Life!

We got off to quite an early start on 23rd December - having Amanda and Sam to help me pack the car was a real help.  We arrived about 2 pm and after a cup of tea I walked to the High Street and picked up the turkey and a few bits and pieces to go with it.  There were no queues, and although Wildmoor was busier than usual they had a good system with 2 tills so that no one queued for very long.  What a contrast to Amanda's experience where she had to queue down the road for about 2 hours to pick up the turkey I had ordered at Macken's.  Tim came round in the evening and we spent about 3 hours having a good practice at ringing spliced surprise minor. On Christmas Eve we went to Midnight Mass at Chudleigh in the hope of finding more joy and goodwill than the usual fare at PPT these days.  It was lovely - everyone was very friendly and the sermon was most uplifting and joyful.  A much nicer experience all round and worth having to drive there and back.  Mike started the Cat jigsa

I made steady progress through the month with presents, cards and newsletter.  I now send only about 15 cards, to people who don't have an email address, and all the rest are sent as E-cards with a link to my Christmas Newsletter. I did one more of the advent calendar cross stitch designs to make 7 and then made them up into Christmas cards for the ex-Kettering Tax Office ladies I lunch with each Christmas. We had quite a nice lunch at the Thornhill Arms in Rushton although some people thought their food was cold.  It is always lovely to catch up with everyone again.  I travelled there and back by train the same day - and treated myself to first class as it was only a fiver more each way and it guarantees a carriage which is not crowded and some peace and quiet. Mike and I found an evening to drink the Bollinger he had been given for his birthday and celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. John came to London for the weekend - I couldn't get over to Ca