It's beginning to look a lot like ...

… we’re staying at home for Xmas lunch. I’ve been desperately trying to find a local restaurant or cafe that will feed us on Xmas Day, but to no avail. They’re all shut! Aaaargh – I have to cook. Not that bad I know, but I have cooked every single meal for the past 3 months and I’m OVER it. This isn’t too much different from our lives back in Melbourne, except that we’d eat out twice per week, which left only 5 main meals per week. Here, we eat out every second week – always at the same place – a pizza shop at the end of our street. They now smile sympathetically at me when we enter.The other hassle is that I have to visit 3 different supermarkets to get everything we need for a week. One place is a discount type shop (think Aldi) for basics, then Waitrose for baking/cooking ingredients then Sainsburys for non-food stuff. Then I drag it back home in a trolley for about 3km, dodging dog shit, weirdos and murky puddles. And one week’s supply fills two trolleys, so I have to do two trips.It’s defintely a new experience. I might sound a bit annoyed, but I’m trying to be bigger than that. At Coles I used to buy in bulk as much as possible and have cupboards full of basic items that I knew we’d use up. I’d also buy the biggest packages of grocery items (as they’re often cheaper)  and decant them into other containers in the pantry. I could also take advantage of special offers and buy 2 for 1, or stockpile something that was on sale (washing powder was a favourite).Now, I buy what I need and have to make sure my selection will fit into my shopping trolley to drag home. Small packages, things that aren’t too heavy, things that don’t crush, etc. I’m physically labouring for food now, and it feels different.Given that I’m cooking Xmas lunch, I think I’ll get all those provisions delivered and give myself a Xmas treat!