Christmas 2023

We celebrated Christmas with the family in London. Nadja, Alma and Lotti flew in from Germany. We drove down from Harrogate.

22 Friday

It rained all the way to London. The only stop was at Leicester Forest for a cheese sandwich and coffee.

That evening, a selection of new wines from South Africa were tasted with friends & family. Home made snacks partnered the six wines – Delaire Graff Coastal Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Boplaas Alvarinho 2023, Ken Forrester Old Vines Reserve Chenin Blanc 2022, Praeteritus Bosstock Tinta Barroca 2020, Boekenhoutstkloof Chocolate Block 2019 and Vilafonte Seriously Old Dirt 2017, which was the wine liked by most of the tasters.

23 Saturday

The Scottish Dance Theatre’s Pirates at The Place was the first outing of the day for some of the family, “bringing tales of daring on the high seas to a younger audience.”

Kings Cross Station was the starting point for a drive in central London to admire the Capitol’s street decorations. The station had an huge Christmas tree and a giant swing for kids.

Dinner was at Jolene’s. Natural wines were served.

Christmas Eve

Breakfast.

In the afternoon, we took the bus to windy Finsbury Park and after a short walk, stopped at The Finsbury pub for a drink before taking the bus again to Hewitt Road to open Christmas presents and have dinner.

Champagne Elise Bougy Brut Nature Le Mont Chainqueux NV – a blend of Pinot Noir 50%, Meunier 50%, Alsace Riesling Grand Cru Saering 2019, Domaine Schulmberger, Scott Kelly Oregon Pinot Noir 2020 and Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos 2001 were enjoyed with dinner – Borcht, various salads, gratin Dauphinois, roast ham and cheeses.

Christmas Day

Nick, Renuka & Seren went to Nick’s parents in Leicester to celebrate Christmas. The rest of us had Christmas Dinner at Axminster Road.

Boxing Day & Nick’s Birthday

Nadja & Alma took an early morning flight back to Germany. Nadja wrote: “Landed 5min ahead of schedule- passport control took less than a minute and luggage was already coming out- sbahn in 5min.. a rather pleasant travel experience.”

Ramani, Dilu & Lotti went to the cinema in the afternoon to see “Hunger Games.” Nick, Renu & Seren drove back to London from Leicester. We had dinner in a gastropub that evening and returned to Axminster Road to celebrate Nick’s birthday.