Mid Winter

Have had the appropriate weather for such celebrations and have combined the two and used the opportunity to invite people round for coffee and cake , then dinner . Made a macaroon cake yesterday which was one of the family favourites in the fifities and sixties, prompted by a new recipe and cooking book which arrived in the library recently. The chapters on the thirties onwards written by family members make good reading and there are some interesting recipes. The four of us ventured forth into the cold after the mulled wine up to the food hall to sample Malaysian, Lao, Indian and, my favourite, Italian food (prawns and courgettes in a tomato cream sauce).

Murphy's law dictates that it is a beautiful crisp clear sunny winter's day so after our few chores we will be off to the North Shore for a walk along the beach , a look at the shops and library and a coffee somewhere.

Am reading the new Rita Angus biography which is superb, puctuated as it is with beautiful reproductions of her paintings, many of which are new to me.

Other bedtime reading is the Oliver Sachs book, Musicophilia which is all about the phenomenom of people hearing music all the time after suffering a seizure or some other kind of brain damage.