Quiche with friends and a trip down memory lane

West Chester was an almost autumn-like place to be today. Highs of 58 degrees and no sign of rain, with a lovely breeze that swept the cobwebs away.

We had friends Jen, Marc and Max over for brunch (brunch was chosen because of Max and Lucy's sleeping habits making lunch a bit tricky). I made a couple of my quiches, thinking that the eggs and cheese would be a nice brunchy kind of food to serve. I made one with bacon and mushroom (the breakfast quiche) and the other with salmon and broccoli (the healthy quiche). They went down well and Joe has now officially added quiche to my repertoire of 'Charlie specialities'. My Granny Grey was a big fan of making quiche, so perhaps that's where I get it from :)

The weather demanded that we make the most of it so we took off after food to the park. I was daring enough the leave the table un-cleared and washing up all over the sink (for those of you that know me well that is enough to make me have a nervous twitch until it's cleaned up). Max and Lucy had a great time on the swings and the slides. Being very active and great on his feet, Max happily ran across the wobbly bridge on the climbing frame which was most impressive. Even more impressive was Jen and Joe's turns on the tube slide...rather them than me, it's pretty tight!

After Lucy had her nap (a good long one after all that food and excitement), we sat down to watch 'The Snowman' which was a very thoughtful gift for Lucy from her Auntie Jane. I haven't found this film or any reference to it in America, so I'm assuming it just isn't known here. But in England this is a classic Christmas film that send me back to my childhood Christmases as soon as I see the box.

For those not familiar with 'The Snowman', it is a short animated film based on the book by Raymond Briggs. A little boy named James wakes one day to find his garden covered in snow...snowman-making snow. He builds a beautiful snowman which has a tangerine nose and the essential pieces of coal for eyes. During that night the snowman comes to life, and he a James have a wonderful, magical adventure.

This film plays to two of my favourite things - beautiful illustrations that make you want to dive into the screen, and a stunning musical score that sends your heart soaring at various points throughout. There are no spoken words in the film, only a classical score and one song which is sung by a very famous choir boy (now a much-older baritone). Lucy enjoyed it for the most part, when other toys in her playroom didn't manage to distract her. Joe and I were glued and after several years without it playing part in our Christmas, I vowed to include it as a tradition like it was when I was young. Check it out, it really is a treat.