I’m glad to see the back of 2019 for a great many reasons, all of which contributed to make it the second worst year of my life! The general “atmosphere” of this great country of ours was polluted by the political machinations over Brexit, particularly the failure of the “losers” to accept a democratic referendum. More particularly, and more personal however, was the first year in my whole life when my health seemed to fail me. 

In March after a range of symptoms, tests, scans and consultations, I was diagnosed as a Coeliac. This means that I am completely wheat intolerant, 100%, and must spend the rest of my life on a gluten free diet. Not entirely a problem though, we already follow a whole food diet and set about reading all of the bottles and jars in the house and discarding everything that had even a trace of wheat in it. It’s actually quite unbelievable what you find in so many foods. Why is there wheat in a tin of tomato soup, or a jar of Thai curry paste? We were staggered! The most difficult thing though has been bread and dear old Cornish Pasties. Gluten free bread and pastry have to be the most awful textured things on the planet and ….. four times the price of bread made from wheat. 

The health issue arose again in April as I went from experiencing what I was told was a urine infection, to a kidney stone, to prostatitis, to prostate cancer! I’ve already written about this here (Prostates, Robots & Purgatory) so won’t labour it again. But the news now is very positive. The surgery in October was reviewed in December as successful with report of a “negative margin” meaning the cancer was confined to the prostate gland, since removed, and a PSA blood test now showing a zero level of the Prostate Specific Antigen. I am now monitored at 3 month intervals for the next 5 years. Our NHS at its best!

Anyway, it’s been a rather “dry” few months as I imposed an alcohol ban on myself, so my wine collection is still rather full for this time of year ….. time to do something about it. So, Merry Christmas to all of our followers, and here are the three wines that will be imbibed over our Christmas dinner with a large rib of beef. Kicking off we have a Chablis Grand Cru, Les Clos from Domaine Pinson recently rated at 97 points in Decanter Magazine. Then we have a Premier Cru red Burgundy from the village of Fixin in the Cotes de Nuits, and finally a Port of 2006 vintage, currently on sale in Tesco at £20 but I promise you, with an average U.K. price of £36! So go and get yourselves a couple of bottles, NOW! 

More soon with a few reviews of posts made across 2019, and in January with my opening post “New Year Revelations!”

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