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Taken at dawn on 12th December

We had a few days of cold and snow in mid-December but the year ended with much milder temperatures, wind and lots of rain.  All our local rivers have burst their banks and everywhere is wet and muddy.

‘Evereste’ crabapple tree in the snow

Crabapples

Once the apples had been frosted it took no time at all for the blackbirds to eat all the fruit on the tree!  The deer helped themselves to the apples on the lower branches.

Female Muntjac deer

2nd Sunday in Advent

We had a Sunday service at our church at Rumburgh on 10th December.  The day started with heavy rain but as we got the church ready for the service the rain turned first to sleet and then to snow.  The Archdeacon arrived to take our service, his cloak covered in snow.  He preached and played the organ too but sadly, not many of our mainly elderly congregation turned up.

A snowy churchyard

Our damp, but festive church porch

Snow covers a multitude of sins and our garden looked almost picturesque!

The view from our front door

Our larger pond. This was before the rain added a number of inches to its depth

We have also had all the willow saplings and brambles on the little island cut down since this photograph was taken.  The greylags should find it easier to make their nest there in the spring.

Here is a female greylag with her goslings in our garden a couple of years ago

The path round the pond

Looking across the field from our garden

After the sun had risen I took this picture from an upstairs window

We haven’t had much snow in the last couple of years and we don’t know if we will get any more this winter either.  This might be all we get!

We held a carol service at our church on 20th December.

I took this photo a while before the service began.

Our Christmas tree at church

The service was taken by Maurice our hard-working Elder who has taken on most of the admin duties for the benefice since we have been vicarless.  We heard the Christmas story in some readings from the Bible and we also listened to a few seasonal poems.  We sang lots of carols and then ate sausage rolls, cheese straws, cake and mince pies and drank sherry or fruit juice.

Kneeler at church
Kneeler at church

 

Richard, Elinor and I went to Midnight Mass at South Elmham St Peter’s church on Christmas Eve and we spent a peaceful Christmas at home, my mother visiting us for lunch and for the afternoon on Christmas Day and for an evening buffet meal on Boxing Day.

Christmas tree decorations

  Alice stayed in Sheffield for Christmas but came to visit us for a couple of days, arriving on the 28th December.  It was lovely to have her with us!

I took this photo with my phone on Boxing Day during our walk in the late afternoon

We don’t party on New Year’s Eve but stay at home quietly.  I had taken my mother to her church in the morning while Richard went to Ilketshall St John’s church in our benefice.  The roads were all awash but the rain held off for most of the day.  Richard, Elinor and I went to Southwold in the afternoon to walk by the sea.  We parked by the pier and walked along the front to the far end of the town where we bought some chips.  We walked back to the car as it got dark and came home again.  A pleasing end to the year.  No photos from Southwold as I left my camera at home.

Happy New Year, everyone!