Christmas Eve, 2015.

I spent the entire day baking and preparing food; two different types of bread; two batches of mince pies (thanks to Thud for the new mince pie tin); and a massive amount of 'Puppy Chow' (aka Chex Muddy Buddies).
I had so much fun as I mixed and stirred, whilst listening to, and singing along with, my favourite Christmas carols ('Once in Royal David's City' being my all time fave).
A happy Christmas Eve to everyone.

Buckfast Abbey.

In honour of what would have been my maternal grandparent's 85th wedding anniversary, I thought I'd cast my minds eye back to a place we all visited together on family holidays.
My Devonian auntie Dot lived in Totnes, a wonderful Elizabethan town on the River Dart, and each summer we would all pile into our Ford Consul and head south-west. It was a long journey. To the tiny Vinogirl, Totnes was the best place in my little universe and I couldn't wait to get back there every summer, (the family sometimes managed it twice)...and back to Bonzo the dog, as my canine love affair had started early.
The Tonic Wine that the wonderful monks at Buckfast are famous for is not for everyone. I'm sitting here drinking a fab Mi Sueño Syrah right now, which in contrast to that dark, viscous elixir, the thought of which sends shivers down my spine, is fruit forward, spicy and easy to drink. But, monks, an abbey, a tonic wine, how fabulous that such a throwback exists in this day and age.
That's it, I'm off to listen to my 'Carols from Buckfast' CD, a tonic for the soul this Yuletide.