I can't believe January is almost over! Where has the month gone?

It's probably just me and my work-avoidance tactics, but I feel like time is flying, recently...

D and I spent last weekend in Manchester with D's brother and his fiancée. They had given us a cookery course as a belated wedding present, so on Saturday morning, that's where we went. The course was by held in the Cordon Vert Cookery School of the Vegetarian Society, which is near Manchester. We went to one of their day courses, titled Quick and Easy Vegetarian Dishes - such fun!

We were a group of 9 people and the course organisers then split us into three groups of 3 people each. Over the next few hours we were first shown a few recipes and then we set out to make 5 dishes per group, to be finished by 2.45 pm, at which point we would all sit down to eat what we'd made. Would you have thought to make a soup out of half and Iceberg lettuce, some peas and some mint? Let me tell you, it's delicious!

Apart from the Pea and Lettuce Soup, there were also Marinated Tomatoes and Char-grilled Aubergine, a Smokey Artichoke Risotto, a Carrot and Lentil Salad with Spicy Dressing, a yummy Sundried Tomato and Chilly Polenta, a Mexican Bean Salad with Peach and Mango Salsa, Mini-Pavlovas with Frozen Yoghurt and Rhubarb, Ginger and Fig Fool with Passion Fruit in Filo Flowers. All with a minimum of fat and a maximum of taste.

Honestly, I don't think that (xmas being the exception) I have ever slaved so hard in a kitchen on a Saturday, but it really was fun and the meal afterwards, accompanied by wine and classical music, just rounded the day off. It was interesting meeting new people, and, although neither D nor I are vegetarians (although we usually avoid red meat) it was great to learn a few good and quick vegetarian dishes. I always feel that, although I love to eat them, they tend to be more of an effort to make - all that washing and chopping... Now I have a few dishes that I wouldn't mind making every now and then and that don't take forever.

By the time D's brother picked us up around 4 pm, we were barely able to roll into the car. I had 4 (!) helpings of the delicious desserts! And guess what - around 8 pm we were hungry again anyway and decided to go into Manchester for a Korean meal. I haven't eaten Korean food for such a long time, so this was a special treat. We ended up with a kind of banquet - little bowls of various dishes covering the entire table.

All in all, great fun was had, although it seems that D and I are getting old - both of us have been so tired since we've come back! In fact, I wanted to post yesterday but I had to give up and lie down on the sofa instead! ;-)

At least I managed to get a bit of knitting and spinning done. I have started spinning the bit of Soya Silk that I dyed the other day and, as for knitting, I have caved - my first Jaywalker Sock is in the making... Photos of that in my next post.

For now, I am leaving you with the pretty sight of another parcel that finally made its way to me. The lovely Sherrill of Baa Bonny Belle, who I was lucky enough to have as my Secret Pal for the Holiday SP round on the Knitty board sent me an xmas parcel! Here are the goodies:

The parcel, just opened:


And a picture of it all unpacked:


The white stuff is Romney roving and, so I understand, from her own sheep!! Then there is a CD with xmas songs in a really pretty handmade case, and a whole batch of Kool-Aid. Also, not to forget, a pretty pretty xmas card.

Isn't she fabulous? Thank you so much Sherrill!! I'm completely thrilled!