More at Christmas 2016

A few more shots from Christmas - the two boys cooked lunch for the first time together.The shots tell it all! Heather with Rob's sister Janice, Richard with King and a Lager - and Heather in her gorgeous shawl, a generous present from Graham and Danielle.

A few random shots!

Just a few random Christmas shots - some with my iPhone, others sent tp me from Oslo, Chigwell and Dorset!

Happy New Year to all my followers!

Merry Christmas!

Well, I'm at A&E 😩😪😪
This morning was not a good. I decided to go horse riding, something I haven't done in a while. It turned out to be a big mistake! I got on the horse and started out slowly, but then we went a little faster; before I knew it, we were going as fast as the horse could go. I couldn't take the pace and fell off, but caught my foot in the stirrup with the horse dragging me. It wouldn't stop. Thank goodness the manager at Toys-R-Us came out and unplugged the machine. But he had the nerve to take the rest of my change so I wouldn't attempt to ride the Elephant. 
How many of you actually read what I wrote? If you did, copy and paste for someone else to get a laugh! Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas!

I went to London on Friday afternoon - to St. Paul's Cathedral for the Christmas Carol Service. I arrived at 3pm for the 4pm start. The queue started at the West end main steps, would along the north side to the east and back to the south - from where this shot was taken. There must have been 3,000 folk in front of me! Stewards said we might just about get in - but still folk added themselves to the queue which must have then caught up with itself going round. At about 3.30pm the queue started to move, but ground to a menacing halt as four struck. Fifteen minutes later I was inside, standing at the back until a seat appeared and I was ushered forward by a steward who probably thought it best to sit the old boy down before he keels over! I could just see the pulpit. As ever it was an inspiring, moving service with a clear message at the end of a disastrous year that we should not give up but strive to make the world how it should be - put the evils of BREXIT and TRUMP behind and trust in God's redeeming love, but work to make it all happen. Happy Christmas!

Borough Market - where else at Christmas!

Went to Borough Market yesterday. Bought a game pie, Clementines in a white wooden box, Brussel Sprouts on the stalk (no black ones this year!), some Sussex Camembert and Goats's cheese from Kent - my contribution to the family Christmas Day!  

Christmas at 37!

Not my best photography - but these shots do give an impression of the decorations at the front of the house (all red), in the porch (with a poinsettia from Stewarts in Christchurch and cyclamen from Columbia Road Flower Market, with the crib which is now some 50 years old) and at the summerhouse at the bottom of the garden.

Have a Great Christmas!

My apologies to the good folk who follow me on my BLOG - for I have been a bit busy (to say the least!), Christmas is a busy time for most of us and when you are the househusband you are, in effect doing two people's work! Although I have to confess the Daphne does my cleaning on Fridays and a bit of ironing (although I do the handkerchiefs, tea towels and pillow cases). 

The Christmas lights are up out front and back and I have almost completedy Christmas shopping. So forgive me for the silence - and have a Great Christmas!

Santas galore - and the odd elf!

Walking this afternoon through Paternoster Square next to 

St Paul's Cathedral (where I enjoyed the Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten), I met with some thousand or so Santas - and the odd elf! This is an annual event. It is estimated that there were over 5,000 today - walking on to Trafalgar square - in the rain! Brave souls - who were having a great fun event!

I do not wish to boast but . . .

I do not wish to boast, but I have just completed the brass, copper and silver cleaning in time for the festivities, when family members are likely to visit and will look to see that standards are being maintained. The first session was on Monday - two hours for the stuff in the hallway. Today I started at 10am and finished just before 5pm with an hour for lunch and a lie down!

The day started badly. I woke - as I do - at 3am and thereafter dozed, but the night seems exceptionally long - and even Socks noticed this for at about 5am he started to get rough with me - leaping on the bed and making his annoyance crystal clear, jumping, pouting, talking- so that I rose at 5.30am. I noticed that it was light outside and when I reached the dining room, the grandfather clock told me it was - 7.45am! The battery in my bedside clock had run down! Indeed the refuse collectors were outside, but fortunately I put things out last evening.

I am now able to relax - well sort of relax. For MASS lasts six months and the next clean will be in July.

The lights are in the porch with festive plants and the crib but the front garden needs sorting with lights, Myst get that done ere long - and a neighbour wants me to do her door knocker for her!

Christmas preparations started today - 5th December

Christmas preparations took a bold swoop forward today. Two hours of brass and copper cleaning with MASS (which lasts six months, praise be!), then clearing the front porch. Windows, woodwork, carpet - all have to be spotless. Then the fun begins as I go under the bed (all good things are kept there) and bring out the boxes. Here are just two shots as it became dark. The Pionsettia is the one surviving from Stewarts - the second sitting beside gave up the ghost yesterday. The Cyclamen were purchased in Columbia Road Flower Market on Sunday and taken into St. Paul's Cathedral for the Eucharist so they are sort of blessed. I love the rich dark red. I wish I could have carried more for the selection was mind-blowing. More brass, copper, silver and glassware needs to be sorted later in the week - fresh supplies of MASS on order (from LAKELAND online - but it is no longer stocked in their shops - very odd indeed).

Twice a day and six times on Saturday

Opening up the iMac this morning, I discover that CINDERELLA is to play at the London Palladium for five weeks over Christmas. Paul OP’Grady, Julian Clary, Niger Havers, Lee Mead, Amanda Holden and someone called Count Arthur Strong are among the performers. Tickets starts at £22 or so - but I dare not look to see what the top shots are!

However, just take a glance at the times of performance. Two shows a day for six days of the week is pretty taxing, but Saturday there are Six, yes SIX performances! Starting at 11am with the last show at 7.30pm, I would guess some of the stars may need to be carried out in Sedan chairs by the end of the evening, carted off to A & E or taken to the nearest care home for overnight respite! Sunday they get a good break in the late afternoon - perhaps to pop out to do some shopping or to have a booster injection!

I think I will give this a miss for on Saturday you may get trampled underfoot as one audience leaves and another tries to get in (and I am busy on the other days).

Sunday 1:00PM  6:00PM

Monday 2:30PM  7:30PM

Tuesday 2:30PM  7:30PM

Wednesday 2:30PM  7:00PM  7:30PM

Thursday 2:30PM  7:30PM

Friday 2:30PM  7:30PM

Saturday 11:00AM  1:00PM  2:30PM  4:00PM  6:00PM  7:30PM

I will send this to a few friends to brighten up a frosty Monday morning. Happy Christmas!

Regards

Ron

The Second Sunday of Advent in London

Left home at 8am on Sunday 4th December - to Columbia Road Flower Market for a feast of colour and Christmas Trees - then to St. Paul's Cathedral for Sung Eucharist, snack and coffee at Paul's, over the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern Christmas Market, walked to London Bridge and home. Great day - cold but bright sunshine. Home at 4pm to vegetable stew from the freezer.

It's nearly Christmas!

Christmas is just around the corner for the Poinsettia are to be seen all over town! 

Poinsettias are widely grown indoors over Christmas for their brightly coloured red and green foliage. Common name: Poinsettia; Botanical name; Euphorbia pulcherrima. The species is indigenous to Mexico.

These photographs were taken on Saturday 3rd December.