It was late in the evening when I walking into the cafe. As I passed by the kitchen I saw Jan and Andrew handcuffed together with a vertical ceiling support beam between them. Two sets of handcuff? Terri has been uhhh instituting precautions again. Now thats dedication.

The Christmas music is playing. The kitchen is stocked with food and spirits. . . un maybe a restock of rum is needed. Lets see, ahhhhh yes, Parrots Tail black rum is available at a decent price. Carribbean brown spider is also available. Need more pumpkin spice and hot spice wines. Parkbraü Pilsner and Permenade just restocked. 47 deep fried turkeys, 38 spiral cut honey baked hams, 100 lbs of mash potatoes, enough condements for 200 servings. Potato & Ox tail soup 12 gal. "World of Pies" has 27 types they guarantee to supply 13 of each. Oopps whipped & ice cream. Lets see there is Farm Crest in CO. and Blue Bonnet in TX. BBQ Brisquet at 45 lbs. hhhmmm may not be enough. . .

For the place settings need to bring out the green & red tableclothes, china and oops almost forgot the Santa Sleigh center pieces. Going down to the basement to the secret room. . . Lets see, 53 cases of 30 year old single Malt Scotch, 23 cases of Bourbon, Well if Andy and jan were going to drink up the rum at least they did n't find this room. Back up stairs after securing the secret door and loosing the Dobies.

Movies, lets see now. All the holiday standards and the new Christmas through the ages in cinema. How did this XXX movie get in here? To the furnace with you.

Finally two new mop buckets. Jan and Andy are using the others.

OK, that's my Christmas dinner sorted, what are you lot going to eat

Stephen , we are going to need more food , Andrew won't share with the rest of us !

Its ok Terri there will be plenty. He and Jan are still handcuffed to each other with the pillar between them and your the only one with the key. We have lots of leftovers. Make them up a plate each and take them back to the kitchen and set them on top of their buckets.

"Miracle on 34th St." and "Its a Wonderful Life" are the double features tonight. Hey Skip pass the potatoes please and the ravy boat as well. You guys in the kitchen ok?

Only 53 Cases of 30 Year old? it's gonna be a quiet Christmas then!!

Stephen, have the potoatos and the gravy. is there any black pepper about?

Andy

Andy can you pass the salad please ! , I would love another glass of wine Stephen .

Oh yeah , the key . Funny thing about that though , with all the excitement of the days activities I have seem to have misplaced the key !!! Not to worrier though my Uncle is a excellent TV repair man and has a neat collection of tools .

Here's the pepper Andy , any thing else ?

Better hurry that uncle Terri or things are going to get very messy and unhygenic round here

The scene is one of unilatreral satisfaction. The boys have been loosed from their shackles. Plates are littered with turkey and ham bones. Empty bowls are strewn about with only the most minor remanants of their original cargo in evidence. Pie pans are likewise bereft of their original contents. Only the most minor crusts left. Bottles and kegs are drained and in the back room all 98 hammocks are filled with sleeping, snoring and thoroughly stuffed for the holidays Aeroscale members.

In the main room groups watch the snow falling out side holiday music and videos are the main features along with the roaring fire place. Couches tables and chairs filled to capacity. The warmth of the season in evidence. I sit in my back office at the desk. Quietly enjoying a bit from my private stock and glad that I braced a chair under the door knob. Reclining back in my chair I feel the arms of Morhius and that twit of a sandman tossing fairydust. Ah well a small nap wouldn't be too bad. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

It is nice celebrating other people's holidays, this could become a habit, I could celebrate all the holidays from every religious group and country and not go to work.....and not get paid......and get fat(ter).........and turn into an alcoholic, maybe not........this gin is obviously not having a good effect. Anyway, must sober up, Need for Speed starts tomorrow and I'm trying NMF for the first time. I forswear all drink from now.......after this one........and one for the road. Tomorrow's film HAS to be the The Right Stuff.

You are reading my mind. Was thinking of "The Right Stuff" and "Space Cowboys" as well.

Excellent choices of films, i'll be there later - have an appointment to donate a pint of blood tonight. Any chance of a pint of Guinness waiting for me - need to replace the iron in the blood.

Andy

No worries Andy! I think we could manage several.

I do wish everyone had a very enjoyable thanksgiving . Sorry for not being around of late have been ill . Missed some good movies here ! Now with it being the Christmas season now . It's time for a Charlie Brown Christmas and The Grinch Who stoled Christmas and all of the other favorites . Can't forget the eggnog with rum !!!!

Terri

Welcome back, we've missed you - glad you're feeling better. Christmas films - nice. Will be able to have my favourite - "Muppet Christmas Carol" - which is actually quite close to the real story - even having correct dialoge in places

Andy

Thanks Andy , It's good to back ................well look at this here in my basket ...fresh farm eggs and cream , what's this , a bottle of rum .How did that get in there

Terri - thats a gooood Eggnog - feels like Christmas already. We've been out to the forest behind the cafe and cut down that elegant specimen standing in the corner. Where did we put those lights last year I have found a Fairey for the top (1/48 Tamiya Swordfish) just need to find the rest of the decorations .........hope they are not in the cellar

Glad you like the eggnog , would you care for another cup ? no Stephen has them up here already over in the corner ( points to corner ) . Specking of Stephen and Jan come to think of it , has anyone seen them ?

Lots of people to climb over here, it seems.

I've got a hot bucket of swedish red wine glögg for when the eggnog is out, but it needs to stay hot. Eggnog is for housecats, while glögg is for the wildcats playing in the snow.

We need some chopped almonds and some raisins to go with that, though. If anybody want the recipy, I'll just jump out for some spice translation.

Cinnamon and cardamom, and what's those buggers called that you stick into oranges...... Hmmm! Gotta look that up, i guess Just stick to the eggnog 'til I'm back.

Them Buggers is called cloves!!

Thanks Andy. I'm starting to get it together then. Everybody ready by the sink? Time to make Glögg!:-[ ]

Go over to the Hick just outside the city limits and steal 1-2 dl of homebrew (vodka, that is). Make sure you get away clean==) , otherwise purchased Smirnoff or Absolut will do just fine for the morally steadfast. Pour that in a bottle or can and add the following.

20 of them buggers (cloves), a teaspoon of ground ginger, a teaspoon of ground dried seville orange peel (should be on the spice shelf in most parts of the world) and two teaspoons of ground cardamom. Then you pull out your leatherman, fold out the pliers and break down 5 or 6 bars of cinnamon in the can. Close, shake, don't look at it - cause it looks reeeally sick - and let it stand overnight.

More to follow tomorrow, when we must send someone out to get a bottle of bad spanish red from a wino in your neighbourhood.

Glögg rocks!

Down in the basement doing inventory again. . . Gotta get ready for Christmas. . . What is that smell? cloves?, oranges, cinammon? Someone's making Glögg! Gee I hope they don't look at it before they drink it tomorrow. Wait a minute. . . there are two cases of Smirrnoff missing!

Woops, did I take two cases allready . Then we need roughly 200 bottles of low grade spanish red. Anybody know somebody with that in the stash? Guess I'll have to chop a cinnamon tree too somewhere.

I know where you can get the 200 bottles of wine and then some . There's this guy who has a cellar and everything you need is right down in there . Just need to be good at book keeping and change the inventory records .

We also need to make a batch of Yukon yuk-a-flux ! So I'm off to the store to pick lots of fruit for this one . ...........................

Terri. That sounds like the movie where Kevin Costner and Sean Connery crashes a Chicago beverage enterprise. As a regular army guy I'm not good at that, but if you got ninja-skills - go right ahead. In the mean time I'll just finish the Glögg as a normal winebottle size.

When you get in the black ninja suit I'll filter the booze to get the yucky brownish bottom glurg out. Somebody here did shake the can a couple of times last night, right?

Ok, that done - can I have the pot over there? - I'll heat the wine in the pot and stir down 1,5 dl of powder sugar in it. Y'all metric here I reckon, so you get the amounts right?

So, wine is slightly smoking, the sugar has dissolved - then we pour the spiced booze into the pot, stir a little more and voila - Glögg. Smells like christmas, doesn't it.

Now just get a teacup, drop some raisins and chopped almonds into it, and pour some glögg in. And . . . hey, don't smell it so close - It'll go to yer head!

And Stephen, you won't really miss the boxes eh. We'll need to spice some schnaps for midsummer too you know...

Not me this time Stephen, can't stand the stuff. btw have you managed to get any Ardbeg, I'm partial to a dram of that, suitably chased by a nice pint of John Smith's Bitter, nectar of the Gods. There are some compensations for living this side of the pond Failing that, just order plenty of Erdinger,mmmm
Film tonight was the silly but watchable Bird on a Wire