99pI caved and had a 99p chicken sandwich from KFC before our Christmas panto. I was starving, Hackney didn't have a wide array of healthy places to eat from and I needed something before the 2hr show. I have to admit it tasted good too....all salty and deep fried. I think I have gained 5lbs in the past few weeks, there are lots of Christmas cookies everywhere, lots of big dinners and lots of eating out and add to that lots of wine (had another bottle of nouveau Beaujolais last night) ....so feeling a little bigger than usual. I even complained that one of my tops shrunk but I think it is just me getting a little bigger....

Yoga and running schedule needs to be adhered to after the holidays.

Apologies for the old pic (above) I lost my cord for downloading photos but will borrow one today to post some holiday food pics! Am off to a Christmas themed wedding today so there may be some Christmas themed food.

Stay tuned.Dick Whittington and his Cat at the Hackney Empire

Vin primeur

This past weekend was stuck in a Toronto snow storm for the last two days. Luckily we were stuck inside with some great Nouveau Beaujolais wine and lots of dvds...

Also known as vin primeur (primo=first), nouveau wine’s history comes from the Middle Ages when wine was shipped from Bordeaux to England and other parts of northern Europe within a couple of months of harvest.

In those times, wine was so unstable that it was most highly valued when it was young, and the main goal was to keep it from going off too badly before the next vintage was delivered.

Made from Gamay grapes, this 'nouveau' wine can only be purchased from the third Thursday of November each year and is a red wine that is sold when it is only two months old. The bottles we had were lovely, smooth, fruity and really easy to drink. Apparently it is a race to buy these wines at the LCBO when they are released as they are so popular. D bought a case and said that when he went back the next week they were all gone!

Mark your calendars for next year - third Thursday of November!