A Very Merry Christmas

Out on my morning jog I saw that someone had decorated their outdoor tree in their front garden. This always brings a smile to my face; I love the idea that people are sharing the gift of love and light. 

 

When I return from outdoor activities, I am always welcomed home by these little faces at the window. So cute! When I am trying to do a jigsaw puzzle, however, they still want all the attention. The fact that the current puzzle features a couple of kittens somehow makes it even worse in their opinion - why would I want to bother with those kittens when mine are right here? 

Him Outdoors has a birthday at this time of year; I know it's unfortunate, but it's not his fault. We met friends at the local pub to drink beer. We were not necessarily reserved as indicated in the picture. 

I made cake too! It was a toffee apple cake for Him Outdoors' birthday, and it was actually pretty good - despite the way it looks.

We are working our way through the ginvent calendar and decided that Christmas Eve was the perfect time to drink the coloured gin from Newy Distillery. We had a green and a turquoise gin that sparkle when shaken, like a snow globe. The surprise was that they were really tasty and not just a gimmick.

I also made these lamb and Greek salad burgers, of which I was rather proud.

On Christmas Day, Him Outdoors and I walked up Mt Painter. It was a glorious morning and a great start to the day.

In the evening we went round to Original Gravity's place to sample and share their 'gin bar'.

Then on Boxing Day I went for a walk to Square Rock with Design Diva. It was a pleasant walk, approximately five kilometres each way with absolutely stunning views from the top.

This device at the end (and beginning) of the walk is doubtless some sanitation device, but neither Design Diva nor I were game to stick our feet into it. 

We celebrated the festive season with the deicious fruity goodness of the Kriek de Ranke: lots of depth: cherries, leather, tart, and very tasty.

Gearing Up or Winding Down?

And so we begin our 'gin-vent' calendar, as we count down the days to Christmas.

 

Brunch with a friend in Kingston, involved a 'healthy bowl' with a side of bacon, of course. 

The kittens are busy as ever - all this pre-Christmas action is exhausting, as you can see. 

Him Outdoors had Sourfest for his birthday drinks - the sun shone on us and we had a pleasant evening in the garden drinking delicious beverages.

One of the costumes from The Penelopiad was made from a pair of old curtains - the colours are ghastly 70s style, and no one really wanted to keep them afterwards. The kittens seem to approve, however.

Penelope also decided she'd have a go on the cushions we used for the play as well - it's good to see the costumes and props continuing their usefulness.

The weather has been changeable to say the least, and a great wind swept through the garden, splintering trees and causing branches to fall. 

As we see, this was a traumatic time for the kittens again.

Our weekend walk took us to Yerabi Pond, where we encountered this interesting image. 

 

Graffito around Yerabi Pond

More of the same

I may have mentioned before that Melantho always examines any box that arrives in the house. This is one of the most recent (wine) deliveries, which she feels the need to approve.

I have now registered my street library, which I find very exciting and I keep checking in each day to see what has been borrowed and what has been left behind - there are changes every day! I also have been checking out the libraries near me, which can be found on the map. This one is Cook Books.

The fabulous JoJo had a birthday and I spent a lovely evening with her and her family, chatting and laughing and enjoying each other's company. Here she is with her thimble of bubbles.

JoJo in her element

The following photo is from the top of Mt Painter where I walked at the weekend. Shortly after this I had an encounter with my first brown snake of the season. It was a shock but altogether fine. The snake was a juvenile (about half a metre long) and I missed it by inches. The secenery is beautiful though, so I played with creating an image out of the filters on Prisma.

On Sunday I went for a walk around Lake Ginninderra with The Luminosity, and then we rewarded ourselves with coffee and brunch at 54 Benjamin. The weekend is done well, you see.

The Luminosity enjoying her granola

Celebrations

Yes, I am working my way through the pile of bedside books, and no, it doesn't look like it because I keep adding more. 

Bedside books at the beginning of December

I work for The Smith Family who are celebrating their centenary next year. There is an entire year of activities planned as the organisation recognises their team members, partners, volunteers, and, of course, the families they have supported over the years. And, as we know, nothing says celebrations like cake. 

 

Of course, the other thing that says celebration is champagne. We had booked a champagne dinner with The Lovely Bonkers around the time of my birthday but it was postponed, what with one thing and another. Fortunately it was rescheduled for around the time of Mrs Lovely Bonkers' birthday, so we still had an anniversary to celebrate.

Run by the company Emperor, and delivered by Kyla Kirkpatrick (The Champagne Dame), the event was held at QT in Canberra in a room on the 14th floor, affording some great aerial views of the city. 

 

The dinner was presented as a 'flight', which is when all the wine is from the same provider. In this case it was from the house of Louis Roederer, one of the remaining independently-owned champagne houses. The champagne was matched with food and anecdotes, but it was definitely all about the bubbles.

We began with Sydney rock oysters, smoked salmon rosti and zucchini flowers, all matched with Blanc de Blancs 2014, a pure, taut, fine and bright wine. The blurb indicates that there are delicate hints of honeysuckle and jasmine, followed by iodised, sea-breeze aromas, combined with the warm, sweet notes of freshly-baked pastries. For once I agree with the tasting notes, and I definitely picked up the floral, honey zest followed by a saline character and a fresh limestone finish. 

Our next course was 'alternating' king prawns and Vanella Burrata (a fresh, Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and fresh cream). When 'alternating' is used on a menu, it means that people sitting next to each other get served different dishes. While this can lead to experimentation and sharing, it can also lead to arguments and plate envy. We are adults; guess which one we did?

The accompanying champagne was Collection 242. This is the first time that Louis Roederer (and potentially any champagne house) is phasing out their iconic Brut Premier, to lead with their new Collection Series instead. The reasoning is that, with climate change affecting the ripeness of the grapes, it is difficult to reproduce the same wine each season, so why try? The new method will be a blend of 56% base wine (the 242 is from the 2017 vintage), 34% perpetuelle reserve wines (from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016) and 10% Roederer reserve wine (from young vines planted on chalky soil, used to make the Cristal - more of which later) aged in oak. It's called 242 because it's the 242nd blend of the house since its establishment in 1776. 

It is very fine with vivid, fresh fruit aromas and a defined minerality combined with white florals, citrus zest and a distinct chalkiness. It is Chardonnay-dominant in profile (as are all my favourites) displaying characteristics of ripe lemon, Williams pear and red apple, with a toasty backdrop and hints of peppery spice from the oak. It's delicious and (at $93 a bottle), the cheapest wine of the night.

Vanella Burrata

King Prawns

Our main course was free-range pork with apple 'alternating' with grass-fed sirloin. I preferred the pork, but then I don't get the antipodean adoration of steak. The accompanying wine for this course was the Vintage 2014 - nothing too different, but a sensational champagne with all the fruit and toasty complexity that makes this stuff so special.

Free-range pork with apple

Grass-fed sirloin

And so to the main event: the Cristal. Beloved of rappers and a symbol of decadence, this stuff is $400+ per bottle and has a sublime reputation. The story goes that it was first made for Tsar Alexander II who requested a wine at "the absolute pinnacle of quality" in 1876. Done. 

Because he was paranoid about being poisoned, he asked for the bottle to be clear (leaded crystal was originally used). Done. However, to prevent the UV light penetration from adversely affecting the wine (the reason bottles are usually dark green) it is wrapped in Lucozade-like cellophane, which, although it is meant to signify gold, rather lessens the impression. 

Tsar Alexander II also requested that the punt (the deep indent at the base of the bottle, which is there to provide the extra strength in accordance with the pressure built up through secondary fermentation) be replaced with a flat bottom to prevent bombs from being hidden it. Done. The reinforced glass necessary to withstand the pressure makes the bottle particularly heavy.

Incidentally, he could be excused this paranoia as half of the previous Tsars had been assassinated. Indeed, despite all his caution, he was himself blown up in 1881 after six previous assassination attempts. 

The champagne is delightful. It is made from the fruit of selected vines (which must be at least 25 years old) and cellar-aged for six months before dégorgement. Its palate is bold and powerful packed with stone fruit (nectarine and yellow plums), with candied orange and hazelnut. The elegant chalky notes and finely textured tannins add complexity and the finish is subtly saline. Would I pay for that again? Probably not. Did I thoroughly enjoy it at the time? You bet!

Him Outdoors with about $50-worth of Cristal

The other antipodean obsession I don't get is pavlova. I know Aussies and Kiwis like to fight over who invented it, but it's just meringue, isn't it? The Christmas pudding, however, was delicious with more than a hint of ginger in the spice mix set off perfectly with the sour cherries. 

I suppose these are festive desserts from either side of the world, but they both matched wonderfully with the Vintage Rosé 2014. The light pink colour suggests a party, which continues through the wild berry and spicy zest aromas, to the fresh pink grapefruit and blood orange flavours. The finish is smooth and full of character. 

The Cellar Master, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, describes it thus: "A characteristic Roederer rosé: the concentration, fruitiness, and compactness of the Cumières Pinot Noir grapes are transcended by the elegance, purity, and freshness of the finest Chardonnay grapes cultivated on the Côte des Blancs." But then, he would say that, wouldn't he?

My dessert is looking at me!

Christmas Pudding with sour cherries

For my birthday, I requested a street library. So Him Outdoors has assembled me one and painted it in Liverpool FC colours, poured a concrete foundation and mounted it on a pole. Today I got to put some books in and open it for business. The whole thing is terribly exciting, or exhausting, depending on your viewpoint.