Every Cloud...

The upside to not being able to attend the wedding yesterday means I can now wear the top I bought to wear to it, at tomorrow night's Hogmanay gathering.  

The top is a bit blingier, not sure that's a word brighter than I would normally wear being black and red lace (!) but hey, it's Hogmanay so if there's one night I will get away with it, it's then.  

Of course I will also have to wear a red lip (which I never do) so might as well go the distance and wear red nail polish too (again, which I never do) and I will ring in the New Year a whole new me!   Well me with a mouth that looks like someone has split it open with an axe.  I can never apply red lipstick evenly! 

But fear not...I have a cunning plan!  I shall make sure I reapply the lippy in time for the bells so by the time I have wished everyone a Happy New Year, we will all be wearing a red lip.....hahahahahahaha! 

So, David got home just after 2.30pm and we had coffee and he told me all about the wedding.  It sounds as though everything went perfectly and the bride and groom had a wonderful day.  I am so happy for them, they deserve it.

The rest of today has been spent getting organised for the two days of celebrations coming up.  New Year isn't the big thing in Scotland that it used to be but it's still a thing.  More so than down south I think.  We have a public holiday here on 2nd January to allow time to recover from the excesses of Hogmanay and New Year's Day (or Ne'erday as it's more commonly known in Scotland :-)

My plan for tomorrow is to spend the morning doing as much food prep as possible for both days.  

Ele, Kenny, Agnes and Adrian are coming up for dinner on Hogmanay.  We are having watermelon, feta and mint salad to start, followed by a side of Scottish salmon oven roasted with lemons and limes, baby potatoes and roasted asparagus wrapped in parma ham and parmesan.  Agnes will be having mac cheese with leeks and mushrooms and a breadcrumb and parmesan topping as she's odd vegetarian ;-))  For pudding there's apple and strawberry crumble and cream or salted caramel ice cream.

To welcome in the New Year there will be cocktail sausage rolls, a cheese board and the traditional madeira cake, fruit loaf and shortbread.  David has selected a very lovely bottle of Port to have with the cheese so we can all look forward to gout early in the New Year.  A lovely reminder of the great time we had stuffing our faces over the festive season :-))

On New Year's Day Agnes and Adrian will be heading home after breakfast (Ele and Kenny will be staying) and later in the afternoon we will be joined by Andew, Nikki and Baby Esme, our niece Jennifer and Nikki's mum Avis and dinner will be my festive tomato and orange soup, followed by traditional steak pie, creamy mash potatoes, roasties, carrots, green beans and just to push us completely over the edge....rice pudding or Yule Log for afters.  

That should put us all in the mood for a game of Twister!  :-)))))

But for now, it's the calm before the storm and I am relishing every second of peace :-)