I was so organised this year that I was sure something would go wrong and I would discover a great hole in my preparations for Christmas, but everything has run smoothly so far (touch wood).
Christmas proper started with Midnight Mass where, among the congregation, was a chocolate labrador (with his distinctly drunk master). Not wishing to spoil everyone's Christmas by letting Fudge get run over (as can happen in even the smallest of villages) I decided not to turn him out, although, as Churchwarden, it was probably my duty to do so. He was better behaved than his master who had difficulty keeping up with the 'amens' let alone the complexities of the creed, while Fudge lay quietly at the rear of the nave. Apart from Fudge, it was nice to see so many young people in church. At the morning service there were numerous children, all well-behaved, but the excitement only just kept in check.
Having started Christmas properly we could get on with the secular celebrations with present opening and lunch planned to end in time for the queen's speech. (Ooops! Minor hiccup - no crackers!)
This is this year's Christmas cake.
This morning we woke up to this view (Next minor hiccup - no Tesco van with groceries: they will try again tomorrow, but I have had to 'borrow' cat food from Helen.)
Jess made (at the age of 11) her first solo snowman. This is no defect in Jess, just the quality and quantity of snow in recent years (and the fact that her brothers like to take over).
lizdavies
Nice cake - save me some. We had the merest flurry of small flake snow yesterday and aparently the same overnight - cold and bright today, so the sprinkling hasn't melted in the shade, but not a white Christmas by anyone's standards. Which is possibly why Ed is presently in Tesco (buying fresh veg and yoghurt; I was well stocked with cat food.