Rain, rain go away

and take the wind with you.
A grim day weatherwise, wet and windy all last night and rough out the day.
The planned walk was postponed or perhaps cancelled.
K's family are staying so we have been relaxing and eating.
E and N went to the sales in Solihull this afternoon whilst we entertained B, home for roast beef and Yorkshire pud.
Scrummy.
The men playing "Attack" in the kitchen, E bathing B and I'm watching the Antiques Road Show

Cooking tomorrow in readiness for a grand lunch on New Year's Day.
Probably won't stay up to see the new year in.

Let the train take............

you into Brum - £3.75 return with a Railcard and at the fantastic new station in 14 minutes
We went in this morning on the 8.32 from Coleshill.
Hardly a soul about anywhere.
We breakfasted at Pret at Grand Central aka New Street Station then followed up the research into wheeled holdalls aka gwips, in John Lewis, Debenhams and Selfridges.
JL won the day, even giving a 10% discount, when asked, so we now have  red Eastpak luggage X 2 with a 30 year guarantee.
That's an incentive to keep travelling into my 90s.
Home by noon having beaten the crowds and delighted with the buys.

WHSmith have Thorntons Russian caramels which are just like the ones we ate as students.
2 bags for £1.60.
Scrummy.

Jobs all done and relaxing in the lounge with a small sherry and a mince pie.
No Xmas cake available!

Home alone!

A great couple of days with the extended family in Bicester.

Wonderful food and great fun all round, all made to look very easy.

We all went to Star Wars on Boxing Day afternoon, which was excellent.

I thought that I'd bought the family Star Wars T shirts, only B's turned out to be Startrek, but looked good anyway.

I don't suppose that I shall live that one down in a hurry.

Home today to open the Christmas presents as I left for Bicester straight after taking the Family Service on Christmas morning, having got to bed at 2.00am after helping at the midnight service, so no time before I left.

Lots of lovely presents, including a grand Georg Jensen tree decoration from AJ to go with the one I bought for K.

Other pictures are of the 2015 decorations, bought to complement GJ - red and gold.

7.35am train to Birmingham tomorrow, if up, to buy.......a wheeled holdall from Debenhams and, possibly, coffee and mince pie at Pret.

Withdrawal symptoms from not buying any luggage for a couple of years, so luggage presents on the horizon.

I rest my case.

From Illums Bollighus sale.....

Now the John Lewis addition....

Home and twinkling!

The Christmas tree is officially lit up though not yet decorated.

A fun job for the evening!

Not well shown, but the joy of having the tree in the conservatory is that it has numerous reflections, a room full of light and trees wherever you look.

Red baubles and George Jensen this year - I usually buy just one new decoration each Christmas, but, having had a couple of years off, I bought three magnificent red baubles in Illums Bollighus (bargains  this near Xmas) and they all arrived home intact!

We had a great day yesterday, DK on bike in the park then on to the Outlet for a treat and session in the play area at McDonalds, check that school was still standing, abandoned, around the park then home for lunch.

W took us to the airport on his way to a meeting.

We people watched, pottered around the shops and finally had coffee and shared a scrummy cake before boarding at 17.30.

The price of refreshments at CPH always impresses me - £5 for coffee in a paper cup!

Don't go there hungry.

Good flight home, met by K who had everything in order and even cooked dinner whilst we sat by a big log fire.

Beat that!

Teall rough weather here this morning, P dropping J and Th off on the way to work.

They can put the Santas around and do Christmassy things.

Perhaps a little baking?

The nights are round and really red.

These are poor photos, especially the last one, but have forgotten how to delete!

Good Morning.

The screens have it!

J swimming.

MK working.

W working.

AJ awaiting breakfast

DK gaming, in self defence.

I'm annoying, apparently!

An angel over Ringsted!

I guess that she has come to check out the weather, which is very mild.

10 degrees yesterday and feeling even warmer today.

We pottered on Friday, then pottered with the family yesterday, ending the day with a roast goose dinner at T and B's

MK and the boys went for a ride in a horse and carriage through the forest to choose their Xmas tree, which was then towed the mile home on the wooden cart.

It is now in it's stand and discussions ensuring as to whether it has been pulled through dog poo.

We ave all sniffed in turn.

I declare it clean.

W can always smell dog poo.

AJ has the casting vote.

The decorating is proceeding, G Jensen making a statement!

Going out for a special lunch shortly.

Trying to organise goods outward as home tomorrow evening.

Gløgg glug at Tivoli.

Just returned from a great day in Copenhagen with AJ and T.
Aoaáëua
This is a selection of the Danish letters that you can get on your keyboard merely by holding down the English letter.
J just showed me how to do it.
Oh to be 10 and know such things!

We went around the shops, drank coffee, more shops including Georg Jensen and zillions Bollighu, lunch, then Tivoli, which was wonderful as it became dark
Glug glug,  then the train home?

Ringsted

Relaxing with W and family along with AJ for a week.

Actually, relaxing without them as they have all gone to work/school, J having cooked us porridge for breakfast.

Waiting for it to get light before we burst into action/ walk down into town for a potter.

The Christmas Tree Festival went very well, the church looks brilliant, lit by the tree lights of 27 trees and the decorations are better than ever.

There were lots of visitors, which was the main aim, to encourage people to make a visit to church part of their Christmas.

Lots of tea and cake consumed with Cadburys' chocolate rolls for little people, still as yummy as ever.

There are always visitors whose families once lived in the village, were married in the church........who are delighted to visit again and have tales to tell.

We eventually left and locked the door at 5.00pm on Sunday, weary.

I tried to catch up on things at home on Monday morning before leaving for Solihull to shop for a couple of hours before meeting J and Th from school.

Home by 7.00pm ready for the quiz at The Griffin with AJ as our secret weapon.

We came last by one point.

We need a soaps fan!

Almost light- may not get any better, so up and at it!

Christmas Trees galore.

Yesterday morning should have been spent in church, doing the wiring for the 27 Christmas trees.

A challenge as there are only 6 sockets in the building!

As it was, I went to Solihull in the morning and did Christmas shopping - my first effort - before collecting J and Th from school, having calculated that I could do the wiring today, before we start decorating on Wed morning.

I still haven't done the wiring as I was invited to the Probus Christmas dinner at Maxstoke Golf Club.

This involved sprucing myself up, dress and heels, which took a while.

Not wanting to do dirty jobs, I settled for posting the e bay parcels, putting up the posters to advertise the Christmas Tree Festival, in the shops in Coleshill and visiting Phil.

The dinner was fun and relaxing, but I will now have to have a really early start tomorrow to catch up, and hope that it all goes well.

E bay items flying off the shelves, as it was so K is working hard at keeping up with the packing.

All good fun and some lovely messages.

No more leaves!

A very rough night weatherwise, which has seen the end of the leaves in the garden, apart fromthise caught up in odd corners.
The odd few twigs down but, surprisingly no damage.
Today has been mild, 11 degrees and very pleasant.
This was a bonus as five of us have spent the afternoon in church putting up 27 Christmas trees ready to be decorated later this week in readiness for our Christmas Tree Festival next weekend.
By then it will look stunning, the church just lit by the tree lights, the trees themed to match the sponsors.
This year I have cutlery for Tuckeys, the butchers, large regal purple baubles and crowns for the Dugdale family, light bulbs and electrical bits for the electrician........
All good fun.
Christmas teas served.
The main aim is to attract people in, away from the shops for a little while.
With luck we shall also make a profit.

A busy week with a great day in Welshpool on Thursday for K to visit his barber and to buy cakes from Sidolis, the bakers, to buy gorgeous gateaux to serve next weekend - ginger sparkle gateaux, carrot cake, cheesecake.......
I may make scones, but not too much pressure over refreshments.
B came on Friday to collect his Christmas tree, failed as the timing didn't work.
It's here now!
Having done so well today, I 'm taking tomorrow off to finish Christmas shopping before collecting J and Th from school.
I haven't really started yet so that may be wishful thinking, but I have to be organised before I leave for a week in Denmark before Christmas.

Eat going very well, people buying quirky presents.
Great fun.