Autograph Hunting and The Xmas Tree Lighting In Hatch End with John Conteh, boxing champion

The tree was it by sporting hero John Conteh, British former boxing World Champion, centre. To his right are councillor Jean Lammiman and her husband, councillor John Hinkley. To John's left is Peter Jacques, former restaurant owner in Hatch End, member of Toastmasters International club HOD which meets in Harrow. To the far right of the photo is Andrea, owner of Fellini Caffe which is diagonally across the road behind them - at the heart of Hatch End. 

Incidentally, John Conteh was the light heavyweight champion, which sounds like an oxymoron. 

I asked him to sign my autograph book. He signed lots of autographs for fans and autograph collectors. My autograph book was a last minute thought. I grabbed it on the way to meet him. I must remember to take my autograph book to book signings and on holidays. I could collect chefs and restaurant owners, too. Then I will have a record in one place of all the interesting people I have met on my travels, as well as quotations.

Free pizza, hot drinks and jelly babies Hatch End Thursday Dec 4 2014

Free pizza, hot drinks and jelly babies at Fellini Caffe in hatch End tomorrow afternoon, Thursday Dec 4 2014, after 4 pm when the Christmas Tree lighting takes place.

Here are the workers out in their lifting device to put the decorations on the tree and around the lamp posts. Bet you wondered how it was done, as I did.

That's how you get the fairy or angel or star on the top of the tree!

I saw a team of three vans out. You can just spot the orange lifter above the trees in the distance.

A brochure was delivered to nearby houses informing them of the tree lighting ceremony. Usually carol singers, a VIP, a collection for charity, free food given away by several shops. For example, mince pies at estate agents. In a previous year the tree lighting was done by Barry Cryer. This year it's a sporting hero.

See next post for pictures of Christmas cakes, Christmas trees and other shop window decorations and temptations.

Calabrian Citrus Wine, Calabrian Diamonte Lemon, and Sukkos (Tabernacles)

I looked at a publicity flyer for Fellini restaurant's Calabrian wine dinner in November 2014 and started researching Calabrian wine, then wondered what about Calabrian food? I found a sweet white wine with a citrus aroma and/or flavour mentioned, so when I saw the Wikipedia list of Calabrian foods the first one I turned to was the lemon, the engagingly named Diamonte lemon. Apparently it's named after a town named Diamonte. And the lemon is exported to israel and elsewhere to help Sephardi (Spanish origin) Jews decorate the Sukkos which is a temporary structure, like a small hut or canopy often in the grounds of synagogues or gardens in private houses, attached to the back wall of the house, decorated with hanging fruit built every year to celebrate the harvest (Sukkos or Sukkot). 

This is what Wikipedia says:

The Diamante citron (Citrus medica var. vulgaris^[1] or cv. diamante^[2] − Italian: cedro di diamante, Hebrew: אתרוג קלבריה‎ or גינובה) is a variety of citron named after the town of Diamante, located in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, on the south-western coast of Italy, which is its most known cultivation point. This is why this variety is sometimes called the "Calabria Esrog", the Hebrew name for the citron.

Many religious Jews call it Yanova Esrog (Genoa citron), because of a long association of the fruit with the trading port of Genoa in northern Italy, that exported it to other countries.

Calabrian Wine at Fellini, Tuesday 11 Nov, £30 ticket.

Fellini restaurant and caffe, Hatch End.

The entrance to Fellini restaurant.