December 19th -Bits and Bobs and a Poem

There was a special one-off Christmas  car-boot sale at Needham Market on Saturday and I thought there wouldn't be many people selling - I was wrong. Lots of people there and many, many second-hand Christmas decorations and house clearance people. I went round looking for green things for the Christmas tree for next year............plenty of gold and red and some  not-Christmassy colours like pink and turquoise but no green. I was the last of the big spenders - a whole 50p on these four small snowmen and angels. They look like glass from a distance but are much safer plastic. I've put them away for next year which will be a silver, white and green  year - if I remember.

After the boot sale I called in at the Sue Ryder charity shop, where they always have a good selection of all sorts. I found this rather nice musical Nativity scene in it's box. Once sold by Lakeland - probably for a lot more than the £6 I paid for it. It plays Silent Night by winding the star and is made of sturdy Olive wood so will OK for small fingers. 

There didn't seem to be any Nativity Crib Festivals anywhere in Suffolk this year which was a shame as I enjoyed seeing them all in Felixstowe last year and in Grundisburgh back in 2018.

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The only edible left in the vegetable beds are the Purple Sprouting Broccoli plants. Only one is upright, the rest are taller and leaning away from the fence. I picked every purple and almost purple shoots off the upright plant and just about had enough to eat. They were delicious. The plants that are leaning are way behind and should produce some shoots later. I'm hoping to buy a sprout stalk for Christmas although I heard on the early morning radio farming programme a while ago that there is shortage of decent size Brussels' Sprouts this year due to the weather and those I've seen for sale so far have been grape size. Good for people who dislike them but not so good for preparing them for people like me, who love them.

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I've not been following Strictly very closely this year but caught up with the final and I'm glad Ellie won. A good finale I thought. The weeks seem to have flown by so quickly. The Christmas Radio Times arrived but I'm saving it to look at nearer the time. I heard that Olly Alexander has been chosen for Eurovision for next year, unusual for them to pick someone already well known. Hope he does better than second from last which was where this years very weak entry ended up.

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And finally another poem from one of my Christmas books.

 Somehow not only for Christmas

But all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others

Is the joy that comes back to you.

And the more you spend in blessing

The poor and lonely and sad,

The more of your heart's possessing

Returns to make you glad.

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-92)

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