Let's see, now...

[strange_complex]

Some random recent things:

1. Yesterday, a man came round and raked all the leaves off my lawn! I'd been meaning to do it myself, but I'm glad I didn't now. He's the gardener for the communal parts of our flats, and has no obligation to do anything with my patch at all. But I ain't going to be the one who goes out and explains to him where the communal parts end and my own garden begins.

2. Yesterday evening was Cat WINOLJ's birthday, and what a lovely time we had. Luscious cocktails in Raoul's, followed by dinner in a place called Big Bang. Not, as Hitch-Hikers fans might assume, a burger bar, but a place which specialised in sausages and mash. I had two deliciously rich venison sausages on a garlic and rosemary mash and swimming in a gorgeous red wine 'jus'¹, followed by Jam Roly-Poly - yay! Definitely a good choice of venue, to which I hope to return in future to explore some of their other options.

3. Book stuff seems to be happening at the moment. I've got lots of other bitty tasks to do, so I'm setting a pattern of working solidly on the book in the morning, and sorting out other stuff in the afternoon, with a return to the book later on if I'm not going out in the evening. Progress is being made this way on all fronts, and it feels good. It is also amazing how much time there turns out to be in a week when you're not spending 10 hours of it commuting.

4. I've now posted my letter of complaint to the manager at Dukes Hotel. Sorry it took a few days, chaps - my printer is being rubbish again, so I had to get a friend-of-a-friend to do it. But it's on its way.

5. I'm starting to feel reasonably Christmassy, but I'm not cracking out the Xmas music until I do my cards - probably tonight and / or tomorrow. Big thanks to those people who have sent cards to me already!

6. That's probably enough for now.
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1. Since when was a perfectly good word like 'sauce' universally ousted by the word 'jus'? That's what I want to know.

Comments

Re: Comment

[megamole.livejournal.com]

About the same time that "now" was replaced by "at this time" and "Christmas" by "holidays"?

Re: Comment

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Ah, well I'm good with the second of those, as you know. But yes - 'at this time' is damned annoying.

[stompyboots.livejournal.com]

Nothing of any import to add, just wanted to say 'greetings', and 'you're in my thoughts'.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Aw, what a lovely thing to say though! You were sorely missed last night, and we're all looking forward to have you back amongst us again.

[stompyboots.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to it too - four and half weeks till I'm back in the UK, and about six till I'm in Oxford.

[purple-peril.livejournal.com]

>Since when was a perfectly good word like 'sauce' universally ousted by the word 'jus'?

Or gravy. What happened to good old gravy?

[megamole.livejournal.com]

mmmgravy.

Would you cook me some? Proper, wif the meat juices drizzled into it and all...

*drool*

[souldier-blue.livejournal.com]

jus is a specific type of gravy :-)

[ditzy-pole.livejournal.com]

I'm feeling all Christmassy already too! I'm actually looking forward to going home - annually I decorate my parents tree and once that's done then to me it really is Christmas.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Oh, lordy, yes! Actually, we're not allowed to decorate the tree in our house until Christmas Eve. So it pretty much literally is Chistmas by the time we've finished!

[ditzy-pole.livejournal.com]

Oh we need our tree prior to the meal as we get to open our presents on Christmas Eve and it would be a shame to spoil the magic of Santa for my lil' cousins.

We are very traditional over at our house - that includes everything; the meal, the food dishes (none of that turkey over at ours), the table set-up and any activaties that occur in the evening. The more I think about the more I cannot wait!

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

The more I think about the more I cannot wait!

That's the spirit!

But getting to open presents on Christmas Eve? No fair! We have to wait until Christmas afternoon! :(

[stompyboots.livejournal.com]

So do we! But that just shows that we have more to look forward to.

[ditzy-pole.livejournal.com]

I don't think I'd be able to sleep the night if I had to convert now and wait that extra day...

[stompyboots.livejournal.com]

That's because you weren't tortured into submission over the course of your childhood.

[ditzy-pole.livejournal.com]

If it's any consolation when I was little we'd be forced to go to the midnight service at freezing Church in the snow as penance for opening our presents early :oP Well that's what it felt like.

[ditzy-pole.livejournal.com]

Bless :o)

You could always hint to your parents how you'd like a traditional Polish Christmas this year... But you'd only be allowed 12 dishes on Christmas Eve and no meat.

Usually after the main meal before the desserts we open our pressies! It's so frustrating sitting there as they are all lying underneath that tree, taunting you mercilessly...

[mr-tom.livejournal.com]

when was a perfectly good word like 'sauce' universally ousted by the word 'jus'?

To make it perfectly clear that Bisto wasn't involved in its construction, of course! :-)

And because although all jus are sauces, not all sauces are jus.

(I made a madeira jus and a mulled port reduction today. They were very different. The latter went with ice-cream.)

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Mulled port reduction? Wow. Methinks sneerpout is a very lucky woman.

[davesangel.livejournal.com]

Since when was a perfectly good word like 'sauce' universally ousted by the word 'jus'? That's what I want to know.

Thankfully, there are still a few restaurants which feature the word 'sauce' (although 'jus' features on the menu of these establishments too). In a restaurant like Scalini's, I think they use 'jus' to describe something light and 'watery', whilst 'sauce' is pretty much the opposite.

Also, completely off-topic but thought I'd mention it: there was a series on BBC2 last year about different celebs tracing their family trees. The second series, which will be part of the winter schedule (I think) will feature Stephen Fry. You probably know all this anyway but I read it in the paper this morning and thought you might be interested :)

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes - the news has already been raging through all the Fry-related comms like wildfire! I shall be looking forward to it very much. :)