Advent, Day 21

[wiseheart]

Today I had chores, many of them. So I had to give up my plague-induced like as a hermit and mingle in the great unwashed masses.

Firstly, I had to fill up the fridge, so that I wouldn't have to go out until after Christmas. Preferably two days after, because on December 27 all Hungarian citizens afraid of starving (the food shops will be closed for two entire days! Oh, the horror of it!) will attack all supermarkets and grocer's and buy ungodly (and totally unnecessary) amounts of food. New Year's Eve is coming up, after all, and such minor things as a pandemic can't stand in the way of partying. Erm... yes.

Anyway, I started at Aldi around 7.30 in the morning, dragged home the first round of shopping (such exotic things as milk, bread, potatoes and the likes). Then I went back to Lidl, where I buy the mineral water and the ginger ale, since that's the closest shop to home, which means the shortest distance to drag them home. Then I went to the Savoy Park shopping centre, because that's where the closest bank and post office are, where I had things to do. On my way to the post office I dropped in to Kik and bought (totally unnecessary) craft supplies, because a girl needs a treat from time to time.

I also dropped in to the Auchan supermarket because Mum wanted a certain brand of champagne for New Year's Eve, and H. (Little Emma's grandmother) said I could get it there. Well... I could not. They did have the brand but only in blueberry flavour, and we prefer peach. So I bought a bottle of kiddie champagne (alcohol free frizzy drink) instead, in peach flavour. Mum agreed with the decision. I also found Spätzle at Auchan - granted, the outrageously expensive Alsacian version, but we haven't found any for more than a year, so I went for the kill and bought three bags of it. In exchange, several things that we like were on sale, so I returned from my third tour with two very heavy bags, too.


After my shopping adventures I cooked lunch for tomorrow (it was meant for tuday but the dratted meat didn't want to get soft, so we postponed it and ate leftover soup with butterbrot), and then my friend Elise came to fetch her cookie boxes. I was promised photos from the granddaughters as they gobble up the cookies in exchange. *g* It was so very nice to have a chat with a friend, even though we were sitting in the opposite corners of the room, masked.

Yesterday I put up our artificial monstrosity of a Christmas tree and hung up all the popsickle items I made (originally for the charity fair that was cancelled once again). I added some of the paper angels and paper baubles I made earlier; I think it looks pretty enough, even in the corner of the living room where it gets less than half the light it would have on the balcony. Tomorrow I'll add the garlands (also home-made) and try to make a decent photo. *fingers crossed*

Oh, and many thanks for the lovely Christmas card, aeris444! Mum loved the idea of the shared tea. :)

Comments

[manue7a.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed at people who can stock up and don't have to go shopping for a week. Well done! So will there be some relaxing and festive hanging out in the coming days?

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

God, I hope so!

[meathiel]

That sounds like a LOT of stores visited today.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Too many... Surprisingly enough, they weren't crowded, perhaps due to the relatively early time. Getting up at stupid o'clock was brutal but it was worth the effort.

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

oh, god, that reminds me, I gotta go to Trader Joe tomorrow, I'm out of or low on a lot of groceries and I have to walk back part of the way. With a bad leg. ugh

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor you!

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

I'm not doing it now. It's very cold and raining like piss. I'll do it tomorrow. I might feel differently if I had a car.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I know the feeling. Making one shopping round instead of three different ones would be a blessing. Especially when the weather won't cooperate. Although I was lucky with the latter, I must admit.

[red-day-dawning.livejournal.com]

That’s a lot of shopping and schlepping. I hate carrying heavy shopping bags, it’s a peeve of mine.
I have to go to buy a ton of fruit and veg for my salad-y contributions to the family Christmas dinner. I have learned that my niece’s girlfriend is vegan, so I’m planning tofu croutons and brown rice and quinoa salads as well as the usual. No Greek salad this year, but maybe a green salad with avocado and seeds? It’s quite exciting, having a new person to include in the dietary planning. We have a crazy amount of restrictions already — low fodmap for some, gluten free for others, two of us are vegetarian, adding a vegan into the mix sounds like a fun challenge.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the Christmas dinner at Little Emma's family: nine guests, half of them with special needs (or special wishes would be the right word as none of them are health-related), and poor H. has to do all the cooking on her own.

[red-day-dawning.livejournal.com]

We all share the cooking — I do salads. Although my nieces increasingly help out there, they will do the green salads, so now I just do salads that appeal to my whims. This year I’m doing a Thai inspired rice salad with peanut sauce and tofu croutons. And for complete contrast, an authentic Kartoffelsalat. No nasty mayo, an echtes Salat like Oma used to make. Only with substitutes for beef stock and onions, so the low fodmap and vegetarians can eat it, so vegetable stock (Massel) and spring onions instead. My sister in law does most of the work — ham and chicken for the carnivores, roast veggies, and this year she’s doing desserts as my sister can’t make it. And she always does extras, like cheese platters and antipasto. I can’t wait to see them all — it’s been more than a year and a half since I have seen my brother!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

lol People do that here when the weather gets bad. Except, it's never bad for more than a day or two. Nuts.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

By us it's always before holidays when the shops are closed for *gasp* a whole day or two! And that in the capital where we haven't had any food shortages since I've been living here, which has been for 56 frigging years!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

lol Yeah, people are weird.

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

Wow! You did a lot! By the time Christmas Day arrives you will be exhausted. Time to break out the Baileys and coffee?

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Coffee is what keeps me alive. I haven't rested properly ever since Mum's accident. Paradoxically, the baking frenzy was actually relaxing, compared with everything else that was going on in the last nine months or so.

[medievalrosalie.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you achieved quite a lot, and really, I do like the tree!