Christmas gifts that keep on giving - and Happy New Year 2010!

I got some lovely presents for Christmas - silver jewellery from hubby, DVDs of the Irish TV series Pure Mule which is a parable of the Celtic Tiger and it's demise - Monty Python's live stage show and Michael (ex-Python) Palin's Pole to Pole from sons, and some nice baking and cookery things - Neven Maguire's new book Home Chef, and a nice pastry template cutter and a brownies book with storage tin and silver boxes from oldest son and girlfriend and some nice toiletries from teen daughter. I like the thought that went into the presents and that matters more than any monetary value - I will get lots of use from the cookery books and I have alread tried one of the cake recipes (Lime and Coconut Meringue Pie) and used the pie template cutter for our New Year's party.

I am wearing the jewellery over the Christmas holiday period as I am off work for a whole week and a half; I have the DVDs to look forward to - I can't see Pure Mule as something the whole family will enjoy as it has probably more girlie appeal, whereas Monty Python suits the boys' humour and Pole to Pole will be something hubby will enjoy too, as we met Michael Palin in Lismore when he was the main speaker at Immrama 2005. Also Pole to Pole has a lot of nostalgia value for us as he goes through Tanzania to Kigoma and on the Liemba ferry to Zambia - we lived near Kigoma for years in Mishamo refugee settlement and spent a lot of time in Kigoma and we too went to Ujiji - famed for the "Dr. Livingstone, I presume" encounter between Stanley and Livingstone.

So, despite the recession, we had a lovely Christmas, culminating in a nice low-key New Year's Eve party last night. We had a gathering of friends and with all the family together (except my mother who is in long-stay care for a number of years and sadly has dementia) it was a lovely evening, with nice home-cooked food and desserts, and good company. We went to a lovely wedding of the daughter of old friends the day before New Year's Eve, and enjoyed the reception in the Park Hotel in Dungarvan, where we had a delicious meal and danced off the calories to Dale Haze and the Champions - who (along with Gina) were stalwarts of the showband era and my dancehall days back in the 70s!

What more could we want? We have a lot to be thankful for in so many ways - we have good health, our first grandchild due in February and live in peace and comfort, compared to so many in the world living in conflict and poverty. We never put huge store by material wealth and try to live within our means (which might prove challenging with the imminent pay cuts in 2010!) and as we were happiest in our "good life" days in Africa and Asia when we really did have a simple life, we are liable to be philosophical about the excesses of life in Ireland in recent years. It reached the point of vulgarity and tacky conspicuous consumption at the height of the Celtic Tiger, and that unsustainable bubble had to burst at some point.

I'll stop now before descending to mawkish reminiscence and say Happy New Year to you all out there in the blogosphere and here's hoping that the downturn will be reversed before the first year of this new decade is over.

The photos show us at the New Year's Eve party, some of the Christmas presents and resulting tarts (Apple with Blueberries, apple with cloves) and the cookery books. and my starter at the wedding - chicken and mushroom vol au vents - yummy!

New Year Reflections

One of the nice things about a new year is the new beginning that it inspires - all kinds of good intentions that generally don't amount to a hill of beans by the end of January, but give a sense of purpose to this dreary time of year - at least in this part of the world.

This year in particular is faced with some trepidation by everyone I know, what with all the economic doom and gloom. Global conflicts are in mounting turmoil, with the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the recently stepped-up and relentless onslaught on Gaza - we can only hope that the imminent Obama presidency will restore some peace, balance and reason to the international stage.

Here in Lismore we welcomed in 2009 with a recession party at home with our family and friends, and even in these lean times we had some bubbly to toast the new year. We heard the church bells ringing at St. Carthage's Cathedral at midnight, and someone said there was an extra second added on to allow for the varying length of the year - not that I noticed! The party went on well into the New Year and it was very enjoyable.

We had a fine feast of easy-to-prepare-in-advance food reflecting our past lives in tropical climes - curries (beef, chicken and vegetable, to cater for all tastes), with rice and dal and chappatis, the most versatile street food of all for dipping and wrapping, and appropriately frugal and guilt free! Jany, Shayne's girlfriend, made delicious Dutch tomato soup with meatballs, which was a meal in itself and not at all reminiscent of a soup kitchen! Desserts are my forté and we had a good selection - apple tart, lemon meringue pie, banoffee pie and fresh fruit salad with whipped cream on the side for everything!

(You can see some of the end results on the photo, behind Jan and me.)

Everything went down a treat, and we had the leftover food on New Year's day, which was spent tidying up the post-party debris, and relaxing in between dishwasher loads.

Inkeeping with the spirit of change, we moved some furniture around today, for a new look to our living spaces, and might make more minor upheavals tomorrow - where will it all end?

May you all have an optimistically Happy New Year and a recession-proof 2009!

(There's a link below to a Facebook group I made, Cakes, Bakes and Tasty Treats - self-explanatory, it does exactly what it says on the tin! Have a look and enjoy the recipes - all tried and tested by willing guinea pigs!)

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=98291115374&ref=mf