Christmas 2022

Christmas 2022 

How swiftly days pass - all the excitement and preparation for Christmas, presents to wrap and send and, at this time of year, I am always reminded of Mum, as she used to help me by holding the wrapping paper in place, whilst I wielded the Sellotape. She would look up at me and grin, and say, "Now, don't stick my finger to the parcel!"  At least this year, I was "well ahead of the game," as they say, along with Christmas cards to friends and loved ones in England and overseas: due to action by the Royal Mail, I really had to send everything off as early as I could, and I got most of our mail - cards, parcels and letters - away in November. From everyone we have heard from so far, everything arrived in good time!

Our Christmas Day was a very happy and peaceful time, made extra special by having the chance to speak to Al and Dani on Face Time. It's a wonderful thing, to be able not just to hear, but also to see our loved ones at special times. Apart from me, everyone has Apple phones, so the connection on Christmas Day was easy. On the Samsung phone Wendy gave me, I can do WhatsApp and have messages and phone conversations, but that's about it. I can't take photos or upload them, and it's clear I have still so much to learn!

Al and Dani rang us just as I had been carving the turkey and dishing up the dinner, and they asked Wendy to take a photo of her plate, and send it to them, so here it is:

We had roast turkey (courtesy of Wendy, it was a fresh bird from Waitrose), roast caramelised potatoes, parsnips, carrots, swede, peas, Brussels sprouts and Yorkshire puddings, with a slice of Tunis Cake and chocolate Yule Log to follow.

Apparently, it is quite the thing nowadays for people having a meal in a restaurant to photograph their lunch/dinner/tea and upload the picture so that their friends can see what they are having - very strange! 

Anyway, if nothing else, it proves I cooked the "full monty" meal. 

Afterwards, we had a wonderful time, opening all the beautiful presents we had been given; everyone is so very kind and thoughtful, and we loved and appreciated every gift very much. 

Using the magic of the time-delay switch on the camera, we also took a photo of all three of us in front of the Christmas Tree:

Another photograph for the Memory Bank!

We might have been only few in number, but what a happy little band we were. We listened to some carols, and watched the King's speech on t.v. Everything had gone beautifully, and we have wonderful memories of a very happy 

Christmas Day.

London Snow

London Snow

"When men were all asleep the snow came flying  In large white flakes falling on the city brown

Stealthily and perpetually settling and loosely lying, Hushing the latest traffic of the drowsy town..."

These are the opening lines from one of my favourite poems, "London Snow," by Robert Bridges. I was first introduced to it by my speech and drama teacher, whilst I was living in Durban, and I was instantly captivated by its imagery and the way Bridges illustrates the beauty and stillness after a fall of snow. 

However, after my return to the U.K. in 1970, I have since learned there is another side to snow; beauty there is, certainly, but also a savagery and harshness and, with today's constant flow of traffic, a danger that is ever present when roads turn icy and people are out and about in their cars, and lorries are going about their business, transporting loads from depots to delivery sites, not to mention buses and cyclists and motor bikers. 

Last weekend saw us spend a couple of nights away in Colchester, attending a dance practice with Starlight Dancing on the Friday, and the Christmas Ball on the Saturday night. The dancing is held in the Marks Tey village hall, which is 50 miles away from home, so we decided that, rather than attempt to travel back each evening, we would make a pre-Christmas break of it, and book two nights at the Holiday Inn in Colchester. 

As the weather got even colder, with swathes of icy blasts dragged in from the arctic, it was obvious it was a very good decision! We had a very short drive from the hotel to the venue, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves; we had good company - sitting at our table were two couples we first met earlier this year, at the dancing holiday in Torquay - and Bob also won a spot prize in one of the quickstep dances, which was a lovely surprise!

Sunday morning dawned bright and very cold, but no matter; we had a good breakfast, packed our bags and our dancing shoes, and set off for home at about 1.00 p.m. 

As we drove, the weather started to show signs of change; there was fog, then freezing fog, and it was terribly cold. We were glad to get in, get the central heating thermostat raised up to a higher temperature, and generally snuggle in for the night.

And during the night, the snow arrived. Two and a half inches - 5 centimeters - of it, covering our garden.

It looked beautiful, and indeed, the snow hushed sound; even the magpies stayed in their nests and did not venture out to steal any of the food we put out to feed the stray cats we keep fed, especially during these harsh times. 

We also had a dancing lesson booked for the morning, but before we left, our lovely teacher rang us to say, she was going to cancel the session; the roads leading to the dance hall are not main roads, and therefore not all are gritted, and they can be very tricky to negotiate, so we were very grateful for her thoughtfulness. 

Then the reports started coming through on the television news, about problems on the roads - even the A roads, like the A12, were experiencing difficulties, and there were accidents on the M25, with terrible delays for everyone attempting to drive somewhere. 

How glad we were we did not have to go anywhere! and over the past few days, our temperatures have been recorded as low as minus 5 degrees. Bob has braved going to the shops for groceries, but we do not travel far. Even during the day, the thermometer struggles to get above freezing. 

So, yes, this is indeed London Snow. Beautiful and hushed, but also treacherous and slippery.
It is now starting to thaw a little, when the sun comes out and shines on it to melt the top layer, but then of course it freezes again overnight, and the ice crystals glitter in the next morning's sunshine.

We are promised an improvement: warmer weather at the weekend, with rain, and then perhaps we shall have plus 9 (!) degrees, instead of minus figures, to contend with.

As someone who grew up in East Africa, I feel the cold terribly, but with this severe weather, I have not been alone in finding it difficult to cope. We have not even had the shortest day yet, but once that passes, and - however imperceptibly - the days begin to lengthen, surely we can start to look forward to spring!

 

 

Book Signing At The West Somerset Railway

Book Signing At The West Somerset Railway

We were invited to return to the West Somerset Railway, so that Bob could have a couple of days at the shop in Minehead, signing copies of his book, "Isabel Finds A Home," and we were really eager to get back to the Railway. The last time we were there was four (four!) years ago, and then of course the pandemic hit, everything was closed, and we couldn't go anywhere. 

It was so good to be back! Wendy drove us to Minehead, and we stayed at the Premier Inn, a short drive from the station, so it was also a mini-break for us all.

Everyone at the Railway was so hospitable, and we really enjoyed it - there were lots of passengers, because it was the last days of normal running for this season. 

 

Bob said, "It was wonderful to be back and meet a few old friends from my days as a Fireman on the Railway. It was a chance to give something back after many years of happy footplate work, and all the staff in the shop at Minehead made us very welcome."

 

  

Wendy and I took the opportunity on the Saturday to chuff up and down the line to Bishops Lydeard and back, all with the whiff of steam and everyone so happy to be on board. I was also asked to make a couple of station announcements: "The train now standing at Platform 1 is the 16.30 steam service calling at all stations to Bishops Lydeard...!"  

 

They would also like me to do that again! and we have been asked if we can make another visit in the summer, when it will be even busier. That’s another trip to look forward to!