Christmas Eve 2024

Our first full day with Marie was a good one, and not just because I sent her out to enjoy some time outside of the condo, having lunch and hanging out with Van.  No, it was just a nice day all in all.

Marie's been having some back pain, so we didn't do our usual walk (and I am still battling a low grade cold and sleeping in a whole lot).  We did make it down to Amara for breakfast, though, which was nice.  We picked up the pan de jamon for the next day as well.  Not long after we got back, we headed back out to Delight to pick up the Bûche de Noël for Christmas dinner.  I confess, I couldn't resist the special Christmas raspberry-filled croissant.

Those errands done, I set to work in the kitchen and Marie went out to enjoy her day.  I got some cooking done, Conrad and I popped out to see about one or two other things, then I got to organizing the stockings. 

By end of afternoon, the condo was fully ready for the next day, and we headed over to Van's, full of Christmas cheer

and ready to give Olive some loving.

I love when other people do the cooking.  Oh, sure, I made cocktails and did prep work for the dinner, but Van did the real cooking.

 

A simple meal - three items on the plate.  But three good ones.  Lobster tails!  Loaded baked potatoes!  And green beans for a hint of veg. 

We enjoyed cocktails before dinner, wine with dinner, and Marie and I indulged in some limoncello afterward.

The rest of the evening before bed was devoted to a bit of television, watching the documentary on the making and legacy of Wham's Last Christmas. 

I caught a cute video of the three of them singing and clapping along to the song, but I shall keep that to myself rather than post it here.  Olive did not see any doggies on screen to park at, so she stayed mellow the rest of the evening.

To bed with us.  Christmas was almost upon us, and it would be a good day, too!

Marie arrives, and we have sushi

Marie flew home earlier today after a handful of days with us.  In on Monday, out on Friday - a short, focused visit centered on Christmas but one that also allowed us to dine out together in a few favourite places.  That first night of her visit, we got her home from the airport and turned around almost right away to pop over to Mama M Sushi and sit at the bar.  Chef Jack was there, and so we left ourselves in his hands.  A smart idea!

We started with oysters,

then moved on to a crudo,

before tucking in to a plate that had tuna in multiple cuts and styles. 

An assortment of sashimi followed,

then a Chicago roll. 

There as an avocado roll in there, and then Jack finished with a plate of amaebi and uni, the latter of which Marie had never tried before. 

Happily, she liked it muchly!  Jack's wife Joy brought out a little coconut dessert for us. 

We gave them a bottle of wine from Epoch, and they gifted us with some nice sake.

We came home, sipped a bit more wine, and would down an enjoyable first night of Marie's visit.

Boxing Day oysters

Lots to catch up on here on the blog, and I will.  A handful of entries before the end of the year.  But I am lazy this morning, and I want a small break after entertaining family and others for the past several days.

So...

Oysters from yesterday!

See you all soon!

scenes from Christmas breakfast

Happy Christmas, one and all!  It’s coming up on 11AM, and we’re finishing off a breakfast of pan de jamón from Amara and panettone.  All is calm, all is bright.

Photos for you to enjoy.  When I get on the laptop again, I’ll post a little more.  For now, happy holidays!

Christmas Eve shoes

The nice thing about having a red and green tartan is that the colours work for the holiday season.  I bought these shoes years ago.  I can’t remember when.  Tonight I am wearing them for the first time.

Christmas Eve at Van’s, Christmas at the condo.  I’m looking forward to it all.

Merp is here!

The big sister arrived yesterday.  Yay!!!

a wee holiday party

Our busy holiday season of enjoyable social activities continues.  Last night Van hosted a wee party for five of us.  Oh, and Olive.  She certainly was in the mix throughout.

Before we knew Van, he had been married to a man named Doug.  Sadly, Doug died in 2018.  All that Conrad and I know of him are Van's and others' memories and photos.  And now Heath.  Heath is Doug's cousin, perhaps a second cousin.  Van has told us the exact family connection before, but the age difference between Heath and Doug (Doug would have been in his early seventies now, I believe) throws me off.  We met Heath at Thanksgiving when Van invited him to come for dinner, and last night we got the chance to meet Nicole as well.

First off, they are a delightful couple, very good company.  I know them only a little and what strikes me is that they each seem like people who appreciate things - experiences, food and drink, travel, learning, a lot more.  I find that such a terrific quality in people.  Second, they are a connection to Doug, and that's a lovely thing.  I always like when Van shares about Doug and their life together, and I never want him to lose his connection to his late husband.

So we had them over at Van's.  Olive was in her element. 

Not only did she have Conrad at her beck and call,

but she had two more dog lovers to demand attention (and treats) from.  Lucky, happy girl.  Van had purchased light bites and the makings of a particular cocktail, and Conrad and I set to work setting things up. 

I made us all the drinks throughout the night.  There were gifts exchanged,

and Heath and Nicole left with the makings of Last Words at home.

All in all, a very nice night.  Two nights after a fine evening at Mitch and Ted's, we had another opportunity for an intimate gathering.  Conrad and I powered through the dishes and clean up, and this morning, we all got up to find a tidy kitchen and no stress over that!

and the regular start to the weekend continues...

The bar at Maestro last night, a walk and then breakfast at Amara this morning?  Will wonders never cease?  It's a real, regular weekend around these parts.  Wow.

No Van this morning - it's good to let him sleep in some mornings, especially since he's hosting a small gathering this evening.  Just me and this handsome, goofy fellow! 

And lattes. 

And our usual breakfasts. 

Yum!

It's mildly cool and sunny out.  I have a massage appointment to enjoy in an hour.  And we'll get some things done in preparation for next week.  Then a nice evening at Van's!  Hooray!

Happy Saturday!

back in our corner

There's something to be said, isn't there, about that feeling of being back home.  Home, in this case, being Maestro.  And back in our regular corner of the bar at that!

We've either been lying low or going our somewhere these past few weeks.  Even out of town!  As a result, tonight was the first time we'd been there since the drag show night right before US Thanksgiving.  Far too long.

So good to see everyone there.  Rigo poured us cocktails, and we had a bit of a different dinner than usual.  No guacamole, for one thing.  No Mezcal Campfire for me.  We shared the octopus dish

and then a new dish, which was a curious mix of fideo, a sweet meat mixture, a roasted chile, and coconut milk sauce. 

It was tasty and comforting, though.  I will say that.  We opted to have dessert instead of anything else savoury, and so it was the pineapple upside down cake for us.

So good to be back.  We won't see them before Christmas next week, but we will head in with Marie on Boxing Day for dinner, I hope!

songs of the year (11-20)

There's not much to blog midweek here.  I missed dinner in DTLA and a concert at the Disney Hall on Tuesday night because I'm fighting a bug of some sort.  Ah well.  Let's turn instead back to the songs of the year list:

11.  Starlings (Radio Edit) - Shed Seven

12.  Don't Forget Me - Maggie Rogers

13.  Hiding in Plain Sight - Manic Street Preachers

14.  Find New Ways - Dan Mangan

15.  Highest Love (Dirty South Remix) - Sultan + Shepard & LANKS

16.  LUNCH - Billie Eilish

17.  Cowboys Cry Too - Kelsea Ballerini & Noah Kahan

18.  Cutting Thru The Country - Medium Build

19.  Crazy Love (feat. Zoë Johnston) - Above & Beyond

20.  dark days - Moby & Lady Blackbird