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26.12.12

CHRISTMAS PAST

This was my contribution to yesterday's festivities - a chocolate sponge with buttercream filling and Mars Bar and Pipitos topping. It didn't last long.

...but perhaps I should start at the beginning of our Christmas Day in Tenerife, at eleven am ....


Strangely, despite the clement weather, there was no-one in the sea, and the life-guard was the only person getting her feet wet.

We had been told there would be carol singing, but when it hadn't happened after an hour we departed via one of the tiny seafront bars, and exchanged our presents at home.




Next stop was Massimo's apartment.
Massi has been a friend for ten years, his daughter helps to fill the gap left by not living near my grandchildren, and we were invited to share a meal - as long as I brought 'un postre de chocolate'.
Which explains the chocolate cake.



We were given lovely tender lamb Italian style, and then some hallaca made by his Venezuelan partner.
Hallaca is basically meat and vegetables cooked through and then wrapped in pastry made with maize flour, the juice from the meat, and some oil. The parcels are then wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.
Very tasty and filling - a little goes a long way!
A little wine, a little music and dancing, then we went home, fed the cat, had a late siesta and went to the local bar, El Leones, where quite a few people had spent most of the day.
Living abroad has its downside, and lack of family is the main ingredient, so the one English bar in our village is the next best thing to family for a lot of folk. Whether you speak Spanish or not, sometimes you just want to talk in your own language.
Like any UK pub we have our characters - Ron always makes an effort to dress up for special occasions and this coat must be a genuine antique.

We wound up at El Candil de la Abuela - known as "Grandma's" - for a late drink and a plate of salchichas con papas fritas. With the OH flying to UK in the morning, we were in bed by eleven, relatively sober.
Not a slice of turkey, a sprout or a mince pie had passed our lips.
Was the weather 20 degrees warmer than England? Yes.
Was our Christmas Day very different? Yes again.
Would I rather have been eating Christmas dinner with my family? Yes - every time!

And a final photo to leave you wondering if ghosts might exist after all.......



2 comments:

  1. Happy Christmas, Lizy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your day was so different to mine but it sound like we both had a good time!

    ReplyDelete

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