We had a wine tasting party recently to celebrate Friedel passing her WSET exam and you can see what we drank. It was good fun but next time we would choose fewer wines — it took us a while to get through so many. We’d make sure there was more food too. Everyone ate a lot more than we’d expected.

On Saturday we went to a reunion in Central London of Allisonians living in the UK. The MtA president Ken Ozmon and his wife Elizabeth were there and updated us on everything going on at the university. It was also pointed out to us that Andrew’s 10-year reunion is coming up, though we don’t think we’re likely to make the trip. It’s always good fun to meet friends from back home so thanks very much to Eric Brown for organising the afternoon.

Today our bicycles took us to the Thames Barrier, the flood protection for London. It’s in the east of the city, past lots of grotty industrial estates and near City Airport, but despite this the barrier itself is almost elegant with its silver sails rising up from the river. On the way back we skirted through Canary Wharf, getting home just before the sunset at 4pm.

A very happy New Year to all our family and friends. We had a wonderful night. Dinner with friends in Brixton, then up to the centre of London to watch the fireworks, which were amazing! Then it was a quick cycle ride home. Bike was definitely the best way to travel, since there was a strike on the tube. Yay for pedal power.

I found some lamb shanks on sale and stocked up and wow, have I ever been enjoying them! The meat is just so tasty, it practically melts in your mouth, and when you make a recipe like Braised Lamb Shanks the gravy is nothing short of amazing. Add in some mashed potatoes and I’m in heaven!