Another time................

Dec 11
         25 today. Wet day, also cold. Get a lot of cards. Write to J. Auntie gives me a Parker pen.
Dec 13
         Up 6-40. Thick fog all day long. Baby gives me my present - kitchen spoon, tin-opener, potato peeler and grater. Very pleased. Go to see 'Xmas Holiday'. Lousy.
Dec 14
         Still no mail. Play cards with Mum and Dad, lose 1/-
Dec 16
          Go on my bike, rattles all the way. Buy a duck for P.
Dec 17
          Dad wins big turkey. Buy cigs for Xmas presents. Everyone narky all day. Write 2 A/Ms to J, also send off gloves.*
Dec 18
         Up 7 o/c, work til 6-30. Sew stockings. Letter from J.
Dec 19
         Late. Go on my bike, take it to shop to be mended, also my shoes. Go to pics to see 'Thanks for the Memory' also 'Till We Meet Again' V.G.
Dec 21
        Get my bike, 4/-. Inpromtue concert in canteen - very good.
Dec 22
        Go to work on my bike. Everyone gets tight, not me, tho. Fine concert in canteen, also dinner. Get my cards told, Auntie not well.
Dec 23
        Take family tea + toast. Go to town, buy nothing. Have my hair set. Get 10/- off P. Give her lipstick, rouge powder + fags. Good music-hall.
Dec 24
        Go to little party at J's. Allies did not turn up. Go to midnight Mass - heaven.
Dec 25
        Got home 1-45. Have spare-ribs, also got Xmas stocking from Mum. Go to bed 3 o/c, up 10 o/c. Get two letters from J.** Pad thrilled with her pillowcase. Turkey was a beaut. Have a grand time, nuts, sweets, choc apples, grape-fruit etc. Play nap*** after dinner, lose 1/5 1/2d Go to bed 12-10. Am tired and how.
Dec 26
       Go to Rialto dance with Ginger. Play cards, go for a drink with P. and J.
Dec 28
       Heavy fog all day. Got home 8o/c after getting lost several times
Dec 31
       Fall off tram and bang my back. Feel faint and sick. Terrible cold day, go to bed 8o/c. Wonder where we will all be next year. God knows.
Jan 1
       Wake up 5 o/c, my back very painful. Go to see 'Love Story' very nice. Mum still worrying over Pop.
Jan 2
       Late. Terrible trouble over staying off. Think they will prosecute us. Get a surface letter from J also some snaps.
Jan 3
   No mail, play cards, win 2/3 1/2d nice going. Start reading 'Fanny by Gaslight'.
Jan 7
   Terrible day, snow, wind and rain. Go to bed early, terrible head all day.
Jan 8
   Terrible cold, pains in my head driving me mad. Shortage of potatoes.
Jan 12
   Got terrible cold, sneezing and blowing all day.
Jan 16
   Go to town with Mum, buy socks. Start gloves for S. Take 2 big tablets.
Warsaw free.


* Knitted by the diarist!
** Post on Christmas Day!
*** Popular card game

Essential seasonal extras.....

I know everyone is busy at this time of the year, so no apologies for brevity ....... blogging just gets shunted down the list of things to do.
These are some of the things higher up the list......
1. Christmas puddings. Do you know how many recipes for a festive pudding there are out there? Me neither, but having read a fair few my conclusion is that there is no formula. There is no apparent ratio of fruit to flour to sugar to fat to liquid - it seems a random pick-and-mix. Stout or green ginger wine? currants or apricots? butter or suet?
These are mine and they tasted good last year and I am hoping they will be good this year.

There is also a pot of scrummy brandy butter in the picture - an essential extra!

2. The Cake. It takes practise, lots of practise, to perfect a fruit cake that does not have shelf-life on its list of ingredients. Find a friend who likes eating fruit cake and if they can be objective about it, all the better.
You could become walking buddies.

3. Chocolate. Make time, make your own. It's fun!

This list is longer and I will add more, but now I must rub in some pastry.