Saturday 8 February
Dag kindly picked us up and drove
us out to (and eventually brought us back from) their beautiful house outside
Oxford. There Diane welcomed us with
drinks (including cherry "brandy" made at a nearby Roman villa site)
in what we would call the living room (parlor? lounge? withdrawing room?),
which contained wonderful paintings, pieces of china, and sparkling glass and
crystal.
The dining room was similarly
dazzling as we proceeded there to confront a multitude of courses and glasses,
each one generously filled.
Course 1, accompanied by a New
Zealand sauvignon blanc, was silky-smooth slices of gravlax and little vegetable quiches from Diane and Dag's
favorite baker at the Covered Market.
Course 2 was a giant platter of
the rare roast beef of old England (with a rich red wine to go with it), served
with boiled little potatoes, a brimming bowl of creamed spinach, and mixed
broccoli, carrots and peas.
Course 3 was pudding, as we are
slowly getting used to calling it: vanilla fudge ice cream and luscious chewy
brownies. And as usual here,
"dessert" was served in the living room, featuring various
after-dinner drinks, coffee, or tea, plus chocolates, chocolate-covered
dates, airy-light multicolored macarons from Gatineaux, and of course more
brownies.
Everything was delightful,
especially the conversation, which wandered back and forth over many years of
history, and from Brooklyn to Oxford and points in-between. We couldn't have felt more warmed and
welcomed; so thanks, Diane and Dag!
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