Wishing all my readers a Happy Christmas

It is nearly Christmas. I am sticking to my weekly posts, so this is the one where I wish you all peace and joy at Christmas. I have some photos of Christmas decorations on Sue’s words and pictures. I am sharing a different one here. Perhaps those who prefer to celebrate a winter holiday will enjoy this.

Christmas decorations with a view

Here are some links to previous Christmas posts.

https://suestrifles.wordpress.com/2016/12/22/christmas-greetings-to-all-my-readers/

https://suestrifles.wordpress.com/2014/12/23/christmas-is-nearly-here/

https://suestrifles.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/christmas-eve-prayer/

https://suestrifles.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/carolling-merrily/

The last link in the list has a carol to listen to in case you haven’t heard enough yet!

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing at this season of the year I wish you well.

Change of plan

After a rehearsal with the village orchestra (in which I occasionally play the recorder – treble in this instance) I met a church warden, who also works with the children.  She had no help to make all the Christingles for the service the next day.  Everyone had sent their apologies! It was only mid-morning so I offered to stay along with a dad, his son and a group of older children, who all play in the orchestra.

In previous years the rehearsal and the Christingle-making have taken place at the same time.  This year the orchestra rehearsed at an earlier time.  So it was my first time helping with the Christingles.  The youngsters were spiking soft sweets and grapes onto cocktail sticks.  The adults were preparing the oranges with red sticky tape around the “equator”, a white candle in the top and adding four loaded cocktail sticks to each orange at the “four points of the compass”.  The sticky tape represented the love of God and the blood of Christ.

When the supply of loaded sticks was depleted the adults joined the children doing that task. “Soft sweets” had been donated. These included marshmallows, coke bottles, dolly mixtures and other sweets. They had to be put on the cocktal sticks, three per stick to represent the fruits of the earth and the four seasons. I only impaled one “Golden Bear”.  I decided to stab it in the back!  I commented on it and the children told me where they had stabbed their bears.  One boy had stabbed a bear in the eye, which led to a discussion of an event in British history. One of the girls explained in some detail about the Battle of Hastings and how the Norman archers had been able to shoot King Harold in the eye.

I found a photo (or two) on my phone of the Lego reconstruction of the Battle of Hastings, which I had seen at Rheged in the summer, to show to some of the people.

I stayed and helped with the clearing up, which included washing some plates.

Some time after I arrived home I noticed something red and sticky on my ring finger.

Can you tell what it is from the photo?

Something red and sticky

Did you miss me?

I forgot to write a post for this blog last week.  Today (Wednesday) I thought I needed one for Saturday and then realised it would be for tomorrow.  The subject of my post today on Sue’s words and pictures as well as the amount of reading I have been doing recently may have contributed to time getting away from me.

There has been a lot going on.  Wasps have built themselves a nest in a sheltered spot in our garden.  The flying ants flew from at least two nests at the front.  A raptor flew past one morning at breakfast time carrying a mouse.  The following morning it flew past at about the same time with empty talons.  It was probably a kestrel.

The sea was calm (the day) before the storm.  The temperature soared from about 17°C to about 35°C in the space of 24 hours.  After a walk in the morning I stayed indoors reading for most of the day.  A distant storm caused red flashes in the clouds.  Thunderstorms moved across bringing torrential rain and reports of a frog in our garden. (I did not see it.)  Before one wave of thunder and lightning the rooks took to the air – storm crows warning.

Dog-walking takes time too. People stop to talk.  In summer it is not unpleasant, but I should not like to have to go out up to four times a day in all weathers including winter.  It is a good thing that the animal is only on holiday and has not moved in permanently.  Housework takes longer with dog-hairs to clean up.

The garden needs a lot of time spent on it too.  After doing the housework and walking the dog, I had no enthusiasm for gardening on the day with the most suitable weather.  Then it was too hot and now it is too wet, although the rain is not falling at the moment.

Then there were things happening which involved me.  I took part in a concert of choral singing and readings last week.  I have been attending my usual activities, many of which now stop for the summer holidays and restart in September.

So I forgot to blog last week.  What of it?  Did you miss me?