We had a quiet couple of days after we returned from England. I still wasn’t feeling great and it was nice to have a bit of downtime. We let Benoit and Virginie know that we wouldn’t be spending new years with them, which turned out not to be a problem. Virginie had to work both days, and Eva was having 15 friends over, so we wouldn’t be missed. We arranged to go round theirs for an apero on the 30th, but had to cancel since Will finally succumbed to the dreaded stomach flu that morning. He likely came down with it when Andrew and I did, but managed to fight it off for a few days.
He was feeling a bit better the next morning, and after consulting with Manu and Mathilde, decided to go ahead with our plans and spend new years with them plus Sylvie and Olivier. Gerald arrived around noon on the 31st and I got him at Limoges and then we stopped in Nontron for supplies. We were asked to bring something for the apero and optionally, a dessert. I decided to try something new: asian beef lettuce wraps which came out fairly well. I also made guac and brought one of Fred’s apero breads that we had in the freezer from Thanksgiving. Manu made onion bhajis and the other guests also brought stuff for apero, so we ended up feasting on all that until sometime after midnight when we sat down for the main. This was homemade chicken curry and rice and was followed by two desserts: a tiramisu and a similar dish made with speculos, chestnut cream and caramel. I made carrot cake cookies that afternoon, but with all the other food and booze, I forgot to bring them.
It was by far the quietest new years eve I can remember. Will was only just starting to feel better, I still wasn’t back to 100% and Gerald had a number of nights on the town in London, so we were all fairly tired. We had a number of cocktails during the extended apero, and a wee glass of champagne to usher in the new year, but that was about it. We left around 1:30 and had a cleanser at home before going to be around 3. Since there weren’t many of us, it was more of a dinner party which was fine except for Gerald who couldn’t really participate in the conversation. Rachel, M&M’s eldest daughter is in her third year of uni studying English and speaks fluently, and she joined us for a bit. It was a very pleasant evening despite how tame it was.
The plus side of a quiet nye is the lack of hangover the next day. We got up late morning and were all feeling rather chipper. We had a lazy day watching telly and films and playing cards. Dinner that night was confit de canard, with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. The next day followed a similar pattern, and I made bubble and squeak for dinner since Will had been denied after both Thanksgiving and xmas. My stomach still wasn’t back to normal, so I mostly ate toast, bananas, yogurt and applesauce those few days, and had poached eggs that evening.
I finally felt back to normal on Thursday, over a week after I came down with the virus, and Will bounced back after a day or two. Gerald managed to escape without contracting it, and so far, we’ve not had any reports that anyone got it after nye. This is surprising since everyone who had come into contact with it in the UK came down with it, except for Anne who somehow managed to avoid it. Gerald and I went for a walk that afternoon, as well as a couple of the other days. We all had a bit of work to do on Thurs and Fri, some of which included sending out invoices. I made spice-rubbed pork roast for dinner that night, served with corn bread and sweet potato fries. Gerald is auditioning for the tv show Come Dine with Me that involves hosting and attending five dinner parties in one week. He’s decided to start with gumbo and fried chicken for the main, but wasn’t sure about side dishes. So the sides that night were my suggestions and and that’s what he’s decided to go with if his application is successful.
Lee joined us for dinner on Friday night. We didn’t see him or Richard at all last year, mainly because Richard spent a lot of time in the UK. He’s there now working part time at his old job and also, renovating one of their properties to get it ready to be sold. Lee is doing well and is still working at the estate agents part time, which he mainly enjoys. Gerald made dinner that night which was fried chicken, baked mac and cheese, greens and leftover cornbread. We started with a few cocktails and then had a relatively early dinner. We decided to play poker which may not have been the best idea considering Will and I are far more experienced than the other two. Lee had a full head of steam and was putting away the wine at a fantastic pace. Gerald did his best to keep up, but both Will and I took it relatively slowly. We wound up the game around midnight when it was clear the other two had had enough and adjourned upstairs to play Wii. We had a few more drinks and Will and I went to bed around 3:30, leaving the other two to get to know one another.
We all had a late start the next morning, with the Lee staying in bed till midday. He left shortly afterwards, and the three of us had lunch and chilled out. Gerald and I went for a longish walk the next day, taking advantage of the last day of nice weather. It was 10 – 12 when he arrived, then dropped to highs of 6 – 8 the next few days, but always nice and sunny. Today is the first of many cold overcast days, with a high today of 3. We played some cards and Wii in the afternoon and then had leftovers for dinner before watching a film and having an early night.
Today, we had a quiet morning and then I took Gerald to the airport after lunch. It was a really nice visit and he’s very much enjoying Edinburgh and plans to stay for at least a few years. He’s also starting a consulting company with a friend in London so hopefully that gets of the ground without too much trouble. We’re planning to go visit him in July when he’s throwing a 51st bday party. With the move, it was too much to organise anything last year, so he’s bucking the trend and having the big party this year instead.
It’s back to work and choir tomorrow. I’ve got a about a week’s worth of work and then things should calm down a bit after that. Right, time to relax and mentally prepare.