Strawberry Wine - Fourth Bottle (2), 22nd February 2013

Tonight we have had a feast, mostly involving curry. It is Rachel's 44th birthday, and as Duncan is currently living it up in Boston, she has spent it here. Claire gave her a crocheted petri dish full of crocheted cacti as a present, and I gave her a bottle of strawberry wine. I say 'gave' but 'shared with' would be a more accurate phrase. It was the second bottle of the evening as we had already finished the pink fizz.

Strawberry wine goes surprisingly well with curry - and we had many varieties: fried patra, fish, dall, spinach and lamb together with a number of dips. I have a talented wife. Was it gluttony to finish the evening off with generous helpings of tiramisu?

Elderberry - Bottle C1, 5th-7th June 2011

Claire opened this while I was out in Guiseley playing nonets badly. Ordinarily my Sunday nights are precious, spent at home, and any bottle opened will be emptied by the evening's close. This Sunday, however, saw off less than half the bottle.

We finished it on Tuesday during my only evening in this week - life has suddenly become hectic. I spent this rest time mostly reading through legal documents for Emmaus and researching a birthday present to be given to my parents who are in the process of turning 70. (For the purposes of this blog I can reveal no more as my mother has been known to read it from time to time. Hello Mom!)

At the end of the night Claire produced some pink buns, coloured (apparently) by crushed beetles. Yum. We worked out that it would be very easy to poison me - present me with a tray of freshly baked cupcakes and I will invariably take the largest. I trust that my wife will not make use of this information.