9 December 2011

Insert witty title here.

I was going to answer Anon's question from ages ago, but I think I've lost the use of my brain.

I feel like...I don't even know what I feel like.

The Murder investigation is on, and after a day of talking to nosey neighbours I think I've already got a list of suspects, and am pretty happy that my prime suspect is a decent shout. Just got to find the evidence.

I almost want to go in tomorrow and get started on it, but I've left the team work to do and I don't want to miss Mycroft's first day home, especially when John is feeling...under the weather.

There's also got to be some point at which my brain decides to shut down to such an extent that my body goes into stand-by. I mean, there just isn't enough coffee in the world. And I keep thinking I should cut down, while all the time I just up it instead.

Sherlock seems to be winding up to have some sort of epic meltdown about school, too, now Mycroft's finished. I'd almost be scared, if I had the energy.

And I completely forgot what I was doing earlier. Serving out dinner, doing John's killer soup of doom, which has about the same heat level as the surface of the sun, I licked the spoon.

I almost swore in front of Sherlock. Happily my tongue had been melted to a useless lump of flesh and I couldn't. I can't believe anyone would eat that stuff. It was pure torture. There's no flavour, apart from pain.

34 comments:

John H. D. Watson said...

Pain isn't a flavour. And if the surface of the sun had a flavour, it would be delicious. I'm sorry my soup ate your tongue though.

Greg Lestrade said...

I sort of assume everything has to have a flavour. And all your soup tasted of was pain. Ergo, pain is a flavour.

As long as you enjoyed the soup it was worth it. I'll regenerate taste buds one day. Probably.

Anonymous said...

It's easy to forget how tired kids get by the end of term and combining that with Mycroft's longer holidays I'm not sure that I blame Sherlock!

Also pain so is a flavour!

John H. D. Watson said...

It was great, thanks. The perfect level of pain, I mean heat. And I'm finally warm now, been freezing all day.

Greg Lestrade said...

You so are ill.

It has been taters out, I admit, but you've been indoors most of the time. I'm going to make you a hot toddy and wrap you up in a fnug and generally spoil you a lot, I think.

John H. D. Watson said...

Maybe, a bit.

That sounds like heaven.

ANJ said...

Sort of reminds me of the first time I encountered wasabi. My family, through snickers, told me to get a glob on my finger and just swallow it. I was about five, and not much given to mistrusting them yet, so...I did.

And they wonder why it took me ten years to become open to the concept of trying new food.

Greg Lestrade said...

You got to go back to the germ-pit before Christmas? Or has Sarah set you free now to wrangle children and DIs?

And is Mrs Hudson and/or anyone else spending Christmas with us? I need to order meat.

John H. D. Watson said...

As far as I know I'm off until after Christmas.

I have no idea. I'll ask Mrs Hudson and Mrs Holmes tomorrow, and Harry too. Am I missing anyone?

Greg Lestrade said...

Make sure Anthea's doing something? And if we can find out what security is on I'll cook for them too.

Plus any other waifs and strays...

I was going to say I'm glad you'll get a rest. But it's probably more restful being there than with the two tiny terrors.

John H. D. Watson said...

Maybe, but it's more fun here.

Right, good point. Anthea went home last year, but I don't know what her plans are this year. I'll ask, and about the security team.

Greg Lestrade said...

just try to keep Sherlock in check enough that I can get through the door at the end of the day as he slowly moves every single Christmas decoration from every shop in London into our small flat.

Greg Lestrade said...

oh, and any particular requests for the menu should be made sooner rather than later...

Do we want turkey? Or to go non-traditional?

John H. D. Watson said...

Anything you want to make is fine with me. We can ask the boys in the morning.

Greg Lestrade said...

Yeah, we should.

Been ages since I've cooked proper Christmas dinner. I think I'm going to enjoy it.

John H. D. Watson said...

I'm sure I will too, whatever you decide to make. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

Greg Lestrade said...

probably just try to stop Sherlock levitating with excitement :)

Hopefully we can all help, then in the afternoon ignore the washing up and get out for a walk or something.

I might even miss the Yard's attempt at Christmas dinner, it's been all I've had for quite a few years...or not.

Rider said...

I'm working Christmas day although this year I wangled the afternoon shift as I refused to start at 6am. They still schedule an afternoon shift (and feed the people thereon) even though everything's been quiet by 11am for the last 5 years and I bet I'll turn up, eat lunch and get told to go home.

They are paying me for the whole day though so I'm not complaining!

(the food will be nothing fancy, sandwiches and slices of fruit cake, but anything you didn't cook yourself...)

Piplover said...

They have me scheduled to work on Christmas day, too, Rider. I won't say what I think about that, as this is a family blog, but I am a bit peeved that they rearranged everyone's schedules to make them work. I usually have Sunday and Monday off.

I'll be able to take the time off, though, so I'm not too upset. Lots of food and family are what I'm looking forward to!

Rider said...

Pip, my family is at the other end of the country and we aren't much for Christmas anyway. So I usually volunteer for Christmas and the week between Christmas and NY, give the family people the time.. Then I take a week or 2 off afterwards.

Being on your own at times like this is utterly depressing. Nothing on TV, nothing open, even the internet shuts down! So work at least takes up the time.

mazarin221b said...

I get to drive. Drive to 2 hours to grandma's Christmas eve, drive 3 hours to MIL's Christmas day, drive home the day after. HOWEVER - I get to leave my almost-6-year-old and his brand-new-on-Christmas hamster with my MIL until after the New Year. HaHA! My first break in over six months!

(No, I'm not gleeful. Not at all. Why do you ask?)

Greg Lestrade said...

Rider - it's not too bad here. Pubs open, some shops, take-aways. Tv is probably crap the world over though, yeah.

Anonymous said...

Greg, John - I hope both of you sleep soundly and through the night. (And pain should not be a flavor of soup, or anything really...)

Sherlock, Mycroft - Do you think you can keep yourselves (safely!) entertained for a bit in the morning, give John and Greg a bit of a lie-in before the adventures start?

*cuddles*
~ A from NW

Desert Wanderer said...

The two of you sound plum tuckered out. I hope you both get some much-deserved rest this weekend (and during the rest of the holidays, to be honest).

Welcome home, Mycroft. Hope you have a great holiday! You too, Sherlock.

Lindsay said...

Now I'm curious- what does "proper Christmas dinner" consist of, in your part of the world?

For my part, I don't know what most Americans eat for Christmas dinner- my family tradition is a ridiculously good cut of beef (good steaks, not a roast), asparagus, a potato-cheese casserole we call "cheesy potatoes of death" (because of the likely effect on one's cholesterol levels), and a gelatin thing with fruit and sour cream. It's this very bizarre mix of classy and middle-American. ;)

Greg Lestrade said...

Right...'proper Christmas dinner'.

Roast turkey, pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon), stuffing, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, brussel sprouts, peas, carrots and swede - at a minimum :)

Then Christmas pudding with brandy butter and cream after.

But I'm quite happy to change that to some venison, or pheasant or...well, anything.

X said...

Turkey and stuffing and assorted veggies/casseroles is what we do for Christmas in my family in Canada. It's fairly indistinguishable from Thanksgiving dinner, actually. I'd prefer roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, honestly, but since I don't cook it my vote doesn't count. :P

I'm flying home in less than a week and am so excited! Lots to do before then, though, since in some mad moment of weakness I told a friend of mine that her parents could stay at my place while I was gone for Christmas. I'm trying to pack and clean everything now* simultaneously.

*for a given value of /now/. I keep taking internet breaks which is probably why this is taking so long....

Anon Without A Name said...

I've never had pigs in blankets. It wasn't something we did when I was a kid, despite sausages being a fairly regular meal (cheap, you see), and bacon was my Dad's preferred treat. By the time I found out it was a "thing", I was vegetarian.

No Yorkshire puddings, Lestrade? In our house everything except the Yorkshires, roast potatoes and stuffing are optional extras :-p

Greg Lestrade said...

You can do vegetarian pigs in blankets - although I have no idea how good the veggie bacon you see in the shops is.

And no Yorkshires with turkey, no. With beef, obviously they're essential! And gravy...I do love gravy.

Random Anon Lurker said...

I've always wanted to try doing a super-traditional Christmas dinner. You know, goose, roasted chestnuts, christmas pudding, etc. Unfortunately, my family is a bit less traditional, so we usually have what X said. My family's specialty is a sweet potato/pecan/brown sugar casserole that is essentially desert, but it's vegetables, so you can eat it at dinner.

Hope you and your assorted hangers-on enjoy your Christmas dinner!

Greg Lestrade said...

Sally said something about sweet potato and marshmallow? That's not something I've ever heard of... one of her exes introduced her to it, I think.

Anon Without A Name said...

Lestrade - I reckon Quorn veggie bacon is the best of a decidedly mediocre bunch (not sure why all veggie bacon is made in American-style strips rather than rashers, but still); but it's been the best part of thirty years since I ate the real thing, so I'm really not best placed to tell if it tastes like actual bacon or not.

And a roast dinner isn't a roast dinner without Yorkshires :-p

RAL - is it a North American thing, to have fairly sweet dishes as part of a formal dinner? I've heard of candied yams too, although I'm not sure if I got the wrong end of the stick. From your description, I'm guessing that "casserole" is another one of those occasions where we're separated by a common language :-)

Piplover said...

The thing Sally mentioned sounds like sweet potato pie. The recipe I have calls for marshmallows.

Our Christmas dinners usually consist of ham or turkey, green been casserole, potatoes, deviled eggs, rolls, gravy, peas or corn, and then lots of dessert. Usually pumpkin or sweet potato pie, and some kind of chocolate.

Hmmm, now I'm hungry!

RAL said...

Nameless - since I stayed up late last night, and I'm none-too-coherent tonight, this is the defn' of casserole from Wikipedia.


"A casserole, from the French for "saucepan", is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan. In British English, this type of dish is frequently also called a bake, coinciding with the cooking technique used to cook casseroles."

Seems legit. As for the sweet main courses, I don't know if it's a NA thing or a family thing, but it's mostly Christmas and Thanksgiving, for us; it's also mostly just sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, and the occasional jellied salad. Hope that helps!

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