Happy Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas! I hope your day has been filled with joy, fun and some special memories.

We have had a lovely day - interspersed with the usual fraught moments when trying to get the Christmas dinner ready. An early walk for Murdoch, followed by a lovely scrambled egg and smoked salmon breakfast cooked by Luke - then the opening of the presents - far too many and far too decadent - then the start of cooking the enormous meal. 

Lunch was turkey, a rack of lamb 'guard of honour' (a la Waitrose) with roast potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots, broccoli, brussel sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, pigs in blankets, two types of stuffing....to be followed by trifle which we are still trying to find some space for. 

A moment for some family photos, with the boys winding me up and not doing what I asked until I gave up....this is the best of the bunch. As you can see no one made an effort to get dressed up - Gavin is wearing a bow tie he was given for Christmas. Thomas is feeling much better but still not quite right. 

I received some wonderful presents, but I must mention that not only did I get the latest Marcus Wareing cookbook that I asked for, but Thomas got him to sign it for me with a personal message (his son is a friend of Thomas ) - see extra!

Hope your Christmas Day has been a splendid one!