A day to remember

We don't eat meat a lot but when we do Alex always likes organic if possible so when we had spag bol. the other day with the family it was with  Longhorn Beef from Pembrokeshire. Hence the pic above.

So another Christmas has come and pretty well gone. We had a really nice Christmas day at our son and daughter in laws. It was a farmhouse kitchen Christmas with large tables spread with fabulous food, decorations, a real tree and children running around and my grandfather's clock overseeing it all. I have seen a lot of Christmas Days and this was one of the best, reminiscent of the days when Alex and I took the children to stay a my mother and fathers smallholding on the top of a hill near Knighton. It was an old stone built house with a large beam over the great chimney breast, low ceilings and plenty of character. Sherry and pork pie for breakfast, (yes it is a bit weird, but a family tradition!)  opening presents and then a good walk over the crisp white fields before Christmas Dinner.

On one memorable occasion we had twelve unexpected guests for dinner. In later years my father added a wood burning stove and closed off the large opening to the chimney with a stainless flue going into it. this kept the room snug in all weathers. On this particular Christmas day our son who was about six or seven at the time decided to put some wrapping paper in the burner. He was told not to do it again. Then just as the main course was being put out at dinner he did it again. There was a roaring sound and the stainless flue became cherry red as the centuries of wood tar coating the chimney caught fire.

We had to abandon our dinner and within ten minutes the fire brigade arrived. They apparently had been sitting down to their dinner at the same time and were initially a little out of sorts. The fire was efficiently put out with a lot of water and no damage other than smoke and a wet floor. We gratefully thanked the Firemen and began clearing up.The floor was red tiles so it was a matter of mopping up. Our son kept a low profile, for about ten minutes. Dinner wasn't quite the same cold but it was certainly a memorable day.