Friday 7 November 2008

Lads on Tour

Is there anything that you would like to know about Portugal?

No...seriously...anything...

MrM has emptied the shelves in the local library

and brought home a totally ridiculous number of guide books

MrM and MasterM are having a lads weekend in Lisbon...

and MrsM is staying at home



...somebody has to make the Christmas Cake...

27 comments:

dottycookie said...

Christmas cake is on my agenda for this weekend, too. Where would we be without mums who miss out on other fun in order to make fruitcake?

Quinn said...

I love spending time in Portugal, and am a bit envious of the gentlemen! The cover of the guidebook shows the statue in the center of the square in Lisboa, that is on the banner of my website.
[Sigh.]
Have a lovely time!

blackbird said...

I am covering my eyes and not reading!
It cannot be time for Christmas Cake!

Mary said...

That doesn't sound very laddish to me.

All those guide books.....!

Anonymous said...

What happens in Portugal shoudl stay in Portugal. Best to stay home and make cake!

trash said...

While I feel sure Mr. M will make use of all the information from his trove of books, there is a thought in the back of my mind suggesting Master M may not!

Unknown said...

I think Mr M is definitely a master planner of the highest order - must say I think you get the rough end of the deal - but then I've never made a decent Christmas cake yet - tried everyone's recipes over the years, ruined loads with cremated exteriors and soggy interiors and finally decided that Christmas cakes are not the direction my baking talents lie so admitted defeat and I head off down to M&S each December!

Anonymous said...

I should point out that this is really just a detailed recce for when I take MrsM there in the future. Also someone needs to look after Poppy ...

Gina said...

All this talk of Christmas cake is starting to scare me... I'm going to have to face up to it sooner or later!

walter and me said...

And I can see MrM has an answer at the ready....I should hold him to that promised trip, MrsM. Have a lovely girly time at home. I'm sure Poppy will be happy to have you to herself.

M said...

Oh God, November, the christmas pudding. Faaaaark.

Sorry, can't stop and chat, must start soaking the fruit.

Anonymous said...

PS - might I take this opportunity to recommend the Phaidon Wallpaper city guides to you as featured in the first photo ? http://www.phaidon.com/travel/ provides a full listing and they are very reasonable at £4.95 each.

Who knows which one MrsM might find in her stocking at Christmas ?

P. said...

And Mrs.M is not coming?! Not fair!
I know exactely how you feel. I'm always starving to go to England and it happened more or less three times my husband going to England just for some days and living me at home.
I hope they will come to Sintra. [beautiful and green with a lot of history]
They won't regret it.

Well, the thoughts of christmas cake is good too.

Alfazema

Anonymous said...

Mr.M doing reconnaissance, for a future romantic visit of Lisbon with the lovely Mrs.M?

Well-played, Mr.M, well-played.

I'll be expecting some photographic evidence of the visit, of course.

How else can I live vicariously through the lives of the entire Magpie Family?

Anonymous said...

PPS - I am taking MrsM's spare digital camera for its first outing ... you never know, if I play my cards right I might be able to have a guest blog spot in these annals.

Anonymous said...

I shall think of you inhaling the brandy fumes from the soaking fruit while Mr M drinks the real thing in the sunshine.

I'm with Ann Bebington on this one, I usually head to M & S a couple of weeks before Christmas for my cake, (although I do ice it myself!) I have tried Nigella's "Easy Action Fruit Cake" which was successful.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Anonymous said...

P.S. I love those folding city maps they are so useful.

driftwood said...

every year uptil now I have really enjoyed making the christmas cake, but this year after the raw wedding cake disaster I am terrified, I may still be putting it off come Christmas eve, by which time M&S will probably have sold out.....

Unknown said...

I am planning a Christmas cake tomorrow too and actually I think I would rather be doing that than going to Lisbon. No, really!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a fun time, and just think of all the quiet Alice!

Jackie said...

Dear Mr M
Are you sure Mrs M is spending her free weekend making a Christmas cake while you are away?
(I'd check the bins for signs of M & S packaging when you get home if I were you.)

BreadBox said...

Tsk, tsk, tsk... surely you should be taking advantage of the possibilities of, let's say, a trip to Venice? Florence? Paris?

Christmas cake? Bah humbug!

N.

Anonymous said...

Tiles tiles tiles! That's what I remember about Lisbon. And an elevator which leads to a lovely ruined church with some rather surprising exhibits. And little custard pies. Oh, and the nearby town with amazing palaces. Can't remeber the name, but you should go there.
Have fun, Mr. M.!

Ali said...

I have never made a Christmas cake. Are you shocked?

Anonymous said...

Recce trip all gone v well. Will be coming back with MrsM for sure now that I know there is a Sala de Pegas in the palace at Sintra. All about magpies it turns out...

Belem is the place with the pasteis de nata - we had two each earlier today. Apparently the cafe sells 10,000 per day in the week and 20,000 at the weekend.

Oh, have some half decent pics as well.

Anonymous said...

Where is our guest post?

Anonymous said...

RG - will catch up with real life for a couple of days. MrsM has reviewed photos and thinks some may pass muster for publication in due course.

Fab weather for three days which is rather different to what it has been back in Blighty