Good morning. It's raining yet again. Every time I've been to the dentist, it has been raining!
Yesterday was a very pleasant day. I bustled around getting everything ready before Beth and Alex turned up for lunch. We chatted and laughed and generally had a nice time before Beth went home to finish getting things ready for the decorator.
I sort of dressed up the table a little bit - after all, it's less that a fortnight until Christmas now, isn't it?
Today doesn't start off very well. Dentist at nine fifteen. I suppose there is something to be said for getting it over and done with first thing. Once that's done and dusted, there's quite a lot of bedding in the ironing basket - yes, I do iron my bedding! That really is about it. Not a terribly exciting day really but, apart from the first thing, it should be pleasant..
Today's Advent Calendar music is the beautiful Bach harmonisation of 'Oh Little One Sweet', performed superbly by the Kings Singers. There's no more to say really; it is just perfect.
O little one sweet
O little one sweet, O little one mild, Thy Father's purpose thou hast fulfilled; Thou cam'st from heav'n to mortal ken, Equal to be with us poor men, O little one sweet, O little one mild.
O little one sweet, O little one mild, With joy thou hast the whole world filled; Thou camest here from heav'n's domain, To bring men comfort in their pain, O little one sweet, O little one mild.
O little one sweet, O little one mild, In thee Love's beauties are all distilled; Then light in us thy love's bright flame, That we may give thee back the same. O little one sweet, O little one mild.
O little one sweet, O little one mild, Help us to do as thou hast willed. Lo, all we have belongs to thee! Ah, keep us in our fealty! O little one sweet, O little one mild..
Good morning! It's the third Sunday in Advent today so I've changed the banner again. Candles are so Christmassy, aren't they?
I braved the damp yesterday morning to get a few things from Aldi that I can only get from there. Stupidly, I left my purse at home but, thankfully, I checked my bag before I started shopping, avoiding an embarrassing moment at the checkout. Once I'd sorted that out, I picked up a parcel from the post office (Beth's Christmas present) and that's now wrapped and under the tree.
I made cinnamon shortbread (lovely recipe, I will definitely make it again in different disguises) and then some biscotti. The biscotti recipe didn't work quite as well and the results are rather rough and ready but I bet they taste good; they are now bagged and frozen. The shortbread is in a tin for Alex to make inroads into while he's here.
I was thinking about what I now have in the freezer ready. Pigs in blankets, stock for gravy, one main Christmas pud and one mini pud (for Dad), mince pies, cheesy biscuits, gingerbread, biscotti, vegetarian sausage rolls . . . we certainly aren't going to starve, are we? I do love home made Christmas food.
I must think about icing and decorating the Christmas cake this week. Maybe next weekend, which appears to be pretty free, will work. One I have done that, I will make some stollen with the leftover marzipan.
The nativity set is now out and looking lovely.
The stable (with an empty manger).
The shepherds and the angel which is not part of the set and isn't really an angel. It is actually an Easter carving and was made decades ago by a dear and lovely man at the Church my parents went to. Tom Meeling, his name was, and he had such a talent for carving. This is relatively simple but in the church there are some lovely carvings depicting Holy Week. Tom is no longer with us but I think of him regularly with affection and admiration when the angel comes out.
The wise men.
And the whole thing.
Everything n its usual and expected place - until the cleaners dust and then I have to re-arrange them again!
Today's musical Advent Calendar music is two for the price of one. It's actually the same carol, done in two different ways, both great in their way and both long standing favourites.
The first is the Pearsall version of In Dulci Jubilo, sung by Kings and favourite of good school choirs (which is when I first met it) and a regular in the Christmas Eve service from Kings. I love it. (I love that some carol clips have the score - I always sing along with the altos)
And the other is same carol, totally different interpretation, being very much a dance. In Dulci Jubilo performed by Mike Oldfield. I do love a good circle dance type vibe.
Good morning. I was wide awake at three thirty this morning which was a right pain. I stayed in bed and started to read the Christmas Radio Times. It looks like there's loads of programmes I would dearly like to watch over Christmas so that's good. I haven't looked out yet but I expect it is pretty damp after the brighter weather faded yesterday and the drizzle started. Today's forecast is not encouraging but that's life.
Messenger seemed to be working fine again so Chris and I got our chat - until her signal started breaking up. Never mind, we had half an hour of most enjoyable non-stop chatter and fixed a time for next week.
I spent the rest of the day very lazily. After sorting out some piles of clutter (there are more!!), I stet to with my cross stitch which is coming along quite nicely. I've reached the point where one starts to worry that maybe there isn't quite enough thread left (there always is!) so getting there. It's the second of the three I bought so maybe I need to go rootling in my box upstairs and find another one to do when these three ate all finished - sadly, I do have quite a number so really should never have bought those three. I'm glad I did though.
I finished watching the second Christmas Chronicles film on Netflix. I've enjoyed both films in the series very much - soppy, sentimental but with more than a hint of grit in their own way, very good family viewing all round. Worth watching, if you can.
There's another blank diary today but I do have a few things to do. I must get the spare bed ready for Alex, I have a parcel to pick up from the post office, annoyingly. It seems they need ID and I didn't hear the door. I'll do that this morning. Also I have some baking - Alex takes some feeding so I shall bake some bread, make some cinnamon biscuits and have a nosey in the freezer to see what I have for main meals.
And there's always the stitching.
A later edit. I forgot the most important thing - today I am getting out the nativity set. It's a beautiful wooden carved thing, bought when my two were very little so it has to be coming up forty years old and out every year since. I love it and am hoping it will be valued when I am gone too.
Musical Advent Calendar number eleven is 'Thorns in the Straw' from the now fairly old album 'Rumours of Angels' by Graham Kendrick. I just love this one.
Since the day the angel came It seemed that everything had changed The only certain thing Was the child that moved within On the road that would not end Winding down to Bethlehem So far away from home
Just a blanket on the floor Of a vacant cattle-stall But there the child was born She held him in her arms And as she laid him down to sleep She wondered - will it always be So bitter and so sweet
And did she see there In the straw by his head a thorn And did she smell myrrh In the air on that starry night And did she hear angels sing Not so far away Till at last the sun rose blood-red In the morning sky
Morning, everyone. It's damp out there but very mild. Maybe today I will feel warm!
I meant to post this photo yesterday but forgot. It's my advent candle, sitting in the dish I made at pottery last year (I still miss pottery) and I was looking at it and remembering . . .
I had fun ordering some flowers yesterday. Dad's neighbour has been an absolutely fantastic friend and neighbour to him this year and John, Dave and I wanted to say thank you so I went online to eflorist and had a very pleasant fifteen minutes or so choosing something lovely and festive which I really hope she will like - a basket arrangement so all she has to for is find a corner for it and keep it watered. I do hope she likes it.
Beth sent me a message asking me if Al could come and stay for a few nights. The decorator, who she expected after Christmas, can come next Monday, which is great, but Alex is studying hard and tends to be distracted by that sort of thing so he's coming here for two nights, maybe three. I'm looking forward to that.
Disappointingly, Messenger was playing up yesterday so Chris and I didn't get our chat. Maybe today . . .
Today the diary is blank. I was gong to have a chat with Jackie but she has gone away for a long weekend so I will potter again. I have clutter to clear before the cleaners arrive and a pile of ironing to dive in to. Also, a spare bed to make up! It's made up with Beth's sheets which we decided to leave on because the chances of anyone else staying round before she did were very slight. We should have known!
The musical Advent calendar today is a beautiful arrangement of the Coventry Carol, Lully, Lullay, by Pentatonix.
Good morning, everyone. I'm awake very early, before the street lights, so I can't tell what the weather is like. Fingers crossed for a bit of brightness.
Well, yesterday happened. Actually, most of it was good. A lovely chat with Val followed by a good personal training session with Lindsey.
The dentist wasn't as much fun though. The treatment isn't finished yet. I now have metal bits sticking down from the implants but you can't see them as my dental plate fits over them. I have another appointment for Monday morning so maybe it will be finished then. Two appointments next week, one with Mr Clough the Implant Man and one with my 'normal' dentist, Francesca. They are both lovely but yuck!
Today is going to be much easier. A chat with my friend Chris in he morning and Slimming World late afternoon/early evening. I think I might take a trip to a local garden centre that has a name for lovely Christmas things at some point. If it is too crowded, I will just come home again, no point being silly.
That's about it really. A shorter one today to make up for the long winded ramble yesterday. Have a great day and be safe. xx
Today's Christmas music is very well known and, in this clip, rather beautifully arranged and conducted by the great John Rutter. You'll be hearing more of his music in the coming days - I have several favourites.
Good morning, everyone. It's chilly and dark and, by the looks of the windows, raining too. Yesterday was dull for most of the day but we had a glorious hour or so of sunshine which was lovely.
I was most impressed with the Covid arrangements in Specsavers when I arrived at nine yesterday morning. It's only a small place, unlike the one in town, but they had it all well organised and there wasn't a single moment when I didn't feel 'safe'. Also, after I had explained about my hearing difficulties which have been seriously compounded by masks which not only muffle the sound but prevent me from supporting my hearing with lip reading, the optician replaced her mask with a face visor which was brilliant - no real problems after that, no more than I always have. I was grateful.
My sight has changed but only slightly. My distance vision is the same but my shorter vision is slightly worse. Mind you, I knew that. All the cross stitching I am doing should be a lot easier once I have the new glasses. They were very careful to check that I was happy about having new ones; as she said, it wasn't strictly speaking necessary. However, quite apart from making the close work things I do easier, my current glasses are getting a bit wobbly, the arms have lost their spring and they don't 'grip' so well. So - new pairs. Two new pairs (an ongoing offer they have) and as my prescription sunglasses are fine, I'm having two 'all the time' pairs. No change in style as Beth wasn't with me to advise and I can never see properly what new frames look like without my glasses on - which rather spoils the effect!
I pick them up in a fortnight - three days before Christmas and parking will be a nightmare so what I will do is get to Sainsbury's much earlier and do a nice big shop to take me over Christmas and the New Year, go back to the car and wait (if necessary) before picking up the glasses at nine fifteen. Killing two birds with one stone sounds OK to me. I'll start the list today!
Once I was home and had sorted out the shopping, I made another sixteen veggie sausage rolls and they are now in the freezer, all bagged and ready to use. It was just an assembly job; the pastry had been in the freezer and the filling was made the day before.
It was a good chat with Dad. No connection problems now and we sorted out all sorts of bits and bobs. I'm driving up to his next week, bearing Christmas goodies of one sort or another plus some Which? magazines that we share and anything else we think of before then. It's not too far and I feel quite happy about driving there, dropping the stuff off and driving back again. The car could do with a longer run anyway.
The rest of the day was spent wrapping more pressies, etc.
Today is busy. A chat with Val, personal training and then the dreaded dentist will fill my time. I think today is the day he finishes the implant work - I think. I'm not totally sure but I do hope so. I'll know by late afternoon anyway! I must remember to talk to him about the other tooth.
Today's musical advent calendar choice is a big one - I mean long. I couldn't decide which of Benjamin Brittens's Ceremony of Carols to share so I'm linking to the whole lot. Feel free to forward to what you like. I sang this while still at school and loved it, although Britten's style isn't my favourite. I guess it is all wrapped up with happy memories.
Good morning, everyone. It's another misty, murky morning, much like yesterday really. It's winter, we should expect it really but it doesn't help to lift the spirits.
Yesterday was a pretty quiet day. I pootled off to Home Bargains for a few specific items and came back with a bit more but nothing too much. I popped into HomeSense as it's almost next door and came home with a few gifts and very cold hands!
After that I pottered in the kitchen, making gingerbread biscuits and the filling for some more vegetarian sausage rolls. I'll get the pastry out of the freezer later and make the final product. The filling is a bit different - wholemeal bread and more spicy so I must label them carefully. They WILL all go into the freezer to keep the biscuits company! Can you hear the voice of determination here? :-)
Today, I have a sight test at nine. I normally go into the Specsavers in town but there's a branch in our out of town Sainsbury's so I've made the appointment for that one and will do some shopping afterwards. I don't have a long list but there are things I like to get from Sainsbury's and I may as well look around while I'm there.
The rest of the day I will stay inside, potter, do some more baking (biscotti today, I think), wrap a few pressies and have a Zoom chat with Dad in the afternoon. I might go out for a walk as well - we will see.
Day eight's musical advent offering is an arrangement I've not come across before of a beautiful old carol, 'The Angel Gabriel'.
