Tuesday 19 December 2017

Doing Something Different

This will be a very different Christmas this year. Ray and I are spending the festival away from home for the first time! Christmas Day and Boxing Day with Hannah, Luke and one-year old bibliophile, Finley, followed by a few days with all the family at Kate's home with Darren, nearly two- year old Frank and Jen and family.

 

Since Jen, Kate and Hannah moved away to their own homes, the Christmas Holidays has been evolving.

 

I remember the childhood years, when everybody believed in Santa. Santa was allowed to show up whenever he liked, but the rule for the children was, "Play in your rooms until 8am, THEN get us up!" Santa had obligingly left stockings at the foot of beds for the purpose.

 

Having secured a bit of a lie-in, we the parents, then presided over the grand opening of the big presents around the tree at a reasonably decent hour. Dolls, bicycles, electronic toys and books gradually giving way over the years to scarves, different kinds of books, and beauty products ... One constant though, was Santa's Little Helper, otherwise known as Dad, passing around the black plastic rubbish bag for immediate disposal of the discarded wrappings.

 

Preparation for big dinner always began during, Carols from Kings College, Cambridge, on Christmas Eve. I would return from Midnight Mass and peel, scrape chop and slice to the accompaniment of divine music from a heavenly choir.

 

The dinner menu was unvaried, capon, (or turkey in latter years) Betty Crocker's bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, sprouts and carrots with cranberry sauce and gravy. Pudding was always the same too - everybody got to choose. So for the week before the Big Day I would be baking: Sticky Toffee Pudding, Texas Millionaire Pie, Pecan Pie, and traditional Christmas Pudding with THICK custard (for Dad). I rarely made the Christmas Pudding, I admit, it was usually a bought one soused with extra booze.

 

Boxing Day was leftovers and Tuna Plait.

 

Wonderful, wonderful memories!

 

And now, our one family has become four families, and it's a delight to watch them make their own Christmas traditions, and wonderful to be able to share them.

 

I still get to do the puddings though.

 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

 

Tuesday 12 December 2017

Quiet!

This is not my first trip to:



I came here three years ago with three dear people: Ray and two friends, Ursula and Jeanette. Appledore is quiet at this time of year. On the way to the delicatessen, I nodded and smiled to just a handful of people, but this is PERFECT.

You know when you book a holiday let, there are always a shelf of books?



?
Well, in 2014 I found ‘The Power if Quiet’ by Susan Cain, and it transformed my life. 

I am an introvert. I love my people in small groups. I am good at allowing others to take the limelight, I adore reading, gardening and solitary walks. I am absolutely at ease with my own company.

It’s not a question of disliking parties or noisy events or loud people - it’s just that I am exhausted by them. 

Susan Cain called me out, and here I am, taking time to do absolutely NOTHING! Except 

1. Shop


2. Eat 


3. Read:


4. Gaze out of the window 
 
4. Walk


All day. For  week!