Left it too late to book something for New Year’s Eve but managed to get into Anatolia’s which had a very attractive belly dancer dancing around (and on) the tables…I wish I’d taken my camera. Good food too. The only downer was that the place wanted to close before Midnight. Anyhow, it was a good night out and we got home in time to toast in the new year and watch some of the plenty of fireworks at midnight too.

Some random recollections of Christmas 2004…

• Getting all the gift shopping done in good time
• Tesco’s not being too crowded on Christmas Eve
• Watching A Christmas Carol
• Decorating a real Christmas tree that doesn’t seem to have lost a single needle in over 2 weeks
• Getting some lovely presents (and no duff ones!)
• Having the ‘fridge so full of food that some food had to be kept in the boot of the car
• Cooking my first turkey and it turned out perfectly (thanks to Saint Delia)
• Eating far too much

And of course the Asia Earthquake/Tsunami disaster; watching the initial and hopelessly optimistic death toll estimate of 500 rise to over 120,000 and realising just how minor the emergencies in my last post really are.