It’s terminal

Jenny sent this Poinsettia last Christmas and it went sick at once, shedding all but a few leaves. But miracles did happen and it remained fairly stable until the current very cold spell. It’s very cold overnight in our house.

I had to be up early (the electrician was coming to fix the lights the company broke when taking down the ceilings) to make a savoury broccoli cake to take to Marion’s 80th tomorrow and bake cheese scones to take to book group 1 at Ros’s for lunch. The electrician hadn’t got a high enough step ladder - modern houses have low ceilings - and he didn’t bring a dimmer switch.

Ros has one radiator in her living room but it was freezing. I had taken 3 layers but needed to get in the bath to warm up when I got back. I had asked whether I should take sweet or savoury for the pooled lunch but she said it had always worked before with people taking just anything. So we had the cheese scones, a bowl of tomatoes and 4 kinds of cake plus chocolate biscuits! Marian did a quiz about Christmas which none of us could do. Adrienne and I got 7 out of 20, which was the best. Did you know why mince pies were originally cooked in boat-shaped moulds? We know now!

I’m going to have to catch up with Strictly. Fleur, the one I drew in the sweepstake, got the first 40 at Blackpool yet in the most recent one I watched she was in the dance-off. She doesn’t seem to have a public following which some less good dancers have so she’ll be lucky to make it to the final.