Christmas festivities

This weekend was a lot of fun doing some stuff that I do every year around now - it's feeling really nice and Christmassy!

 

On Saturday I helped Enid out at a cocktail party she holds every year.  Below are some pics of the food and drink.

 

Salmon blinis with cream cheese and sweet chilli sauce - or taste explosions as Enid and I call them!

Drinks table

Jameson & Ginger

Gin & Elderflower Tonic

Vodka & Tonic

Prosecco

Beer and Wine

My South African aunt's amazing party food - Cream cheese & sweet chilli sauce with melba toast.  I know!  It doesn't sound much but you would not believe how great this tastes!

 

Devils on horseback

Mini Quiches

Prawn cocktail

Prawn toast

Chicken in filo

Mince pies

Enid, Svetlana, Elsie and myself enjoy the festivities.  We had fun catching up and it was a really lovely night.

 

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Sunday!

 

Sunday morning we were up bright and early to meet Alice for Basket Brigade.  This is our 7th year taking part in this wonderful event which helps 190 families in Dublin at Christmas time.  Enid has done a super blog about it over on Renovating LPA, read it here!

 

Afterwards we went for our traditional Post Basket Brigade Pitt Bros lunch - which was fab as always.  It's always nice to see Alice before the madness of Christmas and New Years.  This year the conversation was mainly centred around our Key West trip and all the wonderful things we did there.

 

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On our way to Pitt Bros I passed a building site, that I swear when I saw it I nearly fell off of my bike!

The controversial ESB buildings are gone!!!

I am still in shock!  After causing so much debate for so long, it's crazy to think that they have been knocked down - literally overnight.  And while I really didn't like them, well certainly not that style in that particular location, I am sad to see one of Dublin's examples of Mid Century Modern architecture gone.

 

The streetscape looks so different with the buildings gone. 

Do you see the building right down the end of the street, marked by the green arrow? That's the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street where yours truly was born!!