Happy crimbo everybody. More exciting than Christmas, new year and even the January sales is the fact that finally, after 18 months of futile efforts, we can finally light an open fire and not have to call the pompiers.
Will came and fitted a commercial incandescent fan to the top of the chimney yesterday and tonight, we lit a fire. I fully expected plumes of smoke to fill the room as usual and resigned myself to a choking fit tonight and getting out the white paint again tomorrow for a couple of hours of redecoration. Iain had more faith, went for it and couldn't contain his excitement when the smoke actually curled its beautiful way up the chimney. It doesn't take much to make me happy, I would say this is the highlight of my week in a week when there have been quite a few, including:
* shopping in Selfridges, Liberty and Top Shop (still nowhere coming even close to those big three here) and catching up with family and friends in the UK for drinks, dinner, laughs, Christmas pressies etc
* My gorgeous bro in laws Gary and Phil arriving two days before Christmas amidst the snowy chaos at Luton (they had to run from the car park to the airport dragging their hand baggage through a mile of grey slush at 6am in order to catch their plane) lol I was still in bed blissfully unaware of how close they came to missing their flight
* Christmas Eve at the Mayos where (too) much Champagne was imbued all afternoon, necessitating a 6pm nap, followed by a second wind of fish pie, san pelly (for me, lightweight) and some frenzied disco dancing to Gaz's iPod til late which reminded me of our days burning up the dance floor at the Phoenix in London and too many Mykonos nighclubs
* Gorgeous pressies including a superduper camera, a stopwatch that does everything bar run for me and a weekend at a boutique hotel in Aix en Provence shopping in the sales...but I love watching everyone else open theirs even more (it's the giver in me)
* Christmas day sipping aperos on the terrace in such warm sunshine that Gaz felt the need to sit T-shirtless before sitting down to lunch cooked by Iain followed by charades and The Grinch.
* Boxing day lunch (cooked by Iain again, he is reading over my shoulder and insisted I namecheck him AGAIN but I did put the Christmas pud in the microwave and unwrap the After Eights.) Lunch lasted five hours with Karen followed by more Studio 54 style dancing from the five of us in and out of the garden, as three dismayed girls looked on in horror at the shapes being thrown. Most of the photos have now been destroyed, as Iain reckons he'd have a really good unfit mother court suit if he ever needed it.
* Watching Now Voyager and It's a Wonderful Life with the rest of the After Eights, a glass of Baileys and a big box of tissues. The boys were stoic while I wept buckets.
The lowlight
*Waving goodbye to G&P on Sunday eve, it's the first time I've seen them in a year, way too long, and makes me realise how much I miss them. Lily declared that she wants a gay uncle too (actually, every girl should have one) so she and Liv are planning a trip to Spain to stay at their house next summer. I might have to join them.
We miss you boys, come back soon when we can lay by the pool instead.
HAPPY NEW YEAR tout le monde xxx
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