After blogging last night, Abi and Lula appeared, as they were off to the pub with Ben, Laura, Marmers and Twinkle, but had arrived from Pompey early. They stayed and chatted until Tom and I had to go off to a church meeting.
This meeting was about a Christmas service that's going to be held in the new community service at Townhill Park. We brainstormed ideas, got a rough layout down, and when our rumbling stomachs couldn't take it any more, we trundled off to join the others at the pub.
The rain showers meant we sat inside, rather than our normal habit of crowding around the Oink horse box. Nearly typed pork box then. A much better name. The lovely Giles bought our food up to us, and Tom and I enjoyed basamic hog roast buns a piece, and a portion of mushroom and parmesan risotto to share.
For some reason I wasn't really feeling the pub, and the topic of conversation got on to pancakes. So I suggested we went home and cracked out the Pancake Party for Six by King d'Home that Tom's dad gave us for Christmas last year. This is large teflon coated, electric griddle with small circular indentations, 6 spatulas, and a ladle. All you need for a pancaking good time. Ben and Marmers were dispatched to the corner shop for supplies, and I set about teaching Laura to remember what she could about being able to knit.
I had to give up on teaching her how to cast on - a first for me, but we soon had her knitting and purling again. In fact, she was such a good student that I skipped the knit a boring square part of learning to knit, and got her knitting the very item that had piqued her interest in knitting again, my ear warmer headband thingy. That's knitting, purling, increases and decreases. Not bad for a first re-knitting lesson. If any one else wants knitting lessons, please shout.
When the ingredients arrived, I was summoned away from the knitting lesson to make pancake batter, and pancakery ensued. We gathered quickly that thinner spreads of batter, french crepe style, lead to much better pancakes. Marmers smothered his in trifle as you are wont to do, and I stuck to just lemon. Ben experimented with shape and form, including spirals and spiky haired pancakes. The height of my artistic endeavours for the evening went as far as using the ends of a ladle-ful to make a tadpole/sperm shaped tiny pancake.
Having eaten their fill, the lads ended up playing Wii games whilst Laura and I continued our knitting lesson in some horribly gender stereotyped moment. But hey, at least we were all enjoying ourselves.
Today, I enjoyed a long lazy lie in interrupted by bouts of nonchalantly reading my paperback, and lunch with Amy at Port Solent. It was very nice to catch up with her. We realised how long it had been since her last meeting when I commented on what I thought was her new hair colour, a lovely chocolatey brunette - the last time I saw her she was blonde! I drove into Southampton on my way home to do some Christmas shopping, particularly for Tom, as otherwise I won't have a shopping chance without him in tow. It wasn't a very successful trip, as most of the other items I wanted weren't available. Oh and Verity, Vicky on behalf of Max, and Ruth on behalf of Harvey if you're reading, please can you let me know want you want for Xmas?
When I got in, Tom was out buying ingredients for this evening's curry feast. We had peas with cumin, ginger and lemon, cannellini bean curry, dhal, and punjabi lamb. All amazing!
Since dinner I've been working on posters for the church Christmas events, the church website, and submitting the events to online events directories. Bit too close to work for my liking, but there you go. I shall go back to my wine now.
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