Christmas Day

Eastside Road, December 25, 2014—

ONLY THE TWO of us at table tonight — we had our big dinner yesterday, and the goose will be here later — so we were content tonight with duck legs en confit, store-bought in town but very tasty. Cook simply browned them slowly in the black iron skillet, and served them with sides of oven-roasted vegetables and steamed broccoli. Yes, that's a spoonful of cranberry jelly at nine o'clock: complements the crisp rich duck skin perfectly.

After the green salad, a very fine little Christmas pudding sent all the way from Melbourne, from — whom? Niece, or sister-in-law? We'll have to clear that up. It arrived done up in its cheesecloth; Cook steamed it and made some brandy-brown sugar-butter sauce for it, and we felt we were having a properly Pom pleasure…

"Guadagni" red from the three-liter jug, Preston of Dry Creek