And in many ways I am looking forward to a dry new year. Firstly I am hoping for a stretch of dry weather to allow the water levels in the bog we call a garden to drop so I can get out there and tidy, prune, organise & plant. To be able to walk up the garden without needing wellingtons will be a joy & the KC would like to put her water wings & fishing gear away too! But the oddest thing is that after a month on the cancer research self imposed no booze "dryathalon", FSHubby and I appear to have lost our taste for alcohol. We have tried to get it back but to no avail. I am beginning to think that all that drinking we used to do, it was the idea more than the reality we liked!
There we were on Saturday 1st February all excited about the notion of a lovely relaxing glass of wine after 31 alcohol free days. We eyed the wine rack - we pondered - I even popped some fizz in the fridge just in case - then we settled on a much loved (when we were drinking) Barossa Valley Turkey Flat Marsanne, Viognier, Roussanne blend and popped that in the fridge. The sun was setting, the FSTeens were nowhere to be seen (it was Saturday night to be fair!) and I started cooking, with Loose Ends on R4 keeping me company in the kitchen. As darkness fell, I stood at the kitchen window & watched the solar fairy lights that wrap around the garden trellis twinkle on & I thought - 'ooh here we are this is a glass of wine moment!' FSHubby bounded into the kitchen, we chose smallish glasses, popped the cork (oh OK unscrewed the cap but that doesn't sound as lovely!) poured fairly restrained amounts, clinked a "cheers" and sipped.
And then we looked at each other. And sipped again. Hmm. OK but nothing special. In fact it was a bit ... weird. Maybe we needed to get used to it again.... so we agreed to carry on with our activities & have a few more sips. After dinner & after about one and a half hours when in the old drinking days I would be considering opening the second bottle, I was feeling a bit woozy & barely ready for my second glass! The wine sat there unloved & undrunk. So I got myself a large glass of water which I drank with gusto!I am guessing that we do need to re-educate our palates as alcohol (wine especially) has a distinctive and definite taste. But given that we saved (allegedly) 44,000 calories between us & likely £400 in 1 month, I am asking myself - do I really want to?!
I'm on a three month dry out Pam. I'm almost seven weeks in and completely fine about not drinking. It's been so easy which is a total surprise as I have been boozing since I was about 14 years old. I was imagining what that first glass would be like but now you have put me right off it!
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