must be Santa

This year's must have santas

 

nearly there

The birds have left one or two berries on our holly

the cake's almost ready to ice

Got the tree yesterday - only just fitted into the car.  The usual rescued bendy type from the reject pile - far more character!  He'll be officially named soon following his predecessors Bruce the Spruce and Lurch the Larch (our favorite tipsy tree that never stood up straight!!)

Just need to deck the boughs with our old faithfuls

 and officially switch on the burning bay tree

So all that remains is for me to wish you a Merry Christmas Sheffield style - we were singing here today, at the Royal:

(and you can read more about our local carols by clicking here)

and, last but not least, our very own village on Boxing Day.  Apologies for the sound quality, it was blowing a gale last year and I have to admit we misssed the dancing as we'd all overslept!)

and one of my favourite lines from our carols to finish with (though you really had to be there)!!

"Rolling downward through the midnight . . . . . while the music fills the quiv'ring air" 

Merry Christmas one and all

and lots of love

x x x

Biblical moments

Higger Tor and Carl Wark yesterday in the battering winds as the sun was setting - absolutely incredible light changing every second

And it brought to mind W B Yeat's wonderful verse:

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

One of my favourite poems and one of my favourite places!!

Daytripper

i had to wait ‘til

king’s cross

to tell you how even

these flat fields of middle england

sparkled with an early

morning excitement

in my rush south

to see you.

the soft blue sunday sky

edged with frost,

not quite awake.

thick smoke from the cooling towers

hanging upside down in the icy air.

we sped south, too fast to capture the

fleeting moments that took

my breath away.

flooded fields

glinting in the new light,

flocks of nameless birds

rising over rows

of skeletal poplars.

a perfect light, big skies,

pylons striding out across

frozen furrows,

swollen rivers and

huddles of bedraggled ponies.

the world slowly

waking up to

this new season

of bare beauty

and finally,

suddenly,

the warm

familiar welcome

of London

and you.

King's Place, for delicious warming Pumpkin soup

downtown shopping til we dropped

My amazing birthday treat

with champers no less

Before

and after

and as I sped North again, my favourite London song was whizzing around in my head - play it agan Glenn . . .

 and Jess, a BIG thank you X X X

my turn

and what a feast I had the next day for my birthday!  Gourmet venison strogonoff a la John Torode with amazing homemade Spatzle and wonderful company

Then off to the Black Bull in time for 'ark 'ark for latecomers!  (See last year)

and there was more birthday celebration to come, little did I know!!  Here's part II

the birthday girl

Fabulous day in Liverpool today with Mum for her birthday - born 1920 - work it out!!

First the opening of the cards and pressies . . .

Lunch at the lovely Blackburne House cafe on Hope Street

With a quick admire of the interior, as this was the school Mum's Mum went to way back when

 The honours boards dating back to 1891

 the grand staircases

 generations of McNeil women

 the cafe gardens

and the end of a perfect day . . .

 Happy Birthday Mum

mail bag blues

A visit a couple of weeks ago to some of the wonderful exhibitions that make up the Liverpool Biennial led us to the old Royal Mail sorting office in Copperas Hill

What is it about abandoned workplaces!  This was just amazing