Droushia/Drouseia Dits: Christmas Day...

Sometimes when you aren't expecting too much from a day it just turns out to be a really good one - but then if you aren't expecting much you really can't be disappointed!!! So although we didn't have anything much planned and don't really 'do' presents we had what turned out to be a really lovely Christmas Day. Made even better by the wonders of technology - Facebook, Email and Skype bringing us all, friends and family, closer together.

It was not going to be a nice warm sunny day here in Droushia but then we didn't really expect it to be and to be honest sitting round the fire is much more cosy! So we got up early in our jimjams and had our Christmas cooked breakfast - our one weakness!!! Even Mum joined in with some lounza on toast. How lovely to be able to offer my own bread and my own marmalade.

Dad was going to shoot down to Emba to check on the cat so we had decided that presents would wait until he returned - except for Minnie Mou and Chivers of course who were allowed to have the gifts that Laura had sent previously. The rat on a stick was a huge success and was destroyed pretty quickly - we kept finding bits of fluff all over the place - particularly hanging out of Chivers mouth!!

It was only a matter of time before they were exhausted by all their running around and took to their beds - it's a hard life being a very very spoiled moggie I can tell you!!! They had a day of all sorts of treats and will be shitting through the eye of a needle tomorrow after all the goodies they got through during the course of the day.

John went down to Emba with Dad whilst Mum and I got ready for the remainder of the day. On their return they were very pleased to inform us that it was a balmy 18 degrees down there and that they had sat outside having coffee - having checked the temperature on the way back it was a chilly 8 degrees here in Droushia!!

Once we were all square we sat down to open presents - as I said we don't really 'do' presents but somehow we seemed to have accumulated quite a pile!!

Slippers were the order of the day with John, Mum and I all receiving new pairs - Dad got some replacement Logitech speakers as his original ones refuse to recharge the batteries and Mum got a new slow-cooker, John and I had got money previously for the outside barbeque and the in-car coolbox but we still had gifts to open and John had a very welcome sacktruck and I got the outdoor clock I had been looking for (thanks to Ray for locating it and Kaye for bringing it over from the UK). There were all sorts of other goodies including a really lovely cheese set from John's mum and Hadge which we know cost them a fortune to post - it is not that we are ungrateful - far from it - but we would rather they spent that sort of money on the grandchildren rather than line the pockets of the Royal Mail. And talking of John's family we are delighted that Hadge was able to spend Christmas at home after his leg reconstruction surgery which took place earlier last week. Fingers crossed he will continue to make good progress - and as Mick said when carving the turkey he would be able to ask 'Who wants a Leg?' without fear of causing offence or embarrassment!

Our long and drawn out (in the nicest possible sense) Christmas meal was due to start at about 2.00pm with the starter. Prior to that we went down to Christos's taverna to celebrate Christos's name day and to wish the family a happy Christmas.

We were made to feel so very welcome with a roaring fire in the taverna and plates of sweets and cakes and grapes brought for us. We could have stayed all day and were invited to return in the evening but we really couldn't do that this year but maybe we will do it another time. John and I are hoping to start up some sort of Crib club and play at the taverna on a regular basis - that way we will get to see Alkisti and her family and bring them in some revenue.

Our starter had been prepared by John in advance and was made from chicken livers, bacon and onion in a cream and brandy sauce which he served with little pittas double toasted so that they were like melba toast. It was absolutely scrummy and to be honest if that was all I had had, it would have been deemed a success.

We had a real old Doc Marten-fest whilst waiting for our main meal to cook. I thought I had it all so organised but hadn't bargained on the silicon mat I had placed on the bottom of the oven melting and filling the room with acrid smoke. Fortunately it didn't affect the turkey but it made one hell of a mess of my oven and the less said about my attempt at Yorkshire puddings the better - Aunt Bessie's it is the next time - I really think that with so much in the oven the fat didn't have a hope in hell of getting hot. I did manage to provide turkey and stuffing (courtesy of the butcher and Mum), bread sauce, pigs in blankets, peas, carrots, parsnips, roast potatoes, leeks and cabbage, red cabbage and the dreaded brussels sprouts all done in a carcinogenic smoke - Heston would have been proud!

Our lunch was running late so we didn't get round to our neighbours at 5.00pm as planned - it was more like 6.00pm when we rocked up. We were greeted by Galadia and her family with the house bouncing from the wood burner they have which was absolutely fantastic. Once again we were treated to copious amounts of really nice wine, cake and pudding and cake and more pudding and more cake and and and...

We felt awful when we had to drag ourselves away but we still had our pudding to eat (we didn't bother in the end!!) and we didn't get round to our cheese and biscuits until nearly 10.00pm!!

Mum was chuffed to bits that Minnie Mou decided that she was worth having a cuddle with - cuddles with Minnie are on her terms only!!!

And she looks like Dad is reading her the riot act but he is only making sure that she isn't roasting her 'foof' because she does like being as close to the fire as possible!!!

I would like to say that we all enjoyed several games of crib but enjoyed isn't the word when you get John or Dad doing their usual winge winge winge - 'I haven't had a decent hand, what does a dozen look like, I need a turn up' blah blah blah!!!