Amish brown sugar cookies

were on the menu yesterday.

No, I did not make them and you can look up one of the many recipes for yourself. I was given some by a good friend. She also produced some ginger biscuits, a little "book" with tea bags in tiny envelopes and a handmade Christmas card - all in a lovely little bag. It was so special and I feel very privileged. 

This is all the more so because, apart from cooking Christmas cake for my cousin and his partner, I have done nothing about Christmas. No wait, I did send cards overseas but I even had to give those to someone else to actually post. I still have a few local cards to send - to those people I do not actually get to see. 

At least I had the soap ready to give L... I try to give her some for the charities she supports. I picked some up from another friend recently. She orders two hundred bars at a time for the same sort of purpose. I share the cost with her. It's good soap and they have some lovely perfumed varieties.

L... and I had a lovely time chatting and drinking tea but she had to leave much too early! I know she had to go somewhere else as well and I didn't want to detain her and then have her rushing in the appalling weather. After she had gone I was settling down to finish something off and the doorbell went. Was she back? Had she forgotten something? Who else would be out in this weather? 

It was C.... partner of my lovely Canadian friend M...  He looked damp and down. (M... is still in Canada and they are missing one another dreadfully.) He had come down the hill from the place they are renting to see if there was some timber in the shed. He was about to repair something that the strong winds had broken apart. I sent him out to the shed and I put the kettle on again.

I also put the "cookies" on a plate. (To Downunderites these are "biscuits" - not "cookies" but C...is Canadian.) C... came in and sat at the kitchen table with the largest mug filled with tea. "Have one," I told him, "L... brought them for me to share."

He took one, took a bite. There was silence while he chewed and swallowed and then he gave me a proper smile and said, "I've had these before. They taste just like the sort I had in a place called Norwich - Canada Norwich. The Amish women make them. We stopped for a coffee and they had these. They were still warm from the oven. "

Other people make them of course. They are probably very popular over there but C... was suddenly looking more cheerful. He's off to Christmas in Canada in about ten days and I know that will help but a mug of tea and a biscuit which reminded him of something good helped yesterday. Thanks again L... !