Hobbies, Interests and Pastimes

Here is the last one of the collection :smile:

:sunglasses:

2 Likes

Decided not to put up a Christmas tree this year since I’ll be away for Xmas however bought everything to make my own Christmas wreath :grin: which I will make a start on this afternoon with some festive tunes in the background.

2 Likes

Will get down my 2 fibre optic trees from the attic next week, which don’t require any decorations. Nice and easy!

Going to the cathedral on Tuesday to see the annual Christmas tree festival. I always feel more festive after seeing that.

1 Like

Same with me when I go see my dad’s International choir’s Xmas concert every year. It takes place in this lovely little village church in the hinterland (Can i say this? It sounds german to me!)
Christmas carols and mulled wine, definitely the start of the Christmas season for me. This year will be the first concert in 25 years without my dad who’s given up on this choir. He still sings in a French choir that is more local.

3 Likes

Very proud to introduce you the new Woodford Reserve edition:The Woodford Wheat
This bottle has been signed by the master distiller named Chris Morris during the Whisky Live 2019 edition in Paris for the French release
Very proud to have this one in my collection :smiley:

This one won’t be open…I’ll wait for its release in store to buy one and taste it :blush:

:sunglasses:

2 Likes

From left to right
Woodford Rye
Woodford Double Oak
Woodford Distiller Select
Woodford Wheat
Woodford Malt

Almost all the editions…there are some limited editions in the US like the Woodford Derby edition (Hope to have one one day)

And here in the middle

The Brandy Cask Finish

:sunglasses:

4 Likes

The last one (just arrived 10mn ago)

:sunglasses:

3 Likes

Just finished my christmas wreath. It lights up at night too :blush:

8 Likes

Wow! Great job. :+1:

1 Like

You did it yourself ?

:sunglasses:

1 Like

Yeah! My first :grin:

3 Likes

Beautiful !

:sunglasses:

1 Like

Very impressive Zaz.

1 Like

I’ve never actually asked you this before Zaz, but how did you find yourself at college in Leeds? Were you living and working over here before that?

Ha…pour yourself a cup of tea and sit comfortably :wink:
Once upon a time…:grin:

I was 23 and had just finished a job contract in the south of France and wanted to go work abroad.
I ended up landing in Otley West Yorkshire on Oct 1st 1997, ( right a month after Diana’s death, I’ll never forget how the whole country was in mourning) initially for 3 months, to work for Trevor who owned a cake and chocolate shop, who had himself worked here in France at my dad’s bakery 30 years before. Great Britain had always attracted me, I’d only had visited the country 2 or 3 times before.

One month after I arrived, the girl in charge of the cake decorating dpt. handed her notice in and I seemed to be doing well enough for Trevor to offer me to occupy her position. Since I was really enjoying the job and life up there I was more than happy to accept. I’d never decorated cakes before and absolutely loved it and ended up working there for 3 years.
Which gave me the opportunity to explore Yorkshire and the Dales almost every week end.

Trevor payed for my tuition at Thomas Danby’s College as a part time student in the evening twice a week, on top of working fulltime at the bakery, which was great. I never learnt much about cake decorating there tbh as the best place for that was the bakery, but the experience was worthwhile.
After the first term my teacher made me enter a cake decorating competition that was to be held in Whitby the following May, open to all students in the country where I won the 1st place :grin:
I had only been in the trade for 7 months so it was a great achievement for me personally. On top of that, I had spent my first week-end break there in Whitby for New year’s eve and had fallen in love with the place so it was ace.

The year after I did the advanced course and also took upon another course of sugar flowers.
In the meantime I went to California to stay with the family for 2 months and took up a cake dec course in San Leandro in the Bay area but the level of skills was nothing like it was in the UK so I returned for a 3rd year with no regret.

I had the best of times during these 3 years and was always on the move exploring the the beautiful Yorkshire countryside, did lots of road trips and was able to see bands live I had never had the chance to see before.

Hope it answers your question, sorry if I get carried away when I start talking about my life in England ha ha :grin:!

5 Likes

No, that was very interesting and filled in a lot of blanks! :laughing: :+1:

Like I said, I don’t why I’ve never asked before because it’s something I’ve wondered about. How you found yourself up there! Yorkshire is as good a place as any for an introduction.

1 Like

Been adding a lot of Stamps to my collection lately, these are just a few.

4 Likes

Great those Rab! What sort of dates are we talking?

Ranging between 1860 - 1938 Paul

2 Likes

The new one :wink:

:sunglasses:

3 Likes