The Last Slice of Christmas Cake

Happy New Year!

So here we are in 2015. For most people the first day back at work marks the end of Christmas. Although the season does not officially end until Twelfth Night, I suspect that in many houses the decorations have already been packed away for another year.

My Christmas tree will be coming down tonight – the beauty of a real tree has definitely faded at the point when there are more needles on the floor than on the branches. It was particularly beautiful this year though, and I will be sad to pack the baubles away.

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Now our Christmas visitors have left, it’s time to put things back to normal. Of course, there are still a few Christmassy leftovers to enjoy, including the last few slices of my Christmas cake, the making of which contributed to one of my Social Media highlights of 2014 – a direct tweet from Nigel Slater!

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Flicking back through my blog I realise that I haven’t posted in almost a month. I hadn’t realised it had been quite that long but the festive season has passed in a whirlwind of Christmas dinners, mulled wine, board games, Christmas films, visiting and hosting friends and family.

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Here’s a look at some of the things I got up to over Christmas and a sneak preview of what 2015 has in store.

CHRISTMAS

XFM’s Winter Wonderland

Despite all the hype about this event at the O2 Apollo, it was a shame that this event didn’t quite capture the party spirit that was promised. Craig Burke @MancVsFood summed it up when he Tweeted “…you lost the crowd at about 8.40 tonight…”

Headliner Ben Howard didn’t play a single song he’s known for, but the atmosphere had already been lost when people started leaving during the set from Wild Beasts.

That being said, I loved seeing George Ezra and Liam Fray from the Courteeners.

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The Hunger Games

I finally made it to see Part One of Mockingjay.

It’s not often that I find a book that I literally can’t put down, and I was surprised when the Hunger Games trilogy filled that bill. You never quite get the same effect from a film adaptation of a book as you do from reading it, but I can’t wait for the final film at the end of this year.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Friends of mine recommended what I can only describe as an ‘alternative pantomime’ from the Mischief Theatre Company after they were so impressed by the Play That Goes Wrong.

The premise is an amateur dramatic society production of Peter Pan that doesn’t quite run as expected. It’s hard to describe the slapstick nature of what follows, but it was laugh out loud funny and brilliantly executed. The lady sitting next to me felt it necessary to add her own, rather loud, running commentary, which in ordinary circumstances would be plain annoying – but for a play that goes wrong, it seemed to fit in a strangely comical way.

THINGS TO COME IN 2015

I have lots of plans up my sleeve to get the New Year off to a flying start.

21 Things Everyone Needs to Eat in Manchester.

This BuzzFeed post was shared on Facebook recently. It’s not a definitive list but there are lots of recommended places that I have yet to sample. In the spirit of blogging and reviewing, I intend to visit them all, and will of course be writing about each one.

To kick things off, I finally made it to Mughli on the Curry Mile, which everyone raves about on Social Media.

Here’s a little teaser pic. If you want to know what I thought, look out for the post coming soon.

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10 Reasons to Love Levenshulme

This was by far my most successful post of 2014. It received a very positive reception on Facebook and lots of local people contributed with their favourite places. Look out for the sequel.

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Decorating and DIY

After 5 1/2 years in the house, we are finally having the front door refurbished and double glazed. I’ve put my stained glass skills to good use and designed the door panel. I hope this mild weather lasts until it’s finished!

Once that’s done comes the mammoth task of decorating the Hall, Stairs and Landing. I can’t wait to see the back of the polystyrene tiles, which have been presenting a fire hazard since approximately 1976!

Upcycling Projects

I’ve been busy working on an exciting project over Christmas, including my first journey in to the world of chalk paint.

Here’s a hint.

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Great Manchester Run

Taking part has become one of the highlights of my running year. I love the Manchester 10k and the atmosphere in the city on the day.

This year, at least 8 people from Switzerland have decided to join us and plans for fancy dress costumes are already being discussed.

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I will of course be writing about all my adventures, big and small, as they unfold.

Keep up to date and be notified as soon as I post. You only have to leave your email using the link on the right hand side of the page (or at the bottom if you are reading on a mobile phone) and I promise that it will never be shared with third parties! You can also follow Becci’s Blog on Facebook.

Make Becci’s Blog one of your new reads for 2015 and be inspired to try something new!

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3 Comments On This Topic
  1. Carol Johnson
    7 years ago

    It was good to see your new blog and look forward to seeing many more in 2015

  2. anne smith
    7 years ago

    Am rather late in sending you a post after seeing that beautiful piece of Christmas cake on the plate! Would love to try the Nigel
    Slater recipe for this year – I wonder if you could tell me which recipe book it was from please … thank you……

    • Becci Johnson
      7 years ago

      It was from the first Kitchen Diaries. I’ve been making it for about 4-5 years now and it always works out well, especially if you make it in good time to feed it with lots of brandy!

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