This afternoon from las manos de Mayti, we were treated to Ignacio’s favourite dessert – an avocado mousse. It is made from blended avocados, apples, orange juice with sugar. On the top is sprinkled ground cinnamon and today I had an additional garnish of dried coconut.

It is quite a mellow tasty dessert which completed the feeling of calmness that I felt after the preceding lunch of salad and a Turkish inspired chickpea dish.

I’m having to pinch myself that it’s actually Christmas Eve today! ‘Normal’ Christmas Eves for me have even been spent at work, counting down the hours before I can leave, rushing around doing last minute Christmas shopping or collecting relatives from various places in the country or helping my sister get the family Christmas dinner ready. Not this year.

This year, in the late morning and early afternoon I was at the beach, soaking up the sun. Making me feel thankful and joyous.

We briefly stopped the local Carrefour to get some essentials and I could not help but take little snaps of the giant sized vegetables on sale and all the various panettones stacked about the place. That did make me feel a little Christmassy.

In the evening I attempted to bake my first cake in a ‘foreign’ country (!). Carrot cake is one in my favourite cakes to bake so I requested that I bake one for Ignacio and his parents for Christmas Day.

It seems to have come out OK. It certainly smells nice. Let’s see what it will taste like tomorrow!