Macaroni cheese a la Baboon HQ

Yesterday we were planning to go out for a curry in the evening, but the weather was so bad that we decided to stay at home and cook.  We only had ingredients for macaroni cheese, so that is what we cooked.  Like everyone we, at Baboon HQ, have our favourite flavourings.  Tashi volunteered to cook.

He started by getting the ingredients ready, including our favourite flavourings and the Baboon HQ secret topping.

He cooked the pasta and made the cheese sauce, adding our favourite Baboon HQ flavourings.  Well it may be a strange combination to other people but we like our macaroni cheese with black pepper, paprika and thyme.  Those are not the flavourings that the recipe suggests but we like it.

Before putting it in the oven Tashi had to add our secret Baboon HQ topping.  So, to let you into the secret, along with the grated cheese we put half a bag of crushed Walkers Sensations chili flavoured crisps (to our readers from outside of the the UK Walkers are known as Lays in other countries).  We think it is yummy!!

Once the macaroni cheese was in the oven Tashi prepared some green beans to have with the macaroni cheese.  Once they were boiling there was one job left to do, lots and lots of washing up.  That is when Tashi disappeared.

Ah ha!! That is why the large laundry basket was chosen is it!  Tashi is hiding from the washing up.  Well I guess he has worked hard cooking so fair enough!!

Christmas eve and Christmas day at Baboon HQ

Christmas eve promised to be a busy day at Baboon HQ so we started with breakfast at French Franks, in Ryde.

Croissants of course.  It was Harry's first visit there.  When we got home there was cooking to do.  Edward started it off by making the apple cake that we baboons have for breakfast at Christmas.

Edward is a methodical baboon so he assembled the ingredients first.

Then he mixed them in the bowl.

Eventually it was ready for the oven.

Then Yaya decided to stew some fruit for breakfast, the pears and nectarines wouldn't ripen so that was the best way to use them, and its very tasty.

Learning from Edward, Yaya assembled the ingredients first.  The he had to cut up the fruit into small pieces.

Once he had done that he mixed in some ginger, allspice and honey and then left it to simmer.

In the meantime Edward's cake was ready to come out of the oven, he left it to cool while he made a veggie lasagna for our dinner.

In the afternoon we walked along the seafront for some fresh air after all that cooking.

You can't see them clearly but Harry found some primroses, on Christmas eve, strange!!

On Christmas morning we ate some of Edward's apple cake for breakfast.

Marley and I found it very tasty, we also had some of Yaya's stewed fruit.  Great team work!

After breakfast some young baboons got a bit over excited.

Little Tony climbed the Christmas tree, silly boy!!  Don't worry we got him down unhurt.

Then Arne got excited about climbing the vegetables and called Ozzie to join him!!  Oh those boys!

We had a lovely light lunch of smoked salmon, salad and baguettes.  Tashi is just waiting for his baguette.  That calmed the little ones down a bit and they watched The Wizard of Oz in the afternoon.

Here are Oregon and Jack just waiting for their dinner, we had mushroom en croute, from Marks and Spencer, roast parsnips, carrots and potatoes and some peas.  It was lovely.

What really interested Jack was the crackers,  yes, Arsenal crackers for Baboon HQ this year!

Harry is out again - 23 December!

Today was a beautiful day and Harry went out again to look for more signs of Christmas.  Harry is young but he knows what to expect from December.  So he was surprised when, from the car, he saw some things he didn't expect in December: snowdrops, primroses, flowering palm trees and daffodils.  It is very warm this winter, so far, so we are seeing strange things.  Anyway Harry started his walk at Horringford and walked to Alverstone.

If you could actually call it walking, someone was walking but was it Harry?  Anyway he found a signpost to Alverstone so he knew where to go.

Alverstone is a very small village on the island, with a vineyard.

He started off walking towards Newchurch which is about half way.  He came across some wintry looking trees.

No leaves, that is reassuring after all of those signs of Spring in December.  After quite a long walk he got to Alverstone and turned back to return to the car.  He was hungry and lunch was the next stop.  We went to Thompson's garden centre at Newchurch.  Look who Harry met there.

He was just sitting resting among the flower pots!  He probably is tired now.  Harry had a look at Christmas wreaths.

This was the one he liked best, very tasteful I'm sure!!  He met this rather unusual reindeer.

I'm not sure he looks quite up to dragging Father Christmas's sleigh around all night tomorrow but who am I to judge!

Then lunch, Harry ordered far too much food, toasted cheese sandwich, salad and chips.  He didn't realise there were crisps with the sandwich.  Never mind, like a good baboon he ate all the salad and the crisps, most of the sandwich and he shared the chips.  Good lad!!

Tomorrow will be Christmas eve, a busy day at Baboon HQ.  Harry will go out for breakfast at French Frank's and then we have lots of cooking to do so a few baboons might join in that.

I think Harry has found Christmas now!

Kolo's Christmas Tribute to FurryTails 2015

It has become a tradition that I pay a tribute to FurryTails at Christmas, so here is this year's effort.  I would have liked to have mentioned everyone but that would go on for ever.  It helps if your name rhymes with 'be'. Here we go to the tune of Jingle Bells!!

FurryTails FurryTails, its the place to be
With Toddy serving beer from Belbaer's brewery

With Chalky and Cuddles in the kitchen

and Ronja serving tea

Oh what fun it is to be in FurryTail's company.

FurryTails Furry Tails, its the place to be
Chatting with TyrFur about football and hockey

Breakfast buffet with Mogsbear

and with Pasikas for tea.

Oh what fun it is to be in FurryTail's company.

FurryTails, FurryTails, its the place to be
Watching football in the lounge when Arsenal beat Man City
Discussing important events
No Jose at Chelsea

Oh what fun it is to be in FurryTails company

FurryTails, FurryTails, its the place to be
Here comes Nanny with the cubs, I'll read them a storeey

Oh here comes our friend Tulip, with Mr Poldark for a cream tea

He seems a jolly nice chap, but is he really better looking than me?

(or me)?

Oh what fun it is to be in FurryTail's company

FurryTails, FurryTails, its the place to be
Sitting by the fire, reading with Sally
Loverrly and warm
With logs brought in by Biddeee

Then dinner of chips with our dear Henree

FurryTails, FurryTails, its the place to be

Oh what fun it is to be in FurryTails company

FurryTails, FurryTails, its the place to be

Christmas time has come with Martha's team at the top of the tree

We're thinking of having new outfits made for us by Snuffeee

Lets all raise a glass of beer to our dear Toddy!!

FurryTails, FurryTails its the place to be

Oh what fun it is to be in FurryTails company

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

21 December - Harry out again!

Harry is taking his duties of finding signs of Christmas very seriously.  Today he decided to go to Bembridge.  Actually he wanted to have breakfast at the Bembridge Bakery, so off we went.  When we got there the bakery had not opened yet so we had a look around.  Harry found some interesting Christmas vegetables at the Bembridge Deli.

Starting with brussel sprouts in their natural state.  Harry was happy to have a picture taken with them, but he didn't want to eat them.  He won't have to, Baboon HQ is not a sprout eating organisation.  Interesting to see the natural state of them though.

He also found these funny coloured baby carrots.  Orange, yes we are used to those, but the pale ones looked like parsnips and the others looked aubergine colour.

The Bembridge Bakery opened and Harry checked out the decorations.  He thought they were nice.  Although there was a manic looking snowman, you can see part of him in the next picture.  You wouldn't want to see his face!! He stared at us all the time.

He enjoyed the breakfast even more.  Toast and marmalade with coffee.  Nothing better than breakfast out!!

When we got back to Ryde we went to buy our own Christmas vegetables.  We went to the fantastic local green grocers Barrow Boys.  We bought potatoes (they advised maris piper for roasting so we got those), carrots and parsnips (all to roast), no sprouts!  While he was there Harry was impressed by the variety of tomatoes.

Multi-coloured like the carrots in Bembridge!  Harry wanted to buy some of each.  We will do but not today.  He thought even the tomatoes looked Christmassy!

Harry is doing well with his outings.  Today he will go to Marks and Spencer to pick  up the mushroom dish we are having instead of turkey.  I wonder what else he will get up to!!

20 December - Harry looks for signs of Christmas

On Friday our people started their holidays for Christmas, so on Sunday Harry Baboon decided to go out and search for signs of Christmas.  He decided to go to Yarmouth, where Mini-Kolo and #MiniBreeze have walked.  He had to get there by car.  He thought he could drive but that didn't work out so well!!

He was starting his walk in Freshwater at the End of the Line cafe so he has coffee first.

He found his first signs of Christmas in the cafe.

First the candle!

Then cranberry sauce and mincemeat, which is not meat at all!!

After coffee he walked down the disused railway to Yarmouth and then back to Freshwater.  Back in the car they drove to Yarmouth, where Harry found the next sign of Christmas.

Holly!!  Don't worry he isn't actually sitting on the prickly holly!

When the rain started there was a dash for Gossips cafe.  When #MiniBreeze was there he got a good view but Harry just saw the rain.  Never mind he will go back there on better days.  Anyway he was really there for lunch.

Cheese and pineapple melt!!  Very tasty!!  After lunch he checked out the cafe decorations.

Plenty of fir tree branches and pine cones.

Well that was Harry's first outing.  He will be chasing down more signs of Christmas tomorrow!!