Lasagne

We are not good for a series of heavy meals, one after the other, these days, which meant that Christmas Day itself saw us in vegetarian mode, with a lasagne made out of vegetarian mince. Which worked rather well: the combination of the food scientists and BH's cooking resulted in something very palatable to veggies and others alike.

Not in teetotal mode, as we took something white, visible behind the lasagne. Probably one of the whites which came with the mixed bag noticed at reference 1: it was a festive occasion after all.

Dessert being a mincemeat and apple tart, taken with a choice of hot or cold custard. I took a small amount of hot.

After which some of the party retired to the extension to hear His Royal Highness address the nation. I learned that FIL was accustomed to stand to attention on these occasions, but I do not recall ever witnessing such a thing. In any event, I retired to the kitchen to make a start on the washing up, donning the blue marigolds for the purpose.

As with the nuclear weapons of reference 2, I remain a republican, but am drifting towards agnosticism. I have lost the certainty and aggression of youth. One still thinks that one ought to be able to better than than a bunch of royals at the titular top of the heap, but one is no longer sure that one can - and the process of getting there is going to be messy and expensive. All very well for the Irish, who started with a relatively clean sheet in constitutional matters.

PS 1: on closer inspection, the bottle visible behind the carrots turns out to be a green plastic water bottle, bottles which presently serve as water jugs on all but very state occasions. And the wine, possibly not from the mixed bag at all, rather the last of the Reverend Sloane from St. Clair of New Zealand of reference 3. A last purchase from Majestic of Epsom before they rather abruptly expired? A wine which exists out on the Internet at large, albeit with a label which is not quite that I remember, but not at reference 3, where the nearest I can find is 'Vicar's Choice'. A brand which has been retired?

PS 2: on inquiring about the founder of Texas, one Manny Fogel, I learn of something called the Sainsbury Archive. And that Fogel was a big enough cheese to pull in a royal, albeit from the second team, to inspect his Home Charm House in Wellingborough.

References 

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/11/fake-184.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/01/kensington-warming-up.html.

Reference 3: https://saintclair.co.nz/.

Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/07/out-and-about.html. The closure, rather a long time ago now, so perhaps memory is defective as to the origin of the Reverend Sloane. The old building is now, finally, flattened and I think that ground work on the new building has started. An old building which we first knew as a Texas Homecare outlet.

Reference 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Homecare.