Wednesday 7 December 2016

Italian Tradition, A Family Tradition, And The Organic Archers


They stayed at a hotel not that far from the Rialto, it is so secret you need to know to walk into that tiny set of little alleys to find it.

On Xmas morning, instead of the usual breakfast, they were given something different. They thought it was like bit like a brioche in taste and texture. They were only given it for that breakfast.

Years passed and being humans they forgot all about it. Then one year a supermarket had boxes with pictures on it and they thought this was what they had all those years ago. They bought it and we're pleased to find out it was. Now Timbo does not remember if this happened before or after they started their more recent Xmas trips to Italy. He says it is not important. What is important is that they discovered it was called panettone and was special to Xmas time.

So every December, they started to have their own very special not Advent weekend breakfast which included all sorts of panettone. They did not like the one with sugar on it. They tried a chocolate one but Timbo said that it was all wrong, like Coco Pops. The one they liked the best has tons and tons of delicious scrummy candied fruit. That, Timbo says, was the proper one for us and we stuck to it.
 
Now even though Timbo doesn't have his bestest any longer he still likes to keep up this tradition and has done so every year. The panettone people make little ones and although it is not the weekend, we had one to share this morning. (Do not tell Timbo I sneaked another panettone into the shopping when he was not looking. I hope we have it again tomorrow.)

The PatandTony we had this morning (1).

The PatandTony we had this morning (2).
So this Italian tradition became a tradition for Laing and Timbo.

What on earth has this to do with "The Organic Archers"? I cannot hear you cry.

Well, every Sunday, Laing and Timbo used to listen to the omnibus edition of The Archers. If you do not know what that is I will have to tell you as you obviously are not British nor users of Google nor Wikipedia. It is a daily soap opera on the radio, that used to be, according to Timbo, "an everyday story of country folk" about the (I love this word Timbo just taught me) eponymous family. He says he remembers Dan and Doris and when Phil was a mere whippersnapper and cocky to boot. Well, the Archer family grew bigger and bigger over the years. Trust me, Timbo has collected a lot of years. The programme reflects farming concerns (allegedly, according to Timbo) and that included organic farming.

Phew, I have now got that out the way.

Back to where I started. Every Sunday, they used to listen to the omnibus edition of The Archers. Just by chance they were tucking into their panettone when the organic farmers came into that week's episode. Archers fans, Timbo assures me, are already there, which I presume is Ambridge, which where the Archers Live. The organic Archers are Pat and Tony and after that they would refer to panettone as Pat and Tony.

I love Timbo. He is really mad. I think Laing was mad too. I like this mad.

I wonder, do any of you have Xmas traditions? Do any of you have silly names for things, no matter how long winded the reason? Were Laing and Timbo the only mad two mad people in the world, because Timbo feels lonely without his bestest.

3 comments:

  1. My human feels very sad that your human Timbo is lonely without his bestest. That is especially difficult at the anniversary of mad times. Please tell Timbo that my human can't remember not ever missing the Archers even when Grace died and she was very young then well that is what she claims

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  2. I missed his one; we were travelling to Canberra. I just love Patandtony !

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