Chrismas meal and ghost stories

Yesterday  some friends and relatives gathered at my place. Although, everybody was already fed up with food, and they strongly refused everything, while talking and laughing, the few dishes and sweets which were on the table disappeared gradually. What I enjoyed mostly was the invariable point of the discussions related to supernatural events. It astonishes me how long conversations tend to slip somehow towards that point after a while. It's supernatural. I recognised the story heard before about how my mother almost found her death in a snow of a haunted ravine. Having heard it before, doesn't mean that it doesn't give me chills every time I hear it. I blame my imagination. I actually see her on that hill top fighting the deep snow and trying to find her way through the thick fog towards my grandma's house where I was waiting for her. She did that trip some many years ago, when I was around three years old and every transportation was suspended due to the heavily snowing. But she didn't want to give up joining her family and bringing me presents for Christmas and so she risked going over the hills, some 15 kilometers, to the village. She tells us every time that she knew that road very well, but that time the snow had covered every sign of it so she had to guide after other things. At one time she almost lost her way when she heard some geese to her right. Confident that it meant, a village was there, she started going to that direction. She knew that a certain village had to be on the right of the road. While walking she glanced also to the opposite direction and to her surprise she saw a light there. She decided to turn round and go to the light. When she got to the house where the light was, she recognised the woman who came out and realised where she was. She said that the village should have been to her right not her left and was really puzzled why she heard geese in the other direction. There was nothing there. When she managed to get to my grandma's, after being well scolded for her deed, she told the family about her adventures. To her surprise everybody froze when they heard about the geese. Grandma told her that was a life and death moment for her. She told my mum that the direction she had gone first was taking her to a deep ravine which was known for being haunted. It had tricked many people to their death and people avoid going there as much as possible. She named some people from the villages around who had been mysteriously found dead in that ravine. As you can see I know the story very well, testimony to that fact that it impressed me very much.
Another story that impressed me yesterday was one told by a friend. He told us about a conversation he had with a colleague from work some years ago. The friend told him that the previous evening, he and his sister were going home taking a shortcut through a train depot when a  cat attacked them The cat seemed mad jumping on them with its claws out. Startled, they started kicking it with the bags they were carrying. To their surprise, the bags seemed to pass through it, not touching it. My friend expresses his disbelief and that they must have imagined that weird cat. He would have forgotten the story, if the second day, in the same area, something weird hadn't happen to him too. He told us that while walking along a fence, a dog came to him and started barking aggressively at him. Surprised, he stepped back, only to be startled by the sudden movement of a cat which crossed his path. Surprise made him back up a little more, almost being hit by a train which  turned the corner on some nearby rail. He said that the blow knocked him to the ground, but he was happy to be alive. He still doesn't know how come he didn't hear the train approaching.

Hog's pudding

The Scorch

Today is the day for preparing the hog's pudding. The various pieces of meat, grease and organs will be put in the special pig intestine, together with all can be gathered from the head. I love when I find in it the crunchy ear. I think the combination of soft and hard pieces and the condiments put in it, make this dish one of my favourites in Christmas mornings.

Orange shimmering snow

A desire for some movement, led me last night to go to one of my mother's elderly aunt. There I ended up with a snow shovel and broom in my hand, cleaning her paths in the yard. It seems everyone had the same idea, because in the street we met with two neighbours clearing the walkway too.
Going down, I enjoyed the orange nuance given by the street lights to the shimmering impeccable snow. I love the sunset colours in the winter, when we seem to live in a fairytale. The snow plow going by with the small national flag hanging by a side, made a funny appearance while heading straight to the distant darkness.
All was great! Not great was the chill which caught me in the evening, announcing a cold. It was worth it anyway, the evening contributed to my general well being.

Winter's moods and Christmas preparations

These days passed in a hurry. Some inspections, a school celebration and parties were the highlights. All around, winter is playing with us, showing us randomly beautiful white days and then gloomy ones. It's been great for me, except yesterday when, probably due to some students' curses, I had some bad luck. Some boiling oil took a swing at my face and my middle finger went the wrong way when I slipped on a wet floor. My eyes, fortunately, were protected by some glasses, and only my finger enjoys these days a very nice black-blues colour. It looks like I used it one too many times to wave it. That reminds me of Mr Bean (Seehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDqe2rtRnPQ)
These days began also the preparation for Christmas. I took a picture of my mother's fat and very spicy sausages as they proudly filled a pot. I enjoyed the first ones deep fried in oil and the garlic still seems to haunt my mouth now, a day later. The sheets for the traditional nuts sweets are ready too, waiting for the syrup and hungry mouths.