December and Christmas 2015

Tags

busy, Christmas, family, tired, wasitworthit, yesitwas

December was very busy with few opportunities for taking photographs and fewer for taking walks!

All the things we hoped to do before Christmas that I mentioned in my Advent post were done, with the exception of taking my mother Christmas shopping.  She gave me a few shopping lists of things I could more easily get for her and we did a big shop for her at the supermarket on the day before Christmas Eve.  She decided to give everyone some money for Christmas instead of buying gifts and we were all very content with that.

I did spend a lot of time shopping in December but mainly for food items and ingredients for Mum and me.  Most of the presents were ordered on-line – this is the easiest option for us as we live some miles from the nearest shops.

I spent a whole morning away from home at the doctor’s surgery followed by an appointment with the optician.  Elinor had a doctor’s appointment to discuss a couple of problems she has and then I went for my regular blood test.  At the optician’s, Elinor was told that she needed yet more new glasses and we made an appointment to return the following week to collect the new prescription.

Elinor’s last couple of weeks at college went well.  We attended the parent’s evening, viewed her work and listened to the wonderful things her tutors had to say about her.  They predict very good marks for her at the end of the year.  We went to see her artwork on display in a gallery in Norwich.

Elinor’s Red-Riding-Hood design in her ‘altered book’ is on the left on the shelf behind the chair.

The gas boiler was serviced and we discussed having a new boiler installed in the summer.  A representative from the firm that will be replacing our garage doors visited us to talk about the work to be done and we were told the fitters will be installing the doors in a couple of weeks time.  We had to have a water pipe moved to make way for the new garage doors.

The flush on our downstairs toilet kept going wrong and has now given up for good.  The whole contents of the cistern will need replacing I think.  We will have to call the plumber back yet again.

I got a puncture in one of my car tyres but fortunately it was repairable.

We attended the December Coffee Morning at the Rector’s house and also helped host two Carol Services at our church in Rumburgh.

I baked more than six dozen mince pies.

I wasn’t able to attend church on the 3rd Sunday in Advent as we were returning from our trip to Manchester that day.  We had a lovely meal with members of Richard’s family in Manchester and exchanged presents with them.  Our hotel was comfortable and for the first time ever on a Manchester visit, I managed to sleep well and for most of the night too!

We had a delicious lunch out with my brother Andrew and we exchanged Christmas presents with him as well.  He was expecting both his children to stay with him for Christmas.

A photo I filched from Facebook. This is my brother Andrew and my niece, Natalie

He gave us his presents for my sister and her children as we were to visit her in Kent the following day.  Our car was full of gifts on our 150 mile journey south to Francesca’s house and we brought a different lot home with us again that evening.  Francesca made us very welcome on one of her very few days off work this Christmas.  She had already worked 80 hours that week!  Over-worked, under-paid and under-appreciated she spends her life as a paramedic practitioner saving the lives of others and looking after the welfare of her staff and colleagues.  I am so proud of her.

Here she is (on the left) at work yesterday.  I appropriated this photo from Facebook too.

We wrapped countless presents and sent off a number of parcels to people we couldn’t manage to visit.  Many, many cards were written and posted or delivered by hand.  A number of letters and e-mails were written to friends and relatives and some phone calls were made and received.  I also managed to keep up with all the housework and the washing and ironing.

I had a book of daily readings for Advent recommended to me by Rachel from Could Do Worse .  I found them very useful and was able to spend at least 15 minutes each day in quiet contemplation and prayer.

The Christmas wreath on our front door

We attended the local theatre at The Cut to see Richard Durrant’s Candlelit Christmas concert on the evening of the day we had lunch with my brother.  We enjoyed the concert very much.  Here is one of the pieces of music we listened to.

The house was decorated a couple of days before Christmas and Richard put some lights up outside the house.

Alice was coming home on Christmas Eve but as she was working that day her train wasn’t due in to Diss station until well after 9.00 pm.  Unfortunately the train was delayed because of signalling faults before it got to Sheffield and was 45 minutes late.  This meant that Alice was unable to catch her connections and there were worries that she might not be able to get home at all that night.  Fortunately, the train she was on eventually arrived very late at Norwich so that is where Richard went to collect her.  After I had given her a cup of tea and something to eat she had some present-wrapping to do and unpacking so she didn’t join us at Midnight Mass at St Margaret South Elmham church.

Mum joined us for Christmas lunch the following day and brought the Christmas Pudding with her.  We went to her house on Boxing day for a buffet evening meal.

Richard and I went to church on Sunday morning at St Peter’s church and celebrated the Feast Day of St John.

The following day we were all going to go out for a walk together but I spent the day in bed with a migraine instead.  Richard, Alice and Elinor went to Walberswick Woods.

Alice and Elinor in Walberswick Woods

On Wednesday, my mother had a 9.40 am appointment to attend at the Eye Clinic at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital so I picked her up at 8.15 am and drove to Norwich.  The appointment went well and she only had to wait twenty minutes after her appointed time before being seen!  We did some shopping for her on the way home and after taking her to her house and having some coffee I was back at home by 1.30 pm.

All too soon, it was New Year’s Eve and Alice had to take the train back to Sheffield.

Alice, Richard and Elinor on Diss station.

I managed to take a couple of photos of the flowerbeds at the station to take my mind off my sadness at saying goodbye to Alice.

Calendula in flower

Bergenia and Viburnum in flower

I leave you with another of my favourite tunes.

Thanks for visiting!

 

November

Tags

Autumn plants, berries, church going, Diary, Don Pasquale by Donizetti, family, flowers, garden work, Glyndebourne Touring Company, house repairs, leaf colour, Open Space Theatre Company, snow, St Michael and All Saints and St Felix church, Suffolk, Uncle Vanya by Chekhov, weather

Red Christmas Cactus

Salmon Christmas Cactus

My point-and-shoot camera stopped working and we didn’t think there was much point in taking it to be repaired.  A replacement probably costs what the repair would have cost – if it could have been repaired – so we ordered a replacement which arrived yesterday. Richard kindly said I could borrow his small camera while we waited for the replacement, but I never used it.  There haven’t been many opportunities for photography during the past week and the camera only took a couple of days to arrive.

Acer leaves at the beginning of November

After a chilly week or so in October, the weather this month has been fairly warm for the time of year.  We have also had a fair amount of rain.  I have managed to do a little garden-tidying, though as usual, not as much as I need to do or as I would have liked!  There may be a few more days this year when I can finish off the work so I am not too worried.  We had a couple of storms with high winds last week which ripped most of the leaves from the trees and Saturday was cold with wintry showers.

Mahonia this November

Mahonia flowers

We had a gardener/landscaper and his assistant come to do a few jobs that Richard needed help with.  Almost all our hedges have been cut and tidied by them and the front ditch has been strimmed.  The hedges between us and our neighbours on either side of us have been left for now and will be done at a later date.  Both of those hedges (like the front one) are on the far side of deep ditches which are fast filling with very cold water and are difficult to do.

Copper Beech at the beginning of November

Copper Beech in the sun in the middle of the month

Another job the gardener did was to dismantle our old summerhouse and extend the concrete pad on which it stood.  When I say ‘dismantle’ I use the word quite loosely as all he did was lean on it and it fell down.  With the winds that blew last week it probably would have fallen down without anyone’s help.  Richard is still deciding which summerhouse to buy to replace the old one.  We will be able to keep a few things in it that are needed for that end of the garden and Richard will be able to use it as a little home-from-home – a place to escape the hurly-burly of life in the house – a ‘shed’ with a view (of our big pond).  I am sure a comfy chair and coffee-making apparatus will be making their way down the garden and the bell on the wall of the house will be put to good use when summoning him for meals!

Spindle berries beginning to split

Spindle berries

We got a couple of quotes from local replacement-window firms and have made our choice.  The work to replace almost all the windows in the house, both garage doors and the back door and window in the garage will be done in January.  I just know the weather will be freezing cold when the work’s done and I will have a miserable time of it!  However, it will be worth it in the end as the house will eventually be considerably warmer and our heating bills will be much reduced.

The path round our big pond earlier this month while we still had some leaves on the trees

A new reed that has appeared next to our large pond this year

Richard spent a couple of days staying with an old friend in Manchester a few weeks ago.  His friend had to retire early through ill health (heart attack) but is much better now and is enjoying not going to work.  Richard came home after a very pleasant break much happier about his own retirement.

Lots of little bracket fungi found on a dead branch

Richard and I went to the Rectory coffee morning at the beginning of the month and enjoyed seeing all our friends from church.  We came home with cakes, pains aux raisins, marmalade and a book – no prizes in the raffle this time.  This month we also went to the Remembrance Sunday service at St James’ church which was quite moving.  Representatives from all the villages in the benefice read out the names of all the people who lost their lives in some of the wars we have taken part in – the two World Wars as well as the Korean and the Boer Wars.  The American airmen who lost their lives during WW2 and who were stationed at Flixton airfield were also mentioned.

Crabapple ‘Evereste’ covered in fruit . This photo also shows part of the front hedge and ditch before we had them both trimmed and tidied.

Alice came home the Saturday before last and stayed until the following Tuesday.  This was only the second time she has been able to visit this year but we hope to see her at Christmas as well which will be fun!  Mum came to lunch that Sunday and she enjoyed chatting with Alice and catching up with her news.

The church of St Michael and All Angels

The sundial on St Michael’s wall

Some of the sheep in the field next to the church.

(The three photos above were all taken with my new camera.  I think I will need to adjust the settings to get clearer pictures.)

Richard and I had been to the 9.30 Morning Prayer service at St Michael’s church the Sunday before last. Maurice, one of our Benefice Elders, took the service and spoke about St Edmund, Suffolk’s Patron Saint whose feast day is the 20th of November.  I had been due to take Mum to her church that day but couldn’t because of lunch-cooking duties.  Instead, I arranged to take Mum to church this Sunday just gone.  It was very icy with snow still on the ground in the morning and we assumed that it would be as bad at Mum’s house and at Eye; Richard said he would drive us in his 4×4.  Unfortunately for Richard, the further inland we got the less snow there was and he found that he needn’t have driven me and Mum after all!  He had to sit through a High Church service at Eye church with bells, incense and a procession to boot, because he had been gallant.  Richard doesn’t like High Church services – his Methodist upbringing revolts against them.  I was brought up going to High Church services and I can worship anywhere really, but do prefer my own local church with my friends and Richard by my side.  I think I’ll be left to drive Mum to church on my own as usual in future, whatever the weather!

These next photos were taken by Richard on his phone on Sunday morning.

View of the garden from the conservatory

The greenhouse seen from the conservatory

The garden on the south side of the house from the conservatory

I went out for the evening twice last week.  On Tuesday evening I took Mum to a performance of the opera ‘Don Pasquale’ by Donizetti.  It was performed by the Glyndebourne Touring Company at the Theatre Royal in Norwich.  We loved it very much indeed.  The singing, the costumes, the orchestra and the stage set were fabulous.  A really enjoyable evening out only spoiled by a gale blowing and making driving and walking difficult – Mum was nearly blown over a couple of times and I had to hold onto her tightly.  Clouds of leaves were swirling about in front of the car and bits of tree were falling onto the road all about us.  As I drove along I was aware of loose branches swinging to and fro just above the car and hoped I could get out of the way before they fell.  Fortunately I got my mother and myself safely to Norwich and then back home again.

Wild Rosehips in the hedge.

On Saturday night Richard and I went to see ‘Uncle Vanya’ by Chekhov performed by the Open Space Theatre Company at The Cut in Halesworth.  We both enjoyed the play very much which was acted and directed well.  On leaving the theatre we found it had started snowing and as Richard had left his hat in the car he got quite wet and cold on our brisk walk to the carpark.  The snow was falling heavily as we left the town and Richard found it very difficult keeping to the road once we left the street-lights behind.  Most of our lanes have deep ditches running along next to them and there is always the risk of driving into a ditch in the dark.  We were glad to get home again and into the warm.  The snow didn’t last long and by morning most of the roads and paths were mainly clear but icy.

All photos in this post were taken either in our house or in the garden except for the ones of St Michael’s church.

My musical choice is performed by Emeli Sandé and Jules Holland.

Thanks for visiting!

 

Two Evenings Out

Tags

Aquarelle Guitar Quartet, Brian Patten, Halesworth, Halesworth Arts Festival, music, Neil Innes, Poetry

Richard and I hardly ever go out in the evening but this week we managed to go out twice!  At the end of October each year the Halesworth Arts Festival takes place in The Cut, an old maltings that has been converted into an entertainment venue.  The Cut takes its name from the lane it is in – New Cut – which refers to new cuts made to the river when a lock was built in the 18th century and the River Blyth was made navigable from Southwold on the coast to Halesworth.

The Cut

Last Sunday night we went to listen to a poetry reading by Brian Patten who made his name in the 60’s with the publication of the ‘Mersey Sound‘ anthology.  (The other two poets featured in this anthology were Adrian Henri and Roger McGough).  We enjoyed the evening very much.  Patten not only read many of his favourite poems but spoke about why and when he wrote them.  When I was in my very early 20’s and living in Liverpool I went to hear Roger McGough at a ‘Pubs and Pints’ event.  A nice re-connection, I thought.

We discovered Brian Patten had known and read with many other famous poets apart from Henri and McGough;  Robert Graves, Philip Larkin, Stevie Smith, Pablo Neruda, Allen Ginsberg, Laurie Lee and Robert Lowell.  He had shared a house with Brian Eno and had been friends with among many others, Keith Moon and Neil Innes.   Neil Innes was in the audience and joined him in a few reminiscenses.

Neil Innes?  He is the minstrel in this clip.

He is the singer here

My father who was a cabinet maker, once did some work for Neil Innes in the 70’s when Innes was living in Lewisham.  My father had no idea who Innes was and felt sorry for him and so undercharged for the work.  ‘His jeans were split at the knees and he was obviously short of money’ said Dad.  I think we were the ones who were short of money – always.  My mother explained who Dad had worked for.

The other performance Richard and I attended was a concert by the ‘Aquarelle Guitar Quartet’.  I don’t think I could describe them better than the blurb in the programme so please click on the link to read it and see the programme of music they played.  There is also a recording of them playing.

The programme included classical – old and modern, jazz, folk and film music.  I loved ‘Opals’ by Philip Houghton who is Australian and uses the Australian landscape as inspiration.  ‘Folia’ by the American composer Ian Krouse was amazing.

The four young men, who had met when they were at the Royal Northern College of Music, were charming, amusing and very talented and I would urge you to see them in concert if they play anywhere near where you live.

Thanks for visiting!