Buon Natale!

This huge panettone has been sitting in its Christmas packaging under the Christmas tree unmolested since Glasgow daughter gave it to us as a present a fortnight ago. No longer. The wrapping paper was removed today and His Lordship announces that it might take him more than a day to demolish it.
In his dreams - this, like the chocolates, will be rationed to leave enough to provide for any visitors passing through the Dower House between Christmas and New Year.
We might have a sneaky slice later on tonight just to see what it tastes like although if it is anything like the wonderful smell wafting from it, it will definitely be a bit moreish.

The winter solstice is upon us. The sun rose over Edinburgh this morning at 8:42am and will depart at 15:40. We will be able to track its passage all day with the clear weather we have, and the good news is that from tomorrow the days will get longer at the sunset end, although not at the sunrise end just yet.

Having dreaded since midsummer the onset of dark mornings and dark afternoons, I find now I rather like shutting the world out at either end of the day and existing in a little cosy bubble away from the rest of the world. The ‘cosy’ of course rather depends on the central heating working; but the saga of that continues and will keep for another day......or week.