It is always down to earth
with a bump after a holiday and this time was no exception.
People who knew that we were
back started phoning, and things were back to normal apart from a mountain of
holiday clobber to wash and dry, and later on get the old ironing board out too. The cases are all stowed
away until the next trip and that will no doubt be a work trip. Steve has been on the phone
most of the morning and has now gone out to try to find a delivery van that we
need to check on for a client. I have been passing info and notes of things
to do and where to go, from the 2016 diary into the 2017 diary and marking up
the new calendar in the kitchen with race dates and theatre visits etc.
All the holiday fresh air
and resting up was all well and good but I had a bad first night back in our
own bed which makes no sense at all. Having slid out of bed (our bed is ridiculously high) several times during the night, I
finally gave up on trying to force myself to sleep by 4.45am when I went out
into the kitchen and put the kettle on. While the kettle boiled I went upstairs
(Yes, we sleep downstairs…Oh, just because we do) to face the demons and stepped on the
scales in the bathroom. It was not as bad I had thought it would be but I had
gained four pounds and that is quite enough. The period from when I came down with
a nasty cough that would not go away, then bled into the holiday period and all signs
of careful eating had flown out of the window.
My husband, who is a love,
believes in the old 'Feed a cold and starve a fever' idea and since I did not
have a temperature along with the nasty cough, ‘Feed’, it was. The approach to Christmas and our jaunt away
allowed no point where my man thought it in any way realistic to get back on
the healthy eating plan until we got home.
Since we were still on
holiday, the start point for the weight loss plan would not start on January first
since we did not get home until last evening. I had suggested that we then
start behaving like sensible health conscious sports people on January 6th
and that because we were both brought up with Christian values and ideas, have
always counted January sixth as the arrival of the Kings, twelfth night in
fact. However when I referred to it at 'La Fȇte des Rois', it was checked up on
t’internet!!
There are three important elements to the French tradition of La Fête des Rois; the galette des rois, the féve (a small object that is placed in the galette des rois) and the crowning of the king and queen.
The féve is discreetly placed in the galette des rois prior to serving it. The cake is then cut so that there is a piece for everyone who is present as well as a spare piece called la part des pauvres. This extra slice is cut as a symbol for loved ones who are no longer with us and for those who are less fortunate. Nowadays, the slice is also designated for the unexpected visitor and is saved for a later treat.
Traditionally, the youngest family member would slide underneath the table and designate how the slices would be distributed. This prevents cheating since the baker of the cake does not choose how the slices are handed out. After each family member was served, the cake would be eaten and the person who discovered the féve was king for the day and selected his queen. The designated king and queen wear gold paper crowns.
When I asked when Steve he was going to check out the damage by stepping on the scales he nominated Friday 6th. I know when I am beaten. And so with a promise that we would not delay the diet any further than that date I gave in. That will be the first Sunday in Epiphany since lots of church dates are reliant of that….. Including our anniversary which we hold on Ascension day which is why our wedding anniversary is a moveable feast and always on a Thursday.
The diet starts Monday morning without fail!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
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