[WeavingGryphon]

Ah, the carcass bones! When OH finished making his Guinea fowl stock on Sunday he left the bones in a tray to be thrown on the fire later on except they weren't. Yesterday morning I came downstairs into the kitchen to make a brew and found several bones on the floor and knew exactly who the culprit was. That stray tom cat we call Jess has been at it again and it's not as if he doesn't get enough feeding from us!

I make stock from the bones and add to really thick gravy or sauces and soup with the scraggly carcass pickings -your crunchy carcass bits Growster. Especially if I can get them wedged down enough so I can pack in the bones so the stock's really thick, concentrated and gels.

[Growster...]

"It was UPSIDE DOWN and she couldn't tell! How can you not tell what way up a bird is?"

I think there's another sort of book for that, Weavers...

;0)

[Plot 1 Problems]

[Yorkie]

... the Yorkshires which are still in the freezer 

After many years of always forgetting the Aunt Bessies in the freezer, we didn't even consider them this year!

As a family we've had beef at Christmas for years, and on Boxing Day we always make Delia's special cottage pie … absolutely scrumptious and I've brought a couple of portions back with me from Mum's 

[WeavingGryphon]

... the Yorkshires which are still in the freezer 

After many years of always forgetting the Aunt Bessies in the freezer, we didn't even consider them this year!

As a family we've had beef at Christmas for years, and on Boxing Day we always make Delia's special cottage pie … absolutely scrumptious and I've brought a couple of portions back with me from Mum's 

Beef was the traditional meal everyone who could afford it ate until a Christmas Carol and Dickens talking about them having goose. It was such a popular novel that people copied what they were having until it became traditional.

[Growster...]

Many years ago, I worked for a great firm who gave everyone on the staff a turkey and a joint of pork. There was also a bottle of Scotch included.

As nobody in the family really liked turkey that much (a senior journalist on a national rag once compared it with 'a boiled mattress'), I asked if we could have the equivalent in beef...

The result was a joint about 18" long of best sirloin, and even after cutting in half (for Easter), it was just a fabulous present, and lasted the five of us for ages! The pork joint was just as good as well!

Mrs Growster bought me a small joint for Christmas, (she's off beef at the moment) and it came to just over a fiver, and will last me roughly the same time as the huge one all those years ago..:0) But a Waitrose ready packed and herbed chicken at £4.00 was just too good to miss! (They were even £3 earlier in the year, but that didn't stay long enough in the freezer I can assure you)!

[snowdrops]

Having almost always worked for the government in either social services,education or latterly the NHS I’ve never received a Christmas bonus apart from once a few years ago I received a card with £5 in from the GP’s at the surgery I was attached to, I think this was to make amends for not being allowed to attend their Christmas festivities that my colleagues were invited too! I was tempted to send it back but I am from Yorkshire 

[mrs bouquet]

Decorations all down, but not boxed away yet.    Cards torn in half, backs recycled, fronts had to go in general waste in our area.  Keep spotting the odd bit of glitter.  This year I will only send cards with no foil, no glitter and then they can be completely recycled.   Mrs Bouquet