All three of us were house-ridden today. I was entertained by Christmas messages from the other side of the world, wishing me a happy and white Christmas, but the closest we were going to get to that was grey.

I now understand what a Netflix marathon is, for that’s pretty much how we entertained ourselves all day. Eventually I got off the couch and went across the road to the shops (I know, open on Christmas day) for dinner supplies. I made risotto, something Alex had never eaten, so I was happy he liked it. It was a good hearty meal that made us all feel better.

After another movie, my first ever attempt at making Pavlova was ready to come out of the oven. I hadn’t liked my chances of success considering Alex’s oven and the fact that most Pavlovas are prone to collapse or not cook evenly, but to my surprise, they turned out almost perfectly. My only mistake was not lining the alfoil I put them on, so they stuck and made a mess, but by the time I removed the last one, I had the knack and the presentation wasn’t too bad.

They were way too sweet in my opinion, I won’t be adding as much sugar as the recipe suggests next time, but the fruit was nice with it and the texture was pretty much spot on. The Germans enjoyed the experience. Amazing to think I’d spent over two hours creating the things and they were gone within minutes.

Another movie, then we were off to bed, excited that we had plans to leave the house and go to Dortmund tomorrow.

Netherlands Fact #4: Everything is open on Christmas Day, and not reduced hours, more like 8am-6pm. Whatsmore, they’re packed with people!