Prepping for Christmas

The tree is up

and my secret Santa present for work was well received. I was blocking and weaving in ends right up to the last minute and didn't want to give it away. Time to save up to knit my own. Ombre of greys I think.

Top down raglan loosely taken from a number of online calculators with my own short row bust shaping and decrease increase waist shaping. Assorted stash yarn.

The Spitfire Sisters sing Jingle Bells at Hinton Ampner

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The importance of traditions

I'm dying of a sore throat and flu like symptoms.

It's clearly punishment for a lovely weekend.

First a trip to the mother in laws farm, with a walk around a sunny end of autumn Stourhead, and a fun curry at the local curry house.

Then to my parents for the annual advent service in the box pews and puritanical crispness of St. Marys Old Dilton. Tom dashing around with my dad lighting candles, and serving mince pies. Old old old carols soaring, sometimes in tune.

I love this. Something I remember from many years past. Singing what people will have sung there for centuries.

Then a jolly evening over soup and snacks at my parents' house, Tom's mum there as well. Even though my cold had kicked in, just lovely.

Today I have been mainly sleeping, trying to shake off these, shivers and get my voice back.

NaBloPoMo 27 & 28

Yesterday I spent a lot of time doing tech support and graphic design. Then I popped in to office to review lots of images. Dinner with Tom and dad, who had come round to give us an estimate of the volume of stuff in our house for moving. Then bible study in the evening.

Today, off to London at some godawful hour of the morning to sit in on a training session. Lots of friendly faces in the student body, so had a very happy, productive day.

Enjoyed watching the little kids singing through all the songs they knew to pass the time on the train home, they being without seats, as was I. Had to hold back from joining in with Let It Go and Wind the Bobbin Up. The little sister trying to steal her brothers thunder by getting in first with the 'the cold never bothered me anyway' line was especially cute.

Also enjoyed advising an elderly lady on what to do in Southampton on the days before her cruise, and advising a miffed mum and son who couldn't find a Santa's grotto in London to check out their nearest NT place.

Straight off the train to pick up a free telly from someone from StreetLife.com to donate to another friend helping someone set up a home after being homeless. Then to the pub for pizza with the Friday night crowd. Decided not to stay as beer festival on, and no seats, so back to ours for drinks and chatter and pizza off boxes on laps.

Evening topped off with scones baked to eat the lovely raspberry jam given to us by Olivia and Robin. Exceptional jam on scones from a work recipe. They never disappoint.

NaBloPoMo 26 - skating

I was a deprived child. My parents never took me ice skating.

Ok, so not really deprived, but I like to tease my parents on this one.

Tom took me skating at Winchester Cathedral.

As I clung to the barrier, going round in slow tedious circles for an hour, tense to the core and shitting myself with fear, I agreed whole heartedly with the lady wrapped up warm watching from the stability of the pavement who said "I think skating is one of those things you have to learn as a child".

I did get noticeably better in the course of the hour and only fell over once.

However, with cramp in the arches of my feet, and aching legs, I think I will only be going skating again if I can go for a beginners lesson, on a rink where there aren't spectators, or lots of little girl guides on a unit outing whizzing around making me feel even more like an idiot.

Tom was very patient, and went for a few faster laps at the end. Here's a blurry pic of him in action.

It also reminded me of my intense dislike of not being good at things right away, and dislike at failing at things in public.

As a reward for trying skating, Tom took me out for dinner. We went to Fish Tale, a relatively new restaurant in Winchester. The food was fab. We shared a mixed platter of deep fried fishy things, butterflied prawns, beef croquettes and curried soup to start. I then had scallop and prawn thermidor, and Tom had chorizo, smoked haddock and prawn chowder. The portions were so large that I brought home a third of my thermos and ate none of my chips. The prosecco was also fab. One to only order mains at next time I think, unless they make all the portion sizes a bit smaller and knock a few quid off the prices to match.

NaBloPoMo 24 25 - report

Today there is nothing to report from yesterday other than a cream tea with colleagues and knitting and talking house buying with Laura into the evening.

Today I am struck by a vivid memory of using the sixth form computer room in the silence in free periods to knit and read websites. As I do the same today in my lunchbreak in a peaceful barn conversion of an office.

Louisa and Andy's for dinner tonight - fun!

NaBloPoMo 20, 21, 22, 23

Failing again, oh well.

I have been off to London for work, and enjoyed the luxury of a desk and trying to clear my to do list.

I've been to my house group and talked through trying to get to know people at church better.

I've been for a run and a couple of long walks.

Friday saw me inventing a dinner of pesto marinated chicken, cauliflower, broccoli and courgette cheese and jacket potatoes for Tom, Marmers and I before a Hattie Jaques Playlist gig at the Talking Heads. We bopped the night away to fubk soul and bizarrely, Brit pop covers.

I've knitted, caught up with work and done lots of washing whilst Tom was at a service of celebration for dessert mission action planning at Winchester Cathedral.

There was lots and lots of sleeping. I may have just caught up with the sleep debt.

Then there was sushi. Toddy and Adam were gracious sushi teachers and hosts whilst showing off their wedding presents happily. I'm pleased to say I make a mean roll, and it was nice to catch up with lots of old friends.

Today, I have slept, shopped and spent lots of time helping Olivia unpack whilst Tom helped Robin with DIY in their charming new home. I like helping. And being given champagne with my lunch to celebrate new houses.

[Official Video] Run to You - Pentatonix by PTXofficial

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[Official Video] White Winter Hymnal - Pentatonix (Fleet Foxes Cover) by PTXofficial

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NaBloPoMo 19 - date night

Today I spoke at a conference briefly and think I acquitted myself well.

After work it was date night.

Tom and I walked into town, to start the evening with a sock buying challenge as today is Autumn Socks Day.

...and lo, Tom did say once upon a time 'autumn sucks'

Alex cried 'no, autumn rocks'

And Tom said, ' no autumn socks'

So Alex laughed and gifted Tom with socks to make the mellow mists of autumn more bearable.

Thus it came to pass that socks were ritually exchanged on the 19th November.

We have both had a busy few weeks, and so decided to buy our socks on the same day. We split up in West Quay with half an hour to choose our socks.

I was scuppered by there being only 3 choices of 100% cotton socks for men  West Quay, all plain boring colours.

So with Tom's permission I ended up buying him a pair of merely 80% cotton from a Swedish company called Happy Socks like so.

NaBloPoMo 18 - pictures instead today

 different place for work today

NaBloPoMo 17 and 18 - gah

I think I struggle to post on days when I am helping to run training at work because I've been inside helping people and can't publicly go in to more details.

We also had a PCC meeting yesterday at church. These are usually tedious procedural things, and last night was no different. Money, buildings and the like.

Today I'm off to visit a new place for work, and then attend another church meeting. This time a children's ministry one, with my safeguarding officer hat on.

NaBloPoMo 16 Westbury

Today we slept in after our night of Bellowhead dancing, wrapped presents for my dad and sped off to Westbury to see him and my mum.

It was lovely to see them. Tom had not seen them both since August, and I drove l since the end of September when Dad had been licenced as a lay minister.

Our main present to him was his master's degree academic hood, which a few of us family had gone in on. So now, if he's ever required to be in choir dress, he'll be adequately robed. It's one of those silly Anglican nice to have things that's perfect for a man who likes a bit of dressing up. He was suitably pleased.

After a pleasant after noon chatting and catching up and trying an avocado based chocolate mousse made by Grace, (mum and dad's goddaughter who's living with then at the moment ), we're now back home and in bed, ready for another long week of work.

NaBloPoMo 14 and 15 - lalala

Another fail. But for exciting reasons.

After a smear test,welcoming Martin and working very hard on Christmas content on Friday, I flung myself into getting ready for a wee party.

We had 11 people in total for spicy and mild nachos, pork tacos with an apple and avocado salad and lots of wine and cocktails.

Awesome.

I drank raspberry kirs and manhattans.

We went to bed late after talking house buying. Ah the grown up life.

Today, we tidied the house madly before our buyers came for a measure up and another look round.

Then it was off to Jon and Hannah's for a tour of their delightful new place, curtain adjusting and a soup and cake lunch. I am in awe of the amazing windows that let in loverly light and views.

We then sped off to do science with Louisa in Winchester, and stopped for a drink in the Black Boy, walked over misty meadows and had dinner in the Royal Oak. I love waking through the quaint higgely piggely streets in the dark.

Tonight was the Bellowhead gig at the Guildhall! This was my birthday present from Tom. Ever since Cecil told me about this band, saying they're so up your street you'll meet them coming back down again, I've wanted to see  them live.

They did not disapoint. It was one big party, with talented talented people. My feet, hands, knees and throat hurt from clapping, dancing and singing along.

It's fab to see a band that appear to be having such a good time on stage, and as short person I really appreciate their tiered set, which meant I could see of the 12 band members  all times they larked about.

Roll on the next gig!

NaBloPoMo 11, 12, 13 - sometimes things are better

I had two working from home days today. Which were peaceful and helpful after all the travelling I've had to do. Roll out of bed on to the laptop. No excuse for not blogging though!

I've been working on making some craft tutorials for our social media content, and I enjoyed making up some Christmas stockings. I need to edit all the photos and send them over to the person uploading the content to the website. They came out really well.

I also got to make some animations which was fun too.

We had an awesome dinner at Louisa and Andy's. Even though it didn't quite go to Louisa's plan, it was all delicious, and we chatted the night away which was really fun. I made sure we put a date in the diary to do it again.

I also nipped into town to pick up some more Christmas presents. Getting there with the Christmas shopping now. Just need things for Tom's side of the family really.

Last night I had a night to myself as Tom was out with the boys. I enjoyed my sewing, and watched Strictly Come Dancing, and tried to do something about our duvet shifting around inside it's case. Need to finish that!

Today  I was in Surrey for a meeting and then dropped my colleague back to Winchester on the way back. She invited me in for a cuppa, and I enjoyed gently easing back into the world in her peaceful living room.

It's off to bible study tonight - so I should go and print the prayer resources and then I think I will do some more of my knitting project.

Night all.

NaBloPoMo 10 - cocoon

Driving around today in my warm car, huddled in traffic jams, I felt like I was cocooned in the belly of a snake, with multiple red eyes drifting off into the distance.

I've been reading Joe Moran's book, On Roads, a Hidden History. The way it sauntered though topics, it could be a dreamlike journey on a motorway.

I encountered a serious motorway crash on the way home, and as I prayed for the person receiving vigorous CPR, my mind came back to the passages from this book on rubberneckers, accidents and modern safe roads.

Not sure where it went next, but it went there caressed by the soft tones of Eddie Mair and PM as I gently pressed onwards.

NaBloPoMo 9 - stuck in the middle

Well.

Today Tom and I managed to drag ourselves out of bed in time to give two of the older members of our church congregation at lift to the early service.

We stayed to help with the AV in the second service, and I managed to knit a fair bit on my secret santa present during the second listening to the same service.

I tickled the vicar with my subversive white poppy within the flowers I had arranged.

After church we scurried back home to find Dad had gone out, so we had a quite lunch of leftovers to make space in the freezer.

When we returned, we packed up into the car for a trip to Hinton Ampner. Whilst it was very rainy, we had a quiet mooch round the house. Tom and I had to keep reminding Dad not to touch things which was amusing, like having a small child with you rather than a pensioner.

It was too wet to walk round the gardens, and Dad didn't fancy too much more in the way of walking, so we had tea and cake in the tea-room, or in Dad's case coffee and scone. I had a nice little chat with my friend Lou, who works at Hinton, and I managed to get in a spot of Christmas shopping in the shop as well.

Then home again home again jiggety jig to start on a lovely roast beef dinner. Apart from the fact we'd run out of potatoes, so I had run round the corner to the corner shop to stock up. I frequented the corner shop that has been there the longest, rather than the upstart that opened recently right next door to it!

Upon my return I was put in charge of yorkshire puddings. Which came out beautifully. I think it was the mother-in-laws happy eggs. I put in 1 more than the recipe called for as a couple were very dinky eggs indeed.

We also had very purple carrots, with a cooked texture that felt something like beetroot, but tasted like carrots. They turned the cooking water a very deep purple. I felt like I should dye something in it.

The roast dinner consume with relish, I have since cooked the leftover yorkshire batter as pancakes, boxed up two roast dinner packed lunches, two roast dinner boxes for the freezer, and made a huge batch of soup. Now Tom and I are curled up updating Amazon wish lists, and doing online Christmas shopping in a bid to spread the cost of Christmas out a bit.

NaBloPoMo 8 - rain

Today it mostly rained.
First full rainy day of winter.

Biting driving dripping soaking rain.

After a delicious warm lie in, I scootched out of bed. Breakfast was yogurt, honey, bananas and hazelnuts. Yum.

Then off to church for flower arranging.  I seem to have been assigned Remembrance Sunday every year for some reason. I went for a different selection of arrangements this year due to some changes in the layout of our worship space.

I think using the invisible thread to make the floating poppies came out well. It was a lovely peaceful couple of hours in the silence being creative.

Tom and Dad had been out running errands, and we met back home for lunch.

We mooched off to Stockbridge after eating so Dad could interrogate the fishmonger on if he could buy whole smoked haddock.

Apparently there's no call for it any more. 

So we walked up and down the high street peering in windows and ducking the rain.

Then we had hot drink in the delicatessen to warm up before trundling home.

I did more knitting, and this evening, we met up with Tom's brother, sister-in-law and niece for dinner in a country pub so they could catch with Dad whilst he is over.

Now we're watching Dr Who and I am about to do more knitting. Fab.

NaBloPoMo 7 - nothing of note

Well, first fail of the month.

Oh well.

Today I drove off to High Wycombe to sit in on some training I'm going to be delivering later this year.

Traffic there and back was terrible, but I had Radio 4 and 4 Extra to keep me company.

Once I got back, helped Tom with dinner I sat down to tasty curry.

Then it was time for some knitting in front of the telly, chatting intermittently to Tom and my father in law until it was bed time.

NaBloPoMo 6 - Surrey

Again, whizzing off up the A3 to planning meetings in Surrey. Today with a hastily purchased £8 bunch of flowers from my favorite wholesalers - titivated with my wrapping skills in the car park - for a lovely colleague's birthday.

Work was planned, birthday cake was consumed, then off to provide coaching on how to create web pages at one of our countryside places.

I love these sessions. More and more I enjoy training others, watching them have their light bulb moments. I must have done well today as I was rewarded with an unexpected Rocky bar and a chewy lolly. This was pleasing.

I rushed home, as much as I could with the traffic. Welcomed my father-in-law who's here for a short stay. Checked tomorrows work diary, scarfed my dinner.

Next up was our bible study discussion group, we're looking at church welcoming and hospitality. And now bed.