Wet and Woolly

We spotted the deer today, a small herd in the distance but brought into focus thanks to powerful binoculars. It looked like a big family with lots of babies, and maybe a stag. They stood in a patch of sunlight against a row of trees, nibbling the ground and looking up to twitch ears and check on things. Such a happy sight. The weather has run the gamut this weekend from mild, warm and sunny to howling gale and lashing rain, a bit on the chilly side, and on to windy, warm and sunny. We grabbed the opportunity and drove to Sizewell to walk in the sand dunes and skitter along the shingle in the teeth of the retreating but still frisky tide. The sky was slightly overcast when we set out, my first proper walk in over a month, and the sea was the colour of mud. But once the clouds passed by the water turned a bright blue, and with the white foam crashing onto the beach and the dunes and Dunwich Cliffs coastguards cottages in the background it was a beautiful scene. Nothing could top this except a NT cream tea and so we indulged ourselves, lapping up every last crumb and currant.

Yesterday we went to a cat homing fair, not for any particular reason apart from just looking, and were surprised to see that most of the displayed animals were black, the hardest feline to home. Kitty, here for the weekend, was understandably nervous since it was she who came with me to see the puppy that I impulsively bought last year and took home, disastrously. I think she was as relieved as me when I said we should get going. The trouble is I would like a pet, but not enough to commit to getting one. Moving swiftly on.....

We made the Christmas cake when we got home, a joint effort especially when it came to licking spoons and bowls. Why is it that the mixture tastes so much better than you ever imagine the cake will? As usual the Rayburn made me jittery, what with its unreliable thermometer and door that suddenly wouldn't close unless I kicked it. After 5 hours it still wasn't cooked, so I left it in the warm oven overnight, and by morning it seemed to be just fine. I drizzled brandy over the top and wrapped it up tightly to preserve its moisture. Gosh, but it smelled good. Only six weeks to go and we'll find out how good it really is. I can wait for that.