Sunday

Pinch and punch for the first of the month and festive greetings for the start of Advent.



I can't see if it is frosty but certainly the pathways look very icy in the light from the street lamps so fingers crossed that it's festively frosty out there, sparkly white, perfect for December 1st. **

Yesterday was lovely.
In the morning I meandered around the market and visited the museum, both really interesting and the latter somewhat macabre at times.
Unfortunately, the cold air played merry hell with either sinus or teeth so it was more than a little uncomfortable at times.  I suspect sinus as in the warm the pain more or less disappeared and it wouldn't if it was a dental infection, I think.

I got pretty much side tracked in the Abbey gardens and met a very friendly robin who posed, posed again, and kept on posing until I stopped clicking, whereupon he flew away.  He really was a very friendly chappie and I was very pleased at the detail in the photos - what do you think?

After a good saunter around with a few coins changing hands, I headed off back to the hotel to warm up.  If the tooth/jaw ache hadn't gone, I'd have stayed in but it did ease off so in the afternoon I headed off towards the Cathedral.  It was absolutely stunning, made all the more so because the choir was rehearsing.  Such a beautiful sound.
I was such an idiot though.  I left both the camera and the phone in my room so wasn't able to take any photos.  Really sorry - I blame the sinuses!!!

Today, I am meeting a fellow blogger here.

I'm looking forward to a lovely chat and home made cakes sounds fab, doesn't it?

As it is December 1st, my Advent stuff starts and today it is threefold.
1.  I'm visiting Blackthorpe Barn on the way home where they have lots of Christmassy things going on.
2.  When I get home, I will light the Advent Candle and see the first bit of the online Jacquie Lawson calender.
3.  Here's the first of the Christmas music links and it has to be what, for me, is the absolute ultimate Advent carol, O come, O come, Emmanuel, sung by the incomparable choir of King's College, Cambridge.  I know Advent has begun when I hear this.

I shall start packing in a little while.  It won't take long and I want to be ready before I go down for breakfast.  I asked and I have free car parking all morning, whatever time I check out (which just means dropping the key card into a box) so that's good.

I should be home as it gets dark, to a home where the cleaners have worked their magic, to light a candle and hang as few new decorations on my bedroom tree.  I'm looking forward to it!

To finish, here's a few more photos I took yesterday morning.

 I walked through the Abbey Gardens on the way to the shops and, while there was very little to see in the way of plants, there were still interesting parts.

 Teardrop sculpture in the Holocaust garden.

 I won't say 'lovely' because it obviously isn't lovely at all in terms of what it commemorates, but it was a very peaceful little part of the Abbey Gardens.

 A mosaic map of the gardens.

And finally, blowing my own trumpet, this was in the museum.  I've made four sets of this nativity set now and - well, let's just say, in the time honoured words - 'they could have done better'.


xx


**  It isn't, it's wet and cloudy.  That's what was making the paths gleam, not ice.  Ah, well, never mind!