First footing in Leith

Katharine was ill over Hogmanay. This meant that she and Jack were unable to celebrate the new year. Two weeks later, the hazelhs happily stepped in for first footing duties and a fabulous party.

We started with Champagne in the sitting room. Then we moved into the kitchen for a marvellous dinner of: caramelised onions with parma ham and parmesan cheese; Persian chicken with apricots, pistachio and turmeric rice; a selection of cheese with Port; and pears baked in red wine.

Between courses we played three rounds of 'BalderNewYear'. As quiz mistress, I challenged the other three to come up with feasible answers to 15 Balderdash-style New Year themed questions of my invention. They all participated enthusiastically, supplying some great responses to my tough questions. In the end, Mr hazelh was the winner. Here are some of the questions with the most imaginative answers:

Q: What is the plot of the film Haunted hogmanay?
A: A black comedy animation about a pig that was slaughtered and eaten at Christmas, who comes back to haunt the family that ate it. (It's really about a ghost hunter, played by Peter Capaldi, hunting the ghost of a murderer called Morag, who haunts the streets of Edinburgh at Hogmanay.)

Q: What is a sjoogwachi?
A: The Canadian version of the Yeti. (It's really a Japanese New Year feast at which squid and salt are consumed.)

Q: What is the plot of the film New Year's Eve?
A: A troubled young woman named Eve relives all the New Year's Eves in her life and learns some sobering lessons. (It's really a romantic comedy that comprises interconnected stories of people experiencing problems on New Year's Eve.)

Q: What is karamu?
A: Japanese stop-motion photography. (It's really a feast to end a celebration of African-American culture which runs from December 26th to January 1st each year.)

After our meal it was back to the sitting room for a music quiz devised by Jack, followed by dancing, helped along by more drink (and chocolates). My blip is one of several silly shots of the dancers.

The other main social event of the day was a lovely long phone call with ClarissaFox in Manchester this morning. She has given me some recommendations for viewing/listening:

The lost daughter on Netflix
Death on the staircase from 2004 on Netflix, and the more recent BBC podcast Beyond reasonable doubt about the same case.
Close to me on Channel 4

Exercise today: walking and dancing (13,397 steps).