Cheers Ady!

Those are hard to find around here unless you go online, which I don't do for things like that. I tried making my own once. I didn't do it twice. See also, candied peel.

I've been looking at this little stash of Christmas treats and wondering which ones I can make flavoured gin with, and how.

it out again? No, I'll do it again before then. It could do with less fruit too I think, about 70% of the recipe's amount. Good idea soaking it in booze though. I buy brandy once in a blue moon and usually for making cherry brandy, so I used bourbon instead. Didn't have any glacé cherries either.

The classic non-Christmas Christmas song. A damn fine musical #DFCOC
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkJ...

I think I see your method here. Mine, which I learned only a week or two ago, involves a mandolin. Don't know if it would work on something as hard as a swede.

Nope, no idea, so I looked up "crinkle cutter for chips". Is this it?

Not sure what you mean by crinkle cutter so what I'm tempted to suggest might be redundant.

It must be an American thing because I just heard it again a piece called 'Serenade of Carols' by Morton Gould.

Any *reputable* doctor.

At Christmas and when you're on holiday all bets are off. Normal rules don't apply. See also: food.

There's one surefire cure for any earworm.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU2y...

Bill and his guitar is Bill at his best. Classic.

I have no idea how long it'll be before they open.

It's wall to wall Christmas music on the local classical music station now, which I don't mind because I like it and because it displaces all the Mozart, Haydn and the damn baroque music they seem obsessed with.

Haven't had one of these for ages.

another one, same ecard company, from someone whose name I don't recognise but whose surname is the same as the woman in the couple. They don't know who the other person is either. Very odd.

The flowers on the tall bugger out on the balcony are coming along. I've never grown one of these before so

Today's musical #DFCOC is bittersweet* in the circumstances. One of the five or six good Christmas pop songs in my opinion.

*I don't for bitter or sweet coffee. Freshly brewed, black, no sugar for me, TVM.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSjq...

Oh that does make me sad. A fine songwriter, wonderful voice, and a genuinely decent Christmas song. I believe he'd had health problems for many years. He was in a film often described as the worst film ever, which I've seen and rather liked. I can't remember the title.

Ah. It's something that, occasionally, I tell myself I'm going to have a bash at (I love eggs Benedict), right up until I remind myself of how it's made. Then I change my mind and I don't.