h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Woke up this morning and all the trees were white with frost ... incredibly beautiful - am I really saying this? A person that just tolerates the long Winter months.
Got my exhibition in 3 weeks and haven't really got anything new to show, apart from the posters which I sent off and received back a few day ago. Because of my flu I haven't the energy to get up and create -- very frustrating.
I might go for a walk later, but a slow one. It is about -5°C here at present. Here in northern Germany the temperature fluctuates so radically, which throws a lot of people out of kilter. One day it is +10°C then the next day it is -10°C. I always wanted to live in Greece over the winter months and have winter in the winter months and spring in the spring months, etc. etc. One day!
Still haven't found a recipe for minced meat for my minced pies! Last night Jamies used a jar ... unfortunately the shops here in Germany don't sell it here!

It's funny, my son looked out of the window yesterday, saw that everything was white with frost and said: OK, that'll pass for a white Christmas.

My son is having an ecological depression - telling me that there isn't going to be anymore snow in Germany because we have too many cars, etc. etc. and where are the polar bears going to live. But it is pretty, isn't it?

Hope you had a great Christmas Eve, Bel!

How old is your son?

I don't want to boast but I have 3 - 9, 8, 8 - it is the youngest son Miles!

You have twins?

Tell Miles to relax: it's been snowing here all morning, and everything is white with snow now, not with frost.

You lucky, lucky people. We have friends in Schifferstadt and in the Summer it is always warmer than here and in the Winter always snow! But at least I can understand the north Germany people:

http://www.fernsehserien.de/index.php?serie=4204

We haven't had frost or snow for several days, but I'm sure we will again soon. I love the way a nice crisp frost looks on all the grass and trees, and on the windowpanes.

I've never heard of that tv series. I love Stenkelfeld, though, do you know them?

I only saw the programme for the first time yesterday, but the houses (Höffe - plural of Hof) are very realistic, together with clothes, accents, phrases!!

I remember waking up in my Grandparent's house in London in the middle of winter and the window panes were full of ice - on the inside of the window. No central heating and no thermal window panes! I'm sure that then I promised myself that when I grow up I would not have that - I really love our underfloor heating and double-glazed windows!

As a student, I lived in a flat with old wondows, and they often were covered in ice from the inside, too.

Those good old student time, eh Bel? That's what made you into the nice, decent person you are today!wondows

All our families have now left us -- had duck and goose, with Yorkshire pudding. Still haven't had a chance to eat/cook my Christmas pudding - tomorrow!

Thank you for the compliment.

I think I had Yorkshire pudding once, when I was on holidays in England. It was huge, I never managed to eat it all.

I thought christmas pudding had to be cooked weeks before Christmas, or is that something else?

Did you know that Yorkshire Pudding (my Mum always used to say *Jorkshir Puddin*, being from Germany) was eaten during the war as a starter with gravy ... the idea was that you were no longer hungry and so weren't disappointed with a small amount of meat!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSAgumGKtwo Okay, this guy is American and not me!!

I think you are talking about the Christmas cake, but the ingredients are almost the same. Very nice! I'm talking about Christmas Pudding. Originally it was steamed for a few hours! But luckily, a friend of mine went back to London a few weeks ago and brought me a few back with her!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJUJinOFT5o Notice the obligatory paper hats ... aren't the British funny? Can you buy Suet in Germany? I've never seen it and it is so important to make the pudding!

Thanks for tzhe links, very entertaining.

I don't know about suet, have you asked at the butcher's?

Yorkshire pudding: made from a sort of light batter, bit like a puffy pancake, served WITH the meat course but yes, originally designed to make the meat go further.

Christmas pudding: traditionally made with suet, but really not necessary, there are loads of vegetarian ones available these days (ie no meat products). If making yourself, then best done 6 weeks before Christmas (Stir-up Sunday) and left to mature. Shop bought ones can be bought the day before. If steaming (traditonal) then takes a couple of hours. But can be microwaved in a couple of minutes.

Christmas cake has a lot of the same ingereditents as Christmas pudding (dried fruit etc) but no suet, and is made with flour and baked like a cake before being covered in marzipan and iced. Then decorated - anything from a tiny plastic robin and snowman (my mother's house) to a more modern minimalist sinlgle sprig of hollly (my house)

Which is the one that's drowned in alcohol?

Oh, and I hope you had a great Christmas, Beatrice.

Christmas cake gets "fed" alcohol before it's iced.

Christmas pudding is served flamed - alcohol poured over it and set alight. Traditionally brandy, but vodka is easier to light.

We call that 'flambiert'. I've never tried to do that myself, and I think you need a special sort of alcohol (high vol/%) to make it burn really nice.

Who got *fed* alcohol this Christmas! 54% is enough, I think!!