Magic and Sparkle!

The show continues until twelth night, we may keep the church open for a while next weekend - see how the mood and need for a social life impede.
We've had lots of visitors, served lots of tea and coffee and all of my Christmas cakes had gone by 2.00pm, forcing me to go to Coleshill to buy more from Morrisons as my remaining cake wasn't iced.
it still isn't but no rush, now.
Family Service went well, finishing with the children racing remote control cars around the church during the final hymn - they had been watching the cars, lined up in the aisle and waiting for the moment to get hold of them throughout the service and hoping that it wouldn't be too long - the themes of Advent: "Watching and Waiting" and "Hope".
I have a wonderful quote from Desmond Tutu on Advent:
"We are an Advent people................together we can make the desert bloom"

I eventually came home at 5.45pm, church all cleared up and tidy.
Dinner - I've eaten cod all week as it's quick to cook - only one more portion left.
This was saved instead of published - tired and hit the wrong button, I guess.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

Tinselled out!

Some finality today:

PtheP has finished the decorating, unfortunately he left a little earlier than I'd anticipated, so the wine  delivery didn't happen - I'll arrange another time tomorrow.

Both the dining room and the downstairs toilet look fantastic - even better than I had anticipated.
I've promised to leave the rooms to dry out for a week - a week off housework as well, what a bonus!

The 30 Christmas trees in church are all decorated and look stunning, especially in the twilight/dark.
Another tree - a fine specimen - was delivered as a gift at the 11th hour, which still has to be decorated.
Everyone "mucked in" with the clearing up - quite a task with all of those trees being moved around, so I was home by 6.30pm - earlier than I'd feared.
Lots of goodwill and fun.
If you are in the vicinity of Shustoke at the weekend, you must come in to see them - tea and  various Christmas cakes available.

Life gets even better - aj has won a 17 night P and O cruise around the Med on Oriana - who else would you want to take on this epic voyage than your twin sister!
Well done aj - it sounds brilliant.

I have Christmas cakes to ice before bedtime so that they will be ready for tomorrow - I think that I'll just do the one needed tomorrow - I'm tired.

Up early tomorrow to put the finishing touches and organise refreshments, then finish preparing Sunday's services.
Next week I shall relax.
I

Compatable!

Chatting to P the P yesterday morning - he's a marathon runner - I noted that I was really lucky as I had no aches and pains and still "felt like a 30 year old"
As I drove up to church I realised that it was yet  another thing that G and I had in common.

I'm becoming more debauched (that may be the wrong word!) by the day - I went down early to clear up the debris from last night's party, before PtheP arrived, made him a cup of tea and came back to have breakfast in bed - scrambled egg (today's) with smoked salmon and hors deuves left overs.
That's a first - I'm a  purist about eating in bed or perhaps I just used to be - it's 4 degrees and windy outside. I have let the chickens out and have a long day at church ahead - will be sociable, but little chance of food or comfort so I'm stocking up!
The party was great fun - about twenty ladies, all bearing food and/or bottles, chatting twenty to the dozen in a way that doesn't happen when the men are there - three glasses down, which must be a measure of something.
The dining room looks absolutely fabulous - I'm so pleased with the colour - eau-de-nil - and pattern.
Laura Ashley is now my designer of choice!
Curtains are at the cleaners - I just need a tall, guy with good manipulative skills and clean hands to put the finishing touches next week.
Must get round to finding curtains for my bedroom - curtain pole in situ, but still vertical!

The fields opposite have been ploughed now and it's beginning to look wintry, just some green in the far fields/meadows.
There are heaps of lovely dry crunchy leaves everywhere, I doubt that many will survive today.

(hors deuves doesn't look right - I'm sure I'll be put right!)

Thawing out.

Another cold day but I had to leave my warm bed at an early hour - OK, it was 7.40am, so not the crack of dawn, to be up before P the P arrived.
The socket must have dried out as the fuse went back and the boiler lit!
Brilliant!
The house was very cold, apart from my bed, so I've had the heating on to help dry the paintwork in the dining room - I am wearing 4 layers - vest, thermal thing, thin fleece, fleece jacket - I'm pretty warm, to be honest.
The painting and lining paper all done, but still no sign of a plasterer.

I had a double scrambled egg with a tomato for breakfast then went out to put up posters about the Christmas Tree Festival around the village and in Coleshill - still some more needed but mine were printing with a border only page between each - may be useful one day!
A little light shopping , including a Christmas Good Housekeeping" - my treat of the season, then home for lunch - salmon and tomato salad.
I think I may be in a bit of a tomato rut, but Morrisons' on the vine are delicious, especially with bay leaves, olive oil and black pepper.
So sustained, I made another couple of Christmas cakes, which are in the oven and smell wonderful.
Catching up on e mails before bell ringing.
I bought 2nd class stamps today as the PO was empty - never miss a chance!
Awaiting a New Year's day lunch Invitation draft from T before I get around to cards.
I hope that W has noted my diet  - fit for a Neanderthal!

I'd never heard of Juan Carlos.
Is one's 180th b'day significant nowadays  - I thought that important anniversaries were
divisible by 50.

The big freeze!

Up early as Peter the Painter started today, decorating the dining room and downstairs toilet as he only has a week, but he'll be back in the New Year to finish the rest.
He always starts before 8.30am and works flat out until 4.oopm - he's stripped the walls and done one coat of paint already
Unfortunately, he got some water in a socket, which blew the fuse - I didn't give it a second thought until this evening when I returned from salsacise at about 9.30pm, to a freezing house.
With a little help from B the problem was found - the laundry (boiler) and my bedroom are on the same circuit as the wet socket.
I've put extension cables from the landing to run my electric blanket, radio and lamp, so will have some comfort.
It took a while to get the TV working again, but too cold to sit and watch for long, even with the fan heater going.

Lots of phone calls this morning, even a visitor, then a visit to church , where Maurice was erecting trees and the estate guy had promised to deliver the big tree, so I didn't get off to Solihull as early as I'd hoped, little time to shop.
I collected J and Th from school and cooked tea, then watched Flog It - did a deal with Th - he could use the wifi!
It was the sale at Bigwoods that G and I went to about three years ago, because some of our stuff was in the sale.
I didn't notice us, but J did and hovered over the offending images - quite a lot of them as it's a small saleroom.
Strange seeing G smiling and chatting away at/to me.

Off to a ice warm bed - blanket on overnight I think.         

A new beginning?

Relaxing by the fire after a hectic weekend - had to fill the log basket first, in the dark - bad planning!
A lovely evening with J and Th on Friday and a lie in until 8.00am.
Such a lovely, bright morning that we walked to the playground for a scamp around, taking in the village shop on the way, to buy eggs for the Christmas cakes for church - too tall an order for just two chickens to cope with!
We were cake making when P arrived, so I had to finish them off - turned out well.
I chased up the remainder of my Xmas tree sponsors then visited the Wedding Venue to explain that they had been overlooked, but needed a tree as all of the local hostelries were represented - I was well supported by the staff, many of whom I had taught.
Success!
A cup of tea with Jan and Chris then home to put my sermon on paper - that went well as well, just needed a little tweeking first thing this morning.

Day spent largely in one church or another - Communion at Sh, then on to take the service at NW, home to make scones then back to Sh to test the Xmas tree lights whilst K, M and Steve erected the trees - ten down, 16 to go.
They are beautiful trees, from Denmark, for some reason - the church looks and smells like a forest.
Fairy lustre to be added by the decorators later in the week.
I shall pop in tomorrow, but unable to do much until all of the trees are up, then busy manning the church for the decorators - cold up there.
I'm hoping to have a lazy few hours shopping - bells to decorate the Bellringers' tree, marzipan for the cakes......
Peter the Painter arrives at 8.30am - I 've almost cleared the dining room, carried family silver, etc into the lounge, most movable furniture upstairs and lived to tell the tale!
K will get the plastering done when it's stripped - it'll all work out, I'm sure.

Most exciting purchase of last week - a pair of Gabor, knee-length leather boots with heels - my first long boots since I was 19, to go with my maxi coat.
I need updating!
Any further suggestions?
 

Home again.

From my break in Denmark with W, MK and the boys - complimented by being described as
 "a luxury au pair" - relaxing and enjoyable, taking DK to Bernehave/nursery (the boys are teaching me Danish, everyone else having given up -not a natural linguist!), two hours exercise, walking / shopping or whatever , then back home for lunch, a little light housework, collect the boys, tea then prepare dinner.
I have actually navigated my way around Ringsted and its environs with some competence - a first.
I have even managed to shop in the supermarket - no problem with vegetables and fruit - they look the same, apart from technicolour carrots (presumably to give some variety as Danes eat carrots the way Brits eat tomato ketchup - no meal complete without), packeted goods are more of a challenge as are  "chocolate marcipan bars" - a bagful brought home!

P met me at BHX at 9.40am with a scrummy Xmas coffee and saw me safely ensconced.
Home was as I left it with just a few more molehills on the top lawn, more leaves down and honeysuckle in flower???
No plastering done, the decorator coming on Monday and a "ladies get-together" here on Wednesday - where to start without causing chaos?
I visited M & M to catch up, ordered the Xmas turkey, etc from the farm and tried to make sense of the next week.
30 Xmas trees to be delivered to church next Tuesday, to be stood in blocks and wired for light, in position ready for the open weekend on 7,8 December.
Where are the 29 sponsors?
Will the Estate deliver the BIG tree by then so it can be put up first?
Have the others done their bits?
Is someone doing the wiring up of the lights, or is it me?
How can we heat the church - wiring has failed??

Up and at it - contact tree sponsors then to Solihull to buy wallpaper for dining room from Laura Ashley - Morris is just too expensive, food shop then collect J & Th from school, for a sleepover.

No answers yet