Hopefully this'll help the New Year's Eve party go with a bang!

Happy dragons - we left them tucking into some yummy melon slices whilst we nommed on some Serrano ham and peppered cream cheese with our share.

Well, it was a good shopping haul; not only did we get the yummy ham, but we got the paperwork for the gvt sorted, found both of my sibling's presents, loaded up with lemonade, juice, tins and other heavy items  - and bartered a reasonable bargain on a bagful of fireworks.

There's a nice chap I know on Freeman St who usually has a good collection of explosives, so we made a quick visit to his store. We picked up 22 mixed rockets, a 16 shot barrage box and some MAMMOTH sparklers (though I keep wanting to call them "sprinklers") for £25 - I checked online for their proper prices, and it should be closer to £40.


We also found, oh heaven of heavens! that Southern Comfort finally do Southern Comfort with LIME! No more messing around with the bottle of Rose's and getting the measure wrong - this is a ready made Steamboat in a bottle - just add lemonade.

Needless to say, I have purchased a bottle with some of the money I was given for Christmas. Thanks Nana M, it's lovely stuff!

His Lordship treated himself to a bottle of Martini Bianco with his Christmas money, having discovered both a taste for it and that it's not a "girly" drink. "Well hey, if Bond can drink Martini..." It's the soft vanilla note that appeals to him, the cream soda style flavour in lemonade, as opposed to my preference for the crisper bite of Extra Dry Martini with a nice tart twist of lemon.

It'll be interesting discovering what my sister likes best - her 18th is coming up soon...