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Advent Calendar: day 2

A little late this one but here we go….

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A hand made felt star Christmas tree decoration (made by my Mum)…..just one of the lovely handmade decorations that have appeared in my advent calendar from my Mum the last few years. This one has a permanent place on the notice board above my desk (which is empty of notices and full of nice things).

Read my post from day 1 to find out how my advent calendar works this year

 

Advent calendar day 1

I quite like advent calendars.

Even as an adult there is something fun in finding out what’s behind the door each day. In recent years it mostly been chocolates and lovely little handmade gifts from my mum. Each year she sends me a little parcel of goodies to put in the refillable calendar. How fab is that. This year though she had been a little too busy to do that.

So instead I’m going to post something each day that she has given me not just in advent calendars but more generally things I know she has passed on to me.

So day 1..

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LISTS

Yes that list making habit comes right from my Mum.

I can picture the book she had where she wrote each year how long Christmas dinner took to cook, what presents we all got (and totting up of their costs to be sure to be fair)….and in summer the list of what we needed for camping trips. It was I think a triplicate receipt book with loose carbon paper in the back. Acquired from I don’t know where and put to another use.

A book of detail yet mystery from the shortening of words she chose to adopt. Her own kind of code.

My own list making ranges far and wide and is less contained in one place. But there are notebooks and lists, many of them.

Hoooge Cauli

I’ve just come back from the local farmers market (Wanstead to be specific).

I got a bit carried away and scooped up large quantities of goodies.

Including this hoooge cauli

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Which handily has a radiator in the background to allow you to assess the scale of its hoooge-ness

For the record I also bought:

12 rashers of smokey bacon

3 types of sausage (4 of each)

2 pork chops

2 pieces of ribeye

2 lamb chops

1 lamb breast

1 lamb neck fillet

1 piece of pork belly

1 fillet smoked haddock

the hoooge cauli

beetroot

kohlrabi

potatoes

rainbow chard

a squash

pippin apples

raspberries

apple and ginger juice

3 quiches

1 slice of poppyseed cake

dozen eggs

ticklemore cheese

berkswell cheese

single gloucester cheese

cumin gouda

Then I staggered home….

 

Formost (brown cheese)

I’ve been meaning to post a picture of this for ages because I love the way the cheese has been moulded into a fancy shape

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I also happen to love brown cheese, this one seemed more savoury that some of the ones I’ve tried.

It came from deepest darkest Norway courtesy of Ms Scandilicious.

Note: for those who’ve never tried in brown cheese aka gjetost is rather an acquired taste been a rather unusual mix of sweetness yet savoury umami. Its made from why left from cheesemaking that is simmered slowly until it crystallises and thickens. i love it, many don’t.