A fine start to the year

First day of the year, began in fine style, with a cup of black smoked Japanese tea in bed. Lorraine has embarked, on our behalf, on a gut health twenty days, where we are going to eat lots of different kinds of plants and so on, to reset our gut biomes. We had oyster mushrooms on sourdough toast. Plus what we are calling 'the seeds' Lorraine's custom mix of: flax, hemp and chia, black sesame, dried goji berries, to a bowl of yoghurt sprinkled with oats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. It all tastes nice and nutty, and certainly, ahem, gets my gut moving.  

A certain amount of light pottering about today, a degree of alphabetising of books and so on, and Lorraine making a walnut and treacle tart -- but happiness pervading our Seaford niche.

Quite a few messages from friends, and I chatted with Mum and Mas and showed them about the house again.

Off in the car, just as it started raining, to drive to Anton's this afternoon for a new year's meal (armed with Lorraine's excellent and still warm tart). Anne's pal Nina there too so there were five of us, despite Anne waiting for Nina upstairs not knowing I had let her in. Anton and Anne had excelled themselves -- a lovely starter with crab and prawns and smoked salmon, and there was also some sirloin beef roasted, which I had some of that too, as well as roast poussin and excellent roasties and other veggies, and Anne told us that the recipe for Yorkshire puddings was from her grandmother who had got it from her grandmother. Lovely afternoon hanging out and chatting, and having the last big blow out for a while. Much cheery chat, in which I learned that Oskar has a girlfriend. I also learned that I had forgotten Anton had once owned some fish about 33 years ago in one of his crazes. Their mass deaths were my fault apparently, another detail I wasn't able to remember.

Lorraine had parked in the Station car park, and so we had the familiar feeling of rolling down the hill feeling extremely well fed. A sign outside the Batty saying 'publican wanted' which was faintly alarming.

Home to sip lots of water on the gold sofa while watching a bit of telly. Tomorrow is a new day.

I am resolved to take more photos and hopefully will be able to do this blog more regularly this year.

So, Below, a few slightly random things: delicious mushrooms frying in a small amount of butter and olive oil; Anton slicing beef; and the Christmas cactus which is thriving in our porch. I have never had a porch before.