Christmas in Bovey

Amanda and Sam left early in the morning to go up to Melton to meet the removals people.  We got off to Devon in very good time and had a good journey down - so arrived at 12 rather than 1.  Wayne had popped out, but there was another builder there so we were able to get in.  The kitchen was just stunning.  Lots of light getting in and plenty of space to move about in.  It looked like something out of a magazine


It wasn't quite finished - the replacement dishwasher will arrive in the new year as will the final end panels for the fridge and freezer (so the unit doors were not attached to the appliance doors) - but it was near enough to be jaw-droppingly fantastic.

It even has lights beneath the cupboards I discovered to my delight one evening!



The utility room was equally stunning, and beautifully warm with its new insulation, two new radiators, new back door and window and new glass panelled connecting door.



The window in the small loo had been replaced as the window sill had been rotten and was letting in damp, and there was a new sink with new taps too.



There was a lot of dust in the rest of the house and it resembled a building site in places.  The garage and the sun lounge were both in use as a storage area.


And I also noticed that Tom had made a really good job of creating a path in front of the terrace in the garden.



I viewed the week as being like camping in the house - and just got things out of boxes as and when I needed them, if I could find them!  Wayne ran through a few things and left me with a huge pile of instruction books - there were no working electric sockets in the living room so he had run an extension lead from the kitchen and set up the television etc so we at least had that.

We had cheese and biscuits for lunch from the Christmas present hamper the Convent Sisters had given us, plus a piece of Monica's cake, and then I took Suki for a walk for an hour in the plantation.  It was lovely to get out into nice scenery again and we enjoyed ploughing through the mud!  I then went shopping in the High Street and got everything I needed for the next few days, and picked up the chicken I had ordered.  It was lovely to walk down an uncrowded street and go into uncrowded shops.  The lights and the tree were lovely - even the over the top lights etc at No 9 seemed more tasteful this year.


It was also a really good feeling to again feel on top of things and have everything under control!  In the evening Tim came round and we had several attempts at the 41 minor without scoring anything.  More cake!  We sorted out the bed and had a reasonably early night.

I gleaned enough from the instruction books to cook porridge on the hob on the first morning.  It was very quick and I was very pleased with the free set of pans.


Bob came round and picked Mike up to go and ring a peal of 41 minor at Coffinswell with Mike Mears.  I took Suki to Parke for an hour and then went over to Exeter at midday for an attempt at a QP of Cambridge Royal which didn't go very well although the first course was reasonable.  In the afternoon we went to see Mary and when we got in Mike started his first jigsaw of the trip! The living room was rather dark without any additional lighting, so we decided to set up the utility room as the jigsaw room, and I also sat in there to do my cross stitch.  It was light and warm and ideal!


Mike finished the first 1000 piece jigsaw that day - although he came to bed at gone 3 am!  Luckily the next day we were able to have a nice long lie-in and only got up at 9.30 am - unheard of!!

The first jig saw completed
San Sebastian, Spain

We took Suki to Parke - where Mike got extremely muddy - and then went home for Mike to have a shower.  In the afternoon we popped in to see Mary before heading off to The Bell for a ringers' social.  Actually it was only Bob and Barry in the pub but it was a jolly couple of hours - at least until they started playing pool which of course started Suki barking (she's scared of the sound of the balls hitting each other).  We stopped off at the shops on the way home - Tesco and  Spar still open although all the others were by now shut - and then had a quiet evening in until it was time to go to Midnight Communion.  Mike had a snooze and I did some cross stitch.  We were in good time for the service - church was full but not packed to the hilt like the old days.  We were amazed to see that there was no choir or procession, just the vicar and one server.  The organist was excellent - don't know where he was from - but the carols all sounded a bit miserable without harmony or descants, and there was of course no singing during the taking of communion.  We had a mince pie (homemade by Amanda) and a small brandy when we got in - and drank to absent friends and relations.

Christmas Day

Bob picked Mike up just before 8 to go to Bickington, and I took Suki to Parke - easily getting a space in the layby at that time on a Sunday morning.  I went up to PPT to ring for the 10 am service.  Barry gave out the savings club envelopes which was a nice thing to get first thing on Christmas Day.  Mike went on to Lustleigh and I went home and with trepidation turned on the oven for the first time, prepared the chicken and put it in!  All seemed to be well.

The chicken in the oven - first meal in new oven
Then went to collect Mary - we gave the carol singing and Santa a miss and came straight back.  Mary liked the new layout - although it took a while for her to come to terms with it and work out that it was all new.  When Mike came in we had a coffee and opened a few presents.  Mike gave me a book of intellectual dog tests!  Mary received a letter from Carolyn (and I noticed that there was one from Lorraine in her room) and she read it several times over the course of the afternoon.



Lunch was served untraditionally early at 12.30 - and it was cooked to perfection.  The chicken was moist and the roast potatoes were the best I had ever produced (I think the goose fat from the butchers helped).  I was extremely pleased with the oven - I had used a setting which circulated the hot air around and the results were brilliant.  The microwave pudding was really lovely - and Mike was still able to pour brandy over and set light to it successfully.  We had it with white sauce and Mike's homemade brandy butter.  We were all washed up and cleared away in good time for the Queen.  After that we watched The Big Sing through the Chromecast - we had to wait for it to update first but it worked very well thereafter.  We pointed out to Mary where we were sitting - as we expected the camera never panned our way.  I took Mary back while Mike took Suki for a walk.  She hung around the drive barking as I reversed out and then took off like a rocket after the car as I drove off, dragging Mike along behind her at great speed!  When I got back we spent a happy two hours opening presents.  We each had a huge pile from my family and Jayne


and there was a huge amount of debris when we had finished!


We watched King Lear in the evening - all three hours ten minutes of it.  I found it difficult to follow - but once I had got a synopsis up on Wikipedia I began to enjoy it much more as I had more of an idea of what was going on.  There was a lot of shouting and violence - just like Eastenders !! - but I could tell it was a really good production and we were both glad we had watched it.  I cross stitched three threads of the wrong colour and had to undo it again.

Boxing Day

We took Suki to Stover for an hour in the morning and then went to pick up Mary again.  I had cooked a gammon joint and we had a cold meat salad for lunch and then finished off the Christmas Pudding. We watched the Butlins 2016 DVD which John had made and included in my Christmas present.  Mary seemed to enjoy it and it was nice for her to see the family.   I thought the DVD was really entertaining and well made. Afterwards I took Suki out for a short walk round the block and then Mary and I watched Call the Midwife Christmas Special while Mike started the desperate jigsaw that Jayne had given him.


I took Mary back and spent the evening cross stitching and watching iplayer and listening to podcasts in the utility room with Mike!

We had another nice lie in the next day - our last opportunity as one or other or both of us are ringing every morning for the rest of the week.  It had been a very cold night and was only one degree outside at 10 am so Mike decided to wait until the afternoon before going out for a walk.  I had been looking forward to a long walk so I took Suki out from the house and walked to Parke past the Library, then to the far end of the railway track, then back along by the river and through Mill Marsh Park - where I saw a heron in the river. Four and a half miles in just under two hours.


We had some soup I had made for lunch and then went virtually straight out again to Old Haldon Hill and the Mamhead car park and did the long loop via the obelisk and the stunning views out across the estuary.  Stayed in the warm in the evening - Mike on his jigsaw and me catching up on this blog.

For more photos of Christmas 2016 and videos of Suki opening her presents see the Flickr album below


Christmas 2016

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