Needless to say our evening meal pales in comparison, although on Friday evening we met our friends John and Maureen for a meal at a local pub. The atmosphere, conversation, food and wine were very good. It does the heart good to catch up with friends of nearly 30 years.
We've just come back from walking the dogs on Stafford Common. Bella, the delinquent beagle, has led Tim a merry chase. If you've not seen the YouTube video of Fenton and his owner just google 'Fenton, Richmond Park'. As you chuckle, think Tim and Bella, and you won't be far wrong!
The late afternoon sky was glorious. We didn't have a camera, but we took this photograph with Tim's phone.
Sunday sees the start of Advent, which for me is early enough to start thinking about Christmas. We are meeting my brother and sister-in-law for a late lunch near Market Harborough, which is roughly half way between us and their home near Bury St Edmunds. We always meet to swap Christmas gifts and this was the only day when we were both free.
As I type, Australia are 30-26 up against Wales which should make for an exciting last 10 minutes. My friend, Debbie, is at the Millennium Stadium soaking up the atmosphere. A Welsh win would complete her birthday celebrations, but alas, it wasn't to be.
Tom's Christmas parcels have arrived in Kagoshima. Besides gifts the parcel contained food treats, winter clothes and four pairs of shoes to fit his size 11 feet!
Ahead lies the last three weeks of term, with plenty of activities both work related and social to look forward to. Working part-time allows me the time to enjoy more of the good things in life. It also means that weekends are less frantic, although I'm still searching for all that time that working less was going to bring me!
This post has taken nearly two days to put together so perhaps age + more time = less time...
Christmas seems to be all about eating large meals from the end of November onwards. By the time the big day comes, your palate is jaded and all you fancy is a sandwich, but you still have to cook that vast meal. Maybe we should have our Christmas dinner in February.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean! One Christmas meal a year is enough for me although the chance to catch up with family and friends is the important bit.
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas will just be the two of us with whatever we can buy at the local market - and hopefully plenty of the cold white stuff!
It was a lovely post, Gaynor - and that sky photo is stunning! Yes, I have laughed many times at Fenton the dog and his desperate owner, so I get the picture.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't really feeling very Christmassy yet here in Andalucia but we're getting quietly excited in our house and the children have started on their chocolate advent calendar...which contains my chocolates, this year! Axxx
There was one Christmas when the children were little when all the family succumbed to flu and we postponed the whole event until the middle of January when we were really ready for a good old christmas dinner. Boy did we enjoy it! Removed from the forced jollity and chaos of the average UK christmas, it was much more palatable (no pun intended!)
ReplyDeleteYou can tell by how late my comment is that I am definitely suffering end of semester-itis.
ReplyDeleteWe don't even begin to think about Christmas until well after Thanksgiving -- say 1st week of December!
Nigel some years ago wanted a 'Snoopy' it was the most impossible dog we have ever owned, I am sure he had a loose screw though very lovable. He was getting on in years when we left S.A. and I thought the kindest thing to do was to put him to sleep. Many tears were shed as dilly as he was. Have a good weekend. Diane
ReplyDeleteSounds like a delightful few days away from home, even though only a few miles .. fab photo of the sun, beautiful colours. I used to live in Bury St Edmunds, lived there for quite a few years and went to school there too,
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