Fess Up Secret Santa!

This was left on my doorstep on the weekend. Hanging from my letter box, actually.

In a lovely golden gift bag wrapped in red tissue paper.

The only thing missing was a card, an identifying tag of some kind so I can thank the recipient.

I figured the most likely suspect (and the one who lives closest) was Kathy Down the Road. It is the kind of thing she'd do. She has dropped off so many tins of baked goods over Christmas that I now resemble the Michelin Man.

But she swears she didn't do it. Either she is a very skilled liar, or it was someone else.

Well? Hellooo?

Anyone want to step forward? There could be a nice cup of coffee in it for you, as long as you don't mind a) dust, b) pet hair and c) a dog who thinks every guest is a new play toy brought over just for him.

I would serve it in one of these puppies. Or we could do tea if you like. I have about a dozen different varieties in the kitchen, including decaf Chai, Tetley BOLD (and regular, but really, when you can go bold, why wouldn't you?) also Yorkshire Gold, PG Tips, Typhoo....Oh, and something called Northern Delights Fine Inuit Herbal Tea in five flavours - Labrador, Crowberry, Ground Juniper, Arctic Blend, and Cloudberry. (There's something very evocative about starting every day with a lovely cup of Cloudberry, no?)

The baked goods, alas, are gone. Long gone. (burp) If I had any baked goods left, I would have served them in this lovely new addition to my kitchen collection. My son's girlfriend is Russian, and when she returned this weekend from visiting her family back home, she brought this for me, remembering I had blue and white dishes and thinking (correctly) that I would like this. I actually love this, plus the fact that she would a) remember the colour of my china and b) lug this all the way back home for me, because it's quite heavy. What a sweetheart, no?

Okay, Masha, was it you who left the mugs? Confess!

Вы для симпатичной тарелки. Вы вышли мне кофейные чашки? Поговорите вверх или я буду служить вы зажарил еду с подливкой.*

*translation: "Thank you for the lovely dish. Did you leave me the coffee cups? Speak up or I will serve you fried food with gravy."