Evening Christmas Feast

Yesterday I didn't exist; it was a non-day. I won't go into details, but I can say that I lost almost half a stone over two days and I definitely do not recommend the vomitus maximus diet. By contrast, I felt excellent today. I woke up with a slight headache, which disappeared after a weak tea, a bit of toast and a walk up to Crystal Palace. There, Fred and I met Simon for brunch at Domali. It's been ages since I last saw him so we enjoyed a proper blether. Afterwards, we walked off brunch with an amble amongst the trees and dinosaurs at Crystal Palace Park.

Simon went home to put up his Christmas tree (bought for a couple of squid at a Crystal Palace charity shop) and we went to St Luke's Church where the West Norwood Feast had set up for the evening. They'd illuminated the church and trees, and it looked magical. There was a juggler, lots of laughing kids and plenty of stalls selling delicious treats. For dinner, we had risotto balls with mulled wine. After that, I knew my stomach was back to normal - no repercussions at all. Phew.

Back at home, we watched Bal, which has really stuck with me. A sad film, yet with such glorious landscapes that it has left a feeling of uplifting beauty.