It wasn’t looking too good.  Two days before the Déjà vuvu Xmas Supperclub I hurt my foot, I think, while running around Waterworks.  Yet again C & J were a woman down!  So I kept my paw up for a couple of days while C & J got on with preparations for the Supperclub.  Also C’s ma isn’t too well and that was preoccupying us. 

Clare’s mammy went into hospital on Monday – that was hard.  And we decided to cancel our planned Festive Fundraiser as we felt that it was just too much to organise with all that was going on.   But the Supperclub was providing a welcome distraction.

Sitting here, in the morning room, the morning after, enjoying desert island disks, my girl leafing through the papers and our  boy Rufus coming in for regular pets – I’m enjoying a breakfast of C’s sourdough toast (from last night’s bread) and good coffee. Gooood times….

As a wee ‘an in Donegal, my favourite imagining was that I was a Cow-Girl out on the range – I borrowed (demanded, sorry Sheamy) Sheamy’s  cowboy outfit on a regular basis and my favourite imagined food was a cowboy-supper of pie and mash.  Little did I know then that I would definitely turn out to be a cow-girl and that I would get the best suppers any Cow-Girl ever got – and last night was a cow-girl’s dream!

I really enjoyed our Supperclub last night – it was the first time that we ran one for a particular group. PK had said that she thought it would be lovely to have an Xmas meal for some of her Déjà vu vu gals – so last night we played host to 13 tasty dykes – or indeed bi’s?  

We spent last week making the house Christmassy – up the Cavehill (while the paw was still working) for greenery, round to M’s for holly (M – C’s mammy – what she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing – tells me that ivy on its own was regarded as unlucky – she is not a superstitious woman, I might add).  Cyclamen – our winter friend, provided the colour. 

What to wear? – C was going with her festive green dress.  I spotted a beautiful woman wearing a bowtie and looking gorgeous in a magazine and imagined myself looking like her – ha!  So a velvet bow tie was purchased from ebay.  J, not to be left out decided to trawl the Antrim Road charity shops for same – surprisingly to no avail.  But his talented wife Joanne fashioned a bow tied for him.  

The menu for the evening was the (sophisticated) Cow-Girl’s dream –

To Start

A mojito Royal, champagne cocktail – with grissini and olives

At the table

C’s crusty white bread

First Course

Ravioli – with a red pepper jelly …..the pasta was thin and the  ravioli were sumptuous

Mains

Fish Pie – Salmon and Dill

Lamb Pie

Sides- that I’d happily eat by the campfire – out on the range

Carrots with cider, ginger and garlic

Red cabbage with juniper berries, star anise

Spud Celeriac Mash

Baked Onions

And a Redcurrant and port Jus

Desert

Limoncello Raspberry Trifle

Date Pudding

Petite four

Mince Meat Truffles

The paw had recovered enough for me to carry out my waiting and hosting duties.  But luckily we had a volunteer to help.  Dylan – the son of a friend, who is interested in food and at catering college, arrived at 3 and didn’t stop working till 11pm.  He put up lights, lugged chairs, did washing up, waited tables, helped with food preparation and mucked in wherever necessary.

At the end of the evening we joined guests to share a glass and enjoy their company - before I knew it, it was midnight.

As taxis arrived and old and new friends departed into the night with Christmas wishes hanging in the air – I had a real sense of time moving so quickly – I’m 46 and I feel that I am only beginning to understand what life is all about ……our relationships with each other…. and…… love.

So, here’s to time………. time to enjoy each other’s company, time to share each other’s joys and woes and time to ….love.

Merry Xmas to one and all. S (aka CowGirl) X