Christmas Essentials

In this season of ice and cold, with so many Ontarians freezing in the dark, the essentials of Xmas have been boiled down to the very basics--family, warmth, and food. We're fortunate that here in Kingston, we missed the worst of the ice, although yesterday when the sun came out, the terrible beauty of the storm became apparent.

Like diamonds in the sky, and with an eerie rustling, the trees are encased in ice.

Branches down everywhere, as well as whole trees.

Berries suspended in ice.

The path in the park completely buried under a hard-packed crust.

The temperature today is still around -15C, so none of this going away in a hurry. But with heat and electricity still functioning, I have time to enjoy the day and comtemplate the little things that make my day special.
1. Mince meat pie. Veggie version from an old edition of Laurel's Kitchen. I've made it for Xmas desssert every year for at least 20 years.

2. Braised vegetables--turnips (rutabaga for some of you), carrots, celery, and onions, to go with the capon (a turkey is too large for us). The recipe is here.

3. My favourite tea, Buckingham Palace Garden Party, from here.

4. My bright red reversible Tumnus scarf, shown here in Berocco's Ultra Alpaca, cheerful on what is unfortunately a rather grey day, and necessary for staying toasty.

5. A new design almost completed and ready for blocking. It has a very Japanese silhouette, although you can't see that yet, especially in its unblocked and still lumpy shape.

 Merry Christmas.