The Christmas spirit
I’m baking today, just a small addition to a Christmas meal I’ve been invited to tonight.
Trouble is, my kitchen will be a bombsite all day with a veritable feast for nine being prepared.
I invited myself to a friend’s kitchen. He lives alone and will likely allow anything for a sneak preview of my Festive Portuguese Custard Tarts, well, wouldn’t you?
The main catch is that my utensils and general baking stuff lies several hundred miles away. TAA isn’t the baking type. Must. Go. Shopping.
I made an early start in an attempt to miss the rush. But I couldn’t find miniature bottles of brandy anywhere. Not being much of a brandy drinker I didn’t really want an entire bottle.
My options were running out as, with the torrential rain, I didn’t want to double back on myself. I thought the shops in the railway station might sell them.
I was wrong.
Only then did it strike me. I bought myself an espresso to take away. A couple of slurps later, I headed to the pub. ‘Tot of brandy please’, I asked the barman. He looked at me oddly. Obviously I am not his usual brandy customer at eleven o’clock in the morning.
Bless him, he tried to hide it well ‘Single or double? he asked.
I sighed heavily, laying it on a little thick. ‘Best make it a double’ I said.
I went to sit down out of his sight before pouring the contents of the glass into my paper espresso cup.
On my way out, and with a self satisfied nod of acknowledgement to the barman, I placed my empty glass on the bar.