and these path lights for the other side. Oh and these holly lights, dunno where they'll go yet but I like them!

I've made jewelled mincemeat (from the new Good Food magazine) and sausage rolls. Unfortunately, only 9 sausage rolls made it to the freezer. Luckily I have more ingredients but no freezer space thanks to my runner beans harvest!.

I could murder a sausage roll right now. 🐷

Fluffy Those sausage rolls are very lucky that Woolly and I don't live a bit closer. 😋

It was very hard putting them in the freezer! 🐷

Sausage Rollls are safe from me Fluffy ( vegetarian, no offence to your baked goods )

I've bought some LED candles for Halloween (less than nine weeks !) and Christmas , safer than naked lights .

I made a batch of Cinnamon Buns today (delicious) now trying to work out how I'll do bread and Cinnamon Buns for Christmas Day .
I can be up late on the 24th , watching spooky fi;m, Eastenders, peeling sprouts while the dough mixes /proves , them shape , cover for 2nd prove , put the bread on in the breadmaker and go to bed .
But no-one will actually care except me !
Might give the swine toast and pancakes and save the buns for Boxing Day ?

@TheWoollybacksWife

I could murder a sausage roll right now. 🐷

me too, especially a homemade one.

70 I'd save the buns for Boxing Day if nobody else is bothered - there's enough faffing around on the big day!

I had the Thread Baby last year, I've definitely done my bit!

@FireflyGirl

70 I'd save the buns for Boxing Day if nobody else is bothered - there's enough faffing around on the big day!

I had the Thread Baby last year, I've definitely done my bit!

Thank you for your service to the Christmas thread Firefly. I'm out the other side thank the Lord.

Count me out of the thread baby scenario as well. I am far too old/menopausal to be a contender thankfully.

Can I ask what our crafty posters are up to? The poncetastic thread will be starting late next month so I hope to add some Christmas themed crafting there, but for the time being I'm knitting hats for my great nieces and great nephews. I've got one on the needles now and I'm hoping to make another one but I need to check with my brother that his grandson will wear one before I start it.

I'm knitting in red now but it will look like these ones that I knitted for my sister's grandsons.

I've got some tea towels that need a cross stitch border so I might be back asking for some pattern recommendations. They come with threads and a Scandi gnome pattern but I was planning on a holly berry vibe. You can have the gnome pattern Fluffy to add to your table runner.