In need of chocolate and The Christmas Tape

Here's what I am eating now. It's a "Chomp".




Here's what I ate when I last ate chocolate.
These little bars, along with Fudge, are so small that you can think of them as chocolate without the guilt, or without so much of it. And they cost only 15p.
Often it isn't so much the quantity of chocolate that's important; I just want to taste it.

It was a dove of peace in the advent calendar today.

I was in the gym today (hence the desire for chocolate) and Yay!!!!! they were playing The Christmas Tape! You know the one. At last! It's the first time I've heard it this year. I don't listen to any music of that kind; I'm a bit of a snob where music is concerned, but that tape is guaranteed to get me feeling Christmassy and it would never feel like Christmas without it.

Getting Christmassy

This is my advent calendar - sorry about the bounce of reflected light. It's a happy farmyard scene complete with singing chickens but still traditional in style. Yesterday's door revealed a bell with some baubles and holly and today's was an angel so I am getting proper Christmas things in it now.

Had a practice for our concert last night and singing carols always helps one get into the Christmassy mood. "Walking in the Air" was taken at the speed of a jumbo "Jetting in the Air". I told the pianist when I could catch a breath but she just carried on. GRRRRRR. I'll tell her the exact metronome speed next time so she'll have no excuse.

As I'm home today I think I'll put on some Christmassy CD's.

Advent Calendar

I was going to post a photo of my advent calendar but I haven't uploaded the photo yet. For the benefit of those who like pictures I have put up something temporary and I will replace it tomorrow with the real one.
Anyway I opened the first door today and it was a......... teddy bear. "Hmph" I said. "What's that got to do with Christmas?". I suppose teddies get given as presents so that's why it's there. So tomorrow I could see a picture of a tie or a bar of soap, could I? The crib is always reserved for Christmas Eve but in between I do expect something like a wise man, a star, a shepherd, a bell, a bauble (bobble?) or a Christmas tree. Pictures of things that might be given as presents seem to me an easy cop-out. Come on, calendar manufacturers, you can surely think of 24 things to do with Christmas. I wouldn't even mind seeiing a picture of a plate of sprouts!

I do like teddies but you can get teddied-out. Walk into a card shop and there are just so many cards with bears it's nauseating. Mind you, cat cards are quite common and they're OK if not twee. I have also noticed that chickens are on the increase on greetings cards. Long may that continue.

A few blog problems

Here's a pic of all the Christmas puds and mincemeat before they were taken to be sold at church.

Now I have a couple of blogging problems and hope somebody can help me.
I am delighted to see I have a third follower who has an eye like a horse's, and I thought I would have a look at that blog to see what it was all about, but find
I have to join up before I have even seen it. Well I suppose the only thing to do is to join up. So I think I have answered that one myself.

I thought I would follow Goose Breeder but when I look at Goose Breeder's blog I can't see anything to click. Maybe you can't follow it. Anyway I will wait and see what suggestions I get.



Enjoyed the Big Town Shops and lunch and got loads of stuff. Saw a nice coat to buy with Christmas money for meeee, but hummed and haa-ed and decided on the way home that I would get it after all so went to the internet yesterday and couldn't find it. Might have known this would happen. So now I will have to phone the shop and see about how I can still get it. Maybe someone else local will be going to The Big Town Shops or maybe they'll post it.

Enjoyed the Indian meal but felt I drank too much and therefore talked too much, so today I am trying to discreetly find out if this was so. If I ask them outright they will just say "No, you were fine".

Asinine Dream and lost comments

Last night I had a dream that I was in a stage show and just before curtain up on the opening night I was told I was to be the donkey and sing the donkey's solo which went up to top 'C'. I was thrilled and hoped I would pull it off.
It had nothing to do with the Donkey Serenade.

The pictured donkey is Tufty and he lives at Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Norwich. I adopted him years ago (along with 100's of other people!). I didn't take the pic but found it on the net. I hope it can be enlarged because it was pretty tiny when I clicked on it!

I had four comments today, published them all, and now I can only remember where two of them were so sorry, KD, I think the other two were yours and I have no time today to trawl the posts looking for them. Should have written down where they were. Grrrrr to this blogging sometimes.

Cheesejacks and fires

Here is the recipe for cheesejacks as requested by Kath at Railway Cottage.

5oz /150g porridge oats
6oz/175g grated strong cheddar cheese
1 beaten egg
2oz/50g butter or marge, melted
1/2 teaspoon /2.5 ml crushed rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Press into a shallow 7inch/18cm square cake tin and bake in oven at 180c/350F/gas mark 4 for 40 minutes until golden. Cut into slices and serve hot or cold.

Variations - try mixing in some cayenne pepper or try that Mexicana cheese rather than cheddar.

Home Alone today.I have spent toooooooo much time looking at things to buy for Christmas and family December birthday presents.Will see what the Big Town has but it's good to have the net to fall back on. You can only do so much and walk so far in a day.



Chimney was swept yesterday so we can have fires again. It's mostly hailing today which puts one right in the fire mood.

No photo now!

Now, when I put a reply to a comment on my own blog, my photo (or, rather, my cat's photo) is no longer appearing. What's going on?