Mid January saw me flying down to New Orleans for a reprise of the same event which took us there a year ago. I am extremely fond of this city, and was delighted to have an excuse to go again.
Notes from New Orleans
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New Year celebrations
2018 ended on a low-key note, with dinner and a bottle of nice champagne at home, but we started the new year on good form by heading to the woods with some friends for a hike around the South Mountain reservation.
Despite complaining about the unseasonably warm temperature, it was lovely to be out in the sunshine, and it was considerably more pleasant than when we walked the same trail back in July.
After a couple of very enjoyable hours strolling through the trees, it was back to Jersey City for some food and drinks. Here’s hoping the rest of the year lives up to this comfortable, convivial beginning…
A very healthy New Year salad. Not pictured: the delicious portion of fried potatoes which accompanied it!
Christmas castles
Our Christmas visit to England took us up to Northumberland for a few days, a part of the country which I’ve previously only passed through on the train. It was bright and cold, and we saw a lot of castles in a short amount of time!
December 2018
This December seems to have been calmer than usual, which is rather nice. We’ve both had concerts – Tom’s choir sang a delightful program of Spanish Christmassy music whilst mine performed Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall, and of course there have been some carols too. Other than a single string of lights we haven’t bothered decorating this year, but have been making the most of every opportunity for festive food and drink, with one particularly note-worthy weekend including both the first mulled wine of the season and Tom’s first attempt at hasselback potatoes (an epic success!).
Beacon, blazing
The desire to do something different with some recent visitors from England prompted us to take a trip up the Hudson valley. It’s a beautiful way to spend a day out of the city, and an easy train ride from Grand Central station. Initially we thought we might go hiking, but when the weather forecast started predicting frigid temperatures we decided that an indoor activity would probably be more comfortable, so a museum visit was planned instead.
Thanksgiving 2018
This Thanksgiving was our biggest yet, I think, with 8 of us for lunch. We hosted and cooked for four NY friends and a couple of visitors from England, and it was a lovely day. I was very happy with the way the table looked before everyone arrived
… and even more so when it was laden with food!
This doesn’t look like all that much, but we were very full once we’d finished, and sadly I seem to have forgotten to photograph the pumpkin and pecan pies which followed the main course. Lots to be thankful for.
Georgia off my mind
Ticking off both our first new state since January, and a destination I’ve long wanted to visit, the last weekend in October saw us flying south for a few days in Savannah, Georgia.
