University 2019/20 intake: vacations, vaccinations, va-va-voom restored and virtually into their third year

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

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What is with students bringing washing home? Ladies and gents you need to stop doing it, they are capable. I’ll let the sick off.
I’m surprised more don’t go back for NYE. DD would but says she’s be alone in the house. So it’s boring parents to see the new year in then.

Sounds good @simbobs. @icanbewhatiwant glad he’s on the mend.

DD did most of her washing, but had just changed her bedding before coming home. So there was some washing.

I’m surprised more don’t go back for NYE

All of DD's uni friends prefer to see the new year in with their home friends and family. She has been invited to a party here, but Boris might put a stop to that.

Boy home. Test negative. Phew! Merry Christmas everyone.

Yes @simbobs at least he has a bit of a plan now. Happy Christmas 🎄 all.

Good that your DS now has a plan @simbobs.

DS arrived home yesterday evening. Has been doing all-nighters with his assignments, so not sure what time he'll be up today! He hasn't knowingly brought any dirty washing home.

Merry Christmas to everyone and their families. Hoping there aren't many if any having to stay confined to their rooms.

@simbobs, glad your boy has sorted his short-term future. Hopefully the break will help.

We are all still testing negative, including DSs gf and parents - her sister is locked in her room (and gf lives with friends!) However I feel we are likely to catch it somehow or other as it’s so rife in London. At least it seems to be mild (or nonexistent symptoms) for those we know who have tested positive so far.

DS spent all yesterday doing a horrific assessment battery for a summer internship at a law firm. Got a rejection this morning Hopefully things will get better with other applications he has done!

And Merry Christmas everybody!

Merry Christmas everyone.

DD cooked a fantastic lunch. I just helped with the veg prep. We had:
mushroom wellington
roast potatoes
roast carrots
roast parsnips
roast sprouts with chestnuts
mashed swede
broccoli
gravy
port and cranberry sauce

That sounds delicious @RampantIvy. I totally forgot to do parsnips until DD asked where they were. #epicfail!

I loathe parsnips, so actually remembering to buy some was one of my Christmas presents to DH and DD

Ha ha I actually remembered to put everything on the plate this year. Thanks to Jamie Oliver the parsnips were unpeeled and roasted with the unpeeled carrots. So easy and they were declared delish by all so no more peeling for me! Loved his best ever roast potatoes method too. Cheers JO!

I did the JO boned stuffed turkey leg last Christmas. That was a triumph.

As DD is vegetarian we usually just stick to a veggie meal on Christmas Day and have turkey on Boxing dy as there is just too much going on in the kitchen to do turkey and veggie. DD will have some of yesterday's wellington today.

DD is vegetarian too @RampantIvy! She chose a plant based stuffed ‘joint’ in its own this year so was just easy to bung in alongside the turkey.

Have to say that I am feeling more inclined to go veggie by the year. Particularly after watching Countryfile recently, seeing them explaining the meat cuts on a live calf (at a farmers' market). That really resonated with me (and not in a good way).

We have done that before, but when DD offered to cook Christmas dinner who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth ?

I hope everyone has had a nice Christmas. It looks like some of our plans will have to change due to covid, but hey ho.

@RampantIvy @NewModelArmyMayhem18 we definitely eat far less meat these days. DD has been vegetarian since she was 16 so we eat 50/50 veggie now. It certainly saves her a lot of money at uni. Really looking forward to cold turkey today though!

We eat a lot less meat, too, though you wouldn't think so if you saw the inside of our fridge! DH seems to have gone mad and bought a turkey crown and a ham in addition to the goose that we had yesterday. He claimed that it was because DS would be home, but the latter is only with us a few days, and out with friends for some of the time, so I hope he won't mind taking some of it back with him.

I ate veggie when I was a student but somehow fell out of it. But am all for eating a lot less meat generally. DD has a very close friend who is a vegan so I can already see that's having an influence on her food preferences.

Does anyone else think that every year one eats less at Christmas? We too have a fridge stuffed with food and I can see that unless someone gets alcohol-fuelled 'munchies' very soon, some of it will go to waste.

I wouldn't mind cutting back on our meat consumption. But DH is a retired farmer. A cattle farmer too (plus arable) So he loves his meat. I can't even get him to eat fish.

We had turkey this year. We haven't had turkey for the past few Christmas's. Lots of it left too, unfortunately.

@icanbewhatiwant at least there are some fairly well established things that you can do with left over Turkey. Not so with goose. I am probably going to end up cutting bits for dog treats. We were planning (and going ahead with) to have a turkey meal tonight, ahead of DS going to a friend's house where he will invariably drink too much. Unfortunately, he has cut out the part of planning where he comes home first and has gone straight there, so I will plate him up a portion for him to reheat when he returns. This leaves me with a meal that I really don't want.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 I get what you mean about eating less each year. This year I deliberately bought less as I thought (correctly) that someone would gift us a hamper. Unfortunately, DH went and did some additional shopping unsupervised, and tends to buy as though we had no food in the house. DD is vegan so I am always having to modify meals or make vegan food that we all enjoy. I don't want to cut out meat altogether but could quite happily have it once or twice a week.

@icanbewhatiwant I can well understand your DH liking his meat having been a farmer! It goes with the territory!

We had porchetta this year and I bought too large a piece for sure. After Boxing Day leftovers, we've had our fill and there's still about 2/5 of it left! I have been feeding our friendly neighbourhood fox the crackling and fatty bits but can't really justify giving him about £10 worth of meat. Have considered making rissoles but not sure I fancy spending time in the kitchen frying them up anyday soon! I think it will have to be frozen for future use!

Turkey does rather seem to go on forever. You may be very keen on a week of veggie/vegan food once that's been finished @simbobs!

Sounds like you have some very lucky foxes in your neighbourhood. It’s turkey curry day here!

@Benjispruce5 it's only the one who is brave enough to take on our (girl) cats (he's afraid of them!). He's lovely with a white-tipped tail! Very dog-like in his demeanour!

MIL does a very good coronation chicken which I'm sure would work well with turkey too.

I took DS back today. When trying to get him up and out this morning I felt like I had gone back in time to his school days! The house is missing him already.