I’m not sure anything exciting happened to me in December 1963, I was not even ten years old. It’s my platinum birthday next month. Not, as I used to say when young, Platignum, a well-known brand of pens that we used at school. I’ve looked and you can still buy them (after being re-introduced in 2007). I hadn’t realised that they were the first self-filling fountain pen, introduced in 1919. Not sure about that, we still got inky fingers using them (well, I did).
As I start the year (in fact, every year) with my birthday, I’m planning different (mostly new) things to do each month for the next twelve months. JD is very helpfully suggesting activities like skydiving, pot holing, skiing, horse racing, shooting a stag, deep sea fishing, deep water diving (no doubt he’s thinking free water without a tank), etc etc. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything this exciting in my life, and if I have I can find no photos to prove it. Thinking carefully, I did go abseiling a long time ago when I helped look after the Cubs, but there is no evidence. I seem to remember I quite enjoyed it at the time. You’d think having just gone to the trouble and expense of a new knee he’d want to keep me safe for a while. Must see if he’s taken out any new insurance policies.
Here I am almost 40 years ago, with Fudge looking very quizzical, I don’t think she’d approve of all these dangerous activities. I possibly could show you pictures of me at an even younger age but that’s for another day, if you’re lucky (or unlucky).
He did mention training a gundog, but Greta and I did that and have the certificate to prove it. He also tells me anything we’ve been invited to doesn’t count, so a very exciting February event has to be ignored. I might flout his edicts and just get on with what I fancy.
Here are a few (admittedly boring compared to the above) of my ideas, any (sensible) suggestions more than welcome:
Seeing ABBA Voyager, jewellery making, stained glass creation, handbell ringing, bread making (I’ve tried that but always ended up with bricks), felting, wreath making, pottery, wine making (with a local winemaker), flower arranging, painting (at school, my art teacher once was impressed with a pop art picture I created), singing (I think I’m tone deaf but have never found out from someone who knows these things), chocolate making, distilling (I can go over to Spain to visit the two E’s and three F’s to do that), sheep shearing and / or Diggerland. I don’t know if there are any age restrictions for Diggerland, which might limit my choices.
As I’ve got well over twelve activities here, I’m going to have to be selective. Or change my ambition to one a week? Crickey, I’ve only a few days to decide.
I also had plans to visit off-beat museums, a few of which I’ve told you about in Past Posts (too many to mention here). Here’s one I could go to next time I have a free day in London, with the added excitement of getting on the Uber Clipper ferry and going along the river to Greenwich rather than getting a bus or taxi.
I just need to make sure I don’t confuse it with the Fans Museum in Sunderland, although I guess I could do that one too. I’m not much of a football fan but I’m sure I’d still get something out of it.
Also in London, upriver, are two museums next to each other. I feel a Museum Post coming on (eventually, once I’ve been to them all).
We were lucky enough to go to St Paul’s Cathedral last week to see a carol service, and as G&Y were on their way to a wedding they were able to join us. There’s somewhere we need to explore properly. As you can see, my selfie-taking has not improved. Maybe there’s a course on that.
I don’t know about you, but most Christmases we have a ‘regular’ gift we give to each other. I always give JD the latest Hugh Johnson Wine Guide and he always gives me a jigsaw. At the end of Christmas Day 2023 we were sitting there examining our ‘booty’ when I remarked that there was one thing I’d not had this time, a jigsaw. The room went quiet and we all looked at JD, who gulped. The next day (St Steven’s or Boxing Day, depending on where you live), not only did a jigsaw appear, but also a scarf and two snazzy pairs of socks. They had been hidden in JD’s wardrobe. At the moment I have a jigsaw I’m struggling with. If I ever finish it I’ll post a picture.
This first happened many years ago when we’d been in Vermont for October half term and I KNEW a jigsaw had been bought but didn’t think I could mention it. I received it the following year. I really must do a sweep of the wardrobe floor on December 24th (with my eyes closed, of course) to see if anything has been forgotten.
For possibly the first year ever since being a ‘grown-up’ I didn’t make a cake for 2023 or 2024. No exciting pictures of sinking ships I’m afraid. I’ll try harder for 2025.
Usually, I buy new tree decorations to reflect the past year or things we are looking forward to. In 2023 I had no inspiration but that didn’t matter as we were given four decorations by different people. This year I was thinking what to do but my brother beat me to it, by sending me an initially rather worrying box. One side said ‘Emergency Tree Supplies’ and the other is shown below. It was opened with great trepidation, to reveal a dozen or so felt and wood tree decorations. I had mentioned to him the fact that I shatter at least one every year by accidentally dropping it on our stone floor. Not this year!
Something I didn’t inflict on anyone in 2023 was the mammoth task that would have been listening to this, a collection of 131 (yes, one hundred and thirty-one) CDs to celebrate what would have been Maria Callas’s 100th birthday. How many hours would you have to dedicate to listening to them?
https://www.gramilano.com/2023/08/131-cds-maria-callas-100th
This morning, I was listening to the carols and other Christmas songs on the radio when I heard a very unusual sound, nothing like Maria Callas. I must find out where they are performing next, it would be a truly original experience for my Year of Discovery. If you want to start your own vegetable orchestra, try looking at their YouTube channel below for some idea of how to start.
https://londonvegetableorchestra.com/home
https://www.youtube.com/@LondonVegOrchestra
Most years I and a pal buy and compare as many mince pies as we can find. We have created a spreadsheet, we eat that many. We’ve actually decided that it is possible to be mince-pied-out so I’m considering something new next year, based on a recipe I’ve just come across: the mince pie and custard martini.
I’ve not yet made it but if you’re tempted, take 25 ml each of brandy, mince pie liqueur (available from not just any supermarket but if you know your ads you’ll know the one) and Advocaat (remember that? Who, in the 1970’s, didn’t have a Snowball at Christmas?). Plus 5 ml each of vanilla syrup, cloudy apple juice and Pedro Ximenez sherry. Shake all but the sherry with ice and strain into a chilled glass, then gently pour the sherry into the centre, when it should sink to the bottom to create the mince pie effect. Dust with nutmeg for the true Christmas Spirit. I personally don’t like custard on my Christmas pudding (brandy sauce please) or mince pies (prefer them neat) but each to his own. I’m not tempted by the recipe but let me know if you are. Meanwhile, we had a slightly different advent calendar this year from, oh, a certain supermarket.
Proper cocktails we have had recently are the Bermondsey Minute (60 ml tequila, 20 ml vermouth, 7.5 ml cherry liqueur, 7.5 ml lavender syrup. Mix with ice), shown below, and the Parisian Spring (30 ml calvados, 15 ml vermouth, juice of one lime, small tsp of caster sugar, pour a suitable amount in a champagne flute and top up with champagne). All three are from the Difford’s Guide if you want to find more details of others you can make.
https://www.diffordsguide.com/
Tune in next time for (possibly) the start of my exciting year.
George and John's boating trip no longer 