Tuesday 29 December 2020

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 29 December 2020 - T for black and white, pianos and toasters

 

Hello lovely ladies,
I hope you have all had a good Christmas. It has been very different this year. In many countries there have been restrictions as how many people could get together.  Also in most countries there was a no-travel advice. But it was advice and not law, so me, being a little rebel, decided to travel as I really wanted to be with my mum, who would have been totally alone this Christmas as my cousin (who would have visited) went away too.
More about that later. First I would like to show you my postcard for today:
It comes to me from China, from Sichuan Province, home town of the panda. It was sent by someone called Danbo.
And here are the stamps:


Curiously enough these stamps were issued on the first of January 2018. The newspaper China Daily writes this:

Stamps for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. CHINA DAILY
Beijing offered a special New Year gift for philatelists and sports fans on Sunday with the launch of the first set of commemorative stamps for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The inaugural set of the stamps comprises two pieces featuring the emblems of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Games on a white background, which designers interpreted as a symbol of the purity of ice and snow.
Each of the stamps has a face value of 1.2 yuan (about 18 cents) and is printed with anti-counterfeit watermarks and the words "Beijing 2022".
The unveiling of the stamps also initiated a licensing program, which authorized the State-owned China Post Group to design and release a series of stamps on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, including the mascots, venues and sporting events, in the next few years.
"The release of Beijing 2022-themed stamps wraps up our preparation in 2017 for the gala event on a high note," Han Zirong, secretary-general of the Beijing 2022 organizing committee, said during the launch.


So, here I am in the Netherlands again. My mother is 96 and every time I visit could be the last time. So I am taking this risk. But as you could have seen in my Friday blog, the journey went well, the airport was almost deserted and al is well (so far). 
The day after we arrived a parcel was delivered. 


It was something hubby had ordered before we left.

It is a roll up practice keyboard. He has been playing it every day since it arrived. Although it has speakers, hubby uses his earphones and practices his inversions.
Mum has a small kitchen and a small oven, so Christmas dinner had to be cooked in stages. I cooked roast pork the day before and on Christmas day I did the roast potatoes. Here is hubby putting some honey on the roast parsnips:
Eventually this was the result:
A nice glass of red wine, brought over from Spain, is my qualifier for Elizabeth and Bluebeard's T-Party.
There were lots of telephone calls to loved ones abroad:

The weather was awful (and stil is), but the first day we were there we had to go food shopping.

The supermarket is just to the left of the car park, so we brought the trolley into the flat.

Half an hour and a bottle of desinfectant later, everything had been put away.
I did some baking and made these cute Christmas trees, covered with chocolate.
We shared one with our coffee:

I started some sock knitting. Toe up with magic loop needles and     Turkish casting on. I have now got to where the heel begins so I have started the second one, leaving the first sock on other needles.
Hubby has been feeling off colour for a month now, he has 'irritable bowel' type symptoms. We have to wait until we get back home to go to see our doctor. But as there are so many celiacs in his family, we thought we'd try a glutenfree diet to see if it makes any difference. So we bought some products today. I'll keep you posted.
Now this is a bread toaster. It doesn't look very special, but it is. It is the toaster mum and dad got given as a wedding present in 1950 and it still works perfectly! How amazing is that! (They didn't have inbuilt obsolescence in those days).
I think I will leave it at that.
I wish you all a very happy and better and above all healthy New Year! 
Hugs,
Lisca


















14 comments:

  1. Hi Lisca, so glad you were able to travel and visit with your Mum. that's really special. the food all looks so good. awesome toaster-I have several appliances that are at least 40 years or more old now and still work too-love that.
    Your Christmas trees look delicious too. I have celiac and it takes awhile to get your system back on track again.
    Happy T and Happy New Year hugs Kathy

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  2. Your mom must be so happy to have you there Lisca. It sounds like you had a nice holiday. I love the idea of a roll up practice keyboard. And most of all, I am really impressed with that toaster. If only things were build like that now there would be so much less trash. Have a wonderful T day and Happy new year too. Hugs-Erika

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  3. wonderful to see that your trip is going so well, and that you prepared such a lovely holiday meal for your mother.

    be well and good luck with all your travels... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  4. LOL, this turned my belly upside-down a bit!
    I had a flatmate who was a Dr of agriculture and went to Beijing on a regular basis, hence students from there often sat in my room when I came home from work. NOT funny. Privacy???

    Love the pic of your happy Hubby!
    Your Mum looks so young!

    Hmmm, beans! And oh, that trolley!!! And even more wow on the toaster! Our 1994-microwave sure looses on this!
    A happy T-day, I am happy after reading this beautiful post!

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  5. Glad your journey to Holland went well.you cooked some delicious food! Great that you were able to be together!I love that keyboard! Hope 2021 will bring us more normality! Stay safe and well, Valerie

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  6. Looks like you had a wonderful Christmas and how lovely to spend it with your mum 😀. Your hubby's new piano is fabulous, what a great idea! Loving the postcard too. Happy T Day and all the best for 2021! Hugs, Jo x

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  7. What an enjoyable Christmas you gave both your mother and yourself. I love that you call it a "trolley" and we call it a "shopping cart." Regardless, I grinned when I read you had used a bottle of disinfectant. Looks like your mother will have food for awhile, at least.

    Even though your meal looks good to some, I have a thing about pork. I never cared for it when I was eating meat and it actually turns my stomach when I see it now that I'm a vegetarian. I'm sure it was delicious, though. The potatoes sure looked good. Who doesn't love potatoes, right?

    I am on my second toaster. I've only owned two in my life, and the second one I bought at a garage sale. It's still working perfectly. I love how the older appliances have such a longer life.

    You had lots of wonderful drinks to share this week, from the wine to your coffee you had with the chocolate covered Christmas trees. Thanks for sharing these with us for T this Tuesday, dear Lisca. I hope the remainder of your time with your mother goes well. Please wish her and Graham a very happy new year from me.

    I enjoyed seeing the new practice piano your husband bought. How clever. Really space saving, too.

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  8. Your food looks delicious, and I love the Christmas tree-shaped chocolate dessert. I'm glad your trip is going well. Happy T Tuesday!

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  9. I keep a gluten free kitchen as husband is celiac as is his daughter and grandson. Let me know if you want any ideas.

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  10. I had to look up musical inversions. Your hubby must play very well. The roll up keyboard is brilliant!

    Christmas dinner looks lovely. Your mom looks very well. I don't think we'd be allowed to take a shopping cart (trolley) from the supermarket grounds. Although in the US, homeless people expropriate them to carry all their earthly belongings.

    Lovely tree cookies. I wonder how many calories are in one. They look more like candy bars than cookies because they're so thick.

    Happy T-day and a Happy (Improved) New Year! Hugs, Eileen

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  11. Love the roll up keyboard! Technology is moving so fast! I love that you didn't have to unload your trolley until you got into your Mum's kitchen! Your meal looks wonderful, especially made in challenging conditions. Those cookies made me drool a little, but no, I mustn't! The toaster must be something of a record breaker! Happy T day and Happy New Year, Chrisx

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  12. Your mom is beautiful and you look just like her. I see that this was a wonderful visit and I know your mom loved it. Interesting that you were able to bring the shopping cart home with you. Here, in the US you are not supposed to. The homeless, however take them to put their things in. I too sterilized everything that comes into my house. That key board is AWESOME!!!! I have been telling Mr. M. that I want a piano or key board. This would be the ticket. Have a very nice day.

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  13. So good that you got spend Christmas with your mom. She looks so happy to have you there. Dinner looks wonderful especially those cookies. Happy T Day and Happy New Year!

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  14. Ah I bet your mum has loved having you visit and well done for sorting a Christmas Dinner with a tiny oven, I hope things improve for hubby keeping fingers and toes crossed xxxx

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