New Year, new logo. I can find few, if any, recent photos of me looking younger than my current years, so I have opted for a picture of Mary's daily breakfast platter for the time being. The images on the left show the results of Yuri's and my 'Marzipan Weekend', an annual event of two years' standing during which we mould decorations for our Christmas cakes. I am not sure if we would win any awards, but great fun all the same.
Despite the incessant wet weather which has continued into the New Year with more rain in the first four days of January (57.1mm) than in the whole of January last year (49.8mm), Christmas celebrations at home in Norfolk en famille (excluding Tom and Yuri initially as Yuri was working) were hugely enjoyable. In addition to the normal indoor activities, this year saw the introduction of "Ham Wars" and the delightful premiere of the Kazoo Quartet, a group that I believe we will be hearing from a lot more in the future; the Handbell Quartet, a group that has been remarkably quiet since its sensational debut performance on Christmas Day 2022, had better watch out. Ham Wars, fought between Jono (Nigella's coca cola technique) and me (Thermomix marmalade glaze recipe) was very satisfactorily announced a draw following blinded tasting initially by Alastair and Harry and a few days later by Tom and Yuri.
The Kazoo Quartet was formed in response to the video of a well-rehearsed festive singsong sent to us on Christmas Day by the Cockburn Australian Sextet. Congratulations to all four of the KQ for coming up with such a melodic rendition of Carol of the Bells at short notice. It is difficult to tell which is better: their version or those previously recorded with full vocal harmonies. Decide for yourself by watching the video below.
