A right royal feast

Right, last night's feast. We had a choice of starters, the first, smoked salmon with creme fraiche and dill, and the second, cooked spiced pears with a Roquefort dressing. To follow we had an Italian arrosto misto, roasted quail wrapped in bacon, rabbit marinated in oil, honey, garlic and herbs, pork loin rubbed with fennel seeds and garlic and duck, roasted with oranges. All this accompanied by roast potatoes and green beans with butter and garlic. In addition to an excellent, new, local red, Les éclats Domaine Mirabelle 2003, which is a real find, and champagne, the Lloyds brought a wonderful selection of cheeses and a raspberry mousse. I think that I'll get leftovers tonight. Mnnnnnnnnn.

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William calls from Florida, which was a really nice surprise and so we chew the fat about New Year's Eve and other earth shattering matters. It's funny how you can sort so many world problems in such a short time. We also discuss meeting up in Paris, in April which will be something to look forward to. I feel my first trip on the TGV coming up.

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The rest of the day was spent clearing up and generally recuperating from last night's marathon stint (we don't do very late nights like we used to), hey ho.