Seasons Greetings

 Wishing all a happy Christmas.

Shopping is always a little different at this time of year.  I wanted 2 carrots, but was only able to find carrots in big bags.  Not to be wasteful, I removed 2 carrots from the bag and turned the rest into soup.

With fresh carrots, I make a simple soup adding water and chopped coriander, with a very small pinch of salt.

I add a little more water than carrot and boil for 20 minutes before blending in our liquidizer.

Soup enough for 2 was served for lunch, with a few slices of home made bread.  The remaining soup was bagged and frozen for another day.

As the winter drizzle was replaced by a fresh breeze around mid day, lunch was followed by a gentle walk around Fenton Park.

The air was a little clearer and fresher as we progressed across the City.  Stoke-on-Trent has lots of green belts which allow access around the City with minimal need to walk along busy roads.

Here, the winter sun is always low in the sky and the long shadows persist throughout the day.  This is the shortest day of the year.

All the cards are sent, all the phone calls made and all the shopping done. No need to venture out, so the car is garaged for a few days and we just need to make sure the garden visitors are well fed.