Knowing we would be having a late session on New Years Eve we decided to call it a night at 01:30 on 30th December and we were all up again by 09:30 with Nic serving up Huevos Rancheros for breakfast. Absolutely gorgeous and just what was needed after a relatively late night.
Suitably fed all three of us made a beeline for the coast. I say three, as Sarah was stopping over and living almost equidistant from the East & West coast of the UK she takes any opportunity she can to walk on a beach.
After a leisurely stroll along the beach and back, a round trip of about 3.5 miles (from the beach huts at Blyth to Seaton Sluice) we headed to the Fish Quay at North Shields for a round of fish and chips at The Waterfront.
Three portions of extremely delicious haddock and chips with mushy peas later we headed back for a game of Settlers of Catan and to start preparing the evening meal - 5 hour braised shoulder of lamb.
The lamb was marinated in a paste of garlic, cinnamon, cumin and lemon, cooked in pomegranate juice and glazed with pomegranate molasses. Nic also made a salad of roasted carrot, spinach, feta and pistachios and finished off the middle eastern experience with couscous mixed with apricot, red onion, mint and chickpeas as well as a yoghurt and pomegranate drizzle. Too full for puds after that little lot!
Snack and dips were the order of the evening accompanied by champagne, white wine, red wine & port. After, rousing cheers as Big Ben struck midnight followed by slightly 'tipsy' dancing to "Auld Lang Syne" we decided to set off a lantern in the street. Eventually lit, it would not fill with enough hot air to take off and proceeded to move sideways across the street and attach itself to the wing mirror of Sarah's new car and start to catch fire (Now we know why you are supposed to have water and/or sand on hand).
After dousing the fire with much foot stomping we returned indoors to listen to some music, finally hitting the sack at 02:30.
Suitably fed all three of us made a beeline for the coast. I say three, as Sarah was stopping over and living almost equidistant from the East & West coast of the UK she takes any opportunity she can to walk on a beach.
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| Beach Art? |
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| Nic & Sarah |
After a leisurely stroll along the beach and back, a round trip of about 3.5 miles (from the beach huts at Blyth to Seaton Sluice) we headed to the Fish Quay at North Shields for a round of fish and chips at The Waterfront.
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| Haddock, Chips & Mushy Peas |
The lamb was marinated in a paste of garlic, cinnamon, cumin and lemon, cooked in pomegranate juice and glazed with pomegranate molasses. Nic also made a salad of roasted carrot, spinach, feta and pistachios and finished off the middle eastern experience with couscous mixed with apricot, red onion, mint and chickpeas as well as a yoghurt and pomegranate drizzle. Too full for puds after that little lot!
Snack and dips were the order of the evening accompanied by champagne, white wine, red wine & port. After, rousing cheers as Big Ben struck midnight followed by slightly 'tipsy' dancing to "Auld Lang Syne" we decided to set off a lantern in the street. Eventually lit, it would not fill with enough hot air to take off and proceeded to move sideways across the street and attach itself to the wing mirror of Sarah's new car and start to catch fire (Now we know why you are supposed to have water and/or sand on hand).
After dousing the fire with much foot stomping we returned indoors to listen to some music, finally hitting the sack at 02:30.
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