December 16th and The Lights in the Night

  Is it a low flying UFO??

No

Just some Christmas lights that I can see from the bedroom window. They run along the front of a garage by a house at the end of another lane across the fields from us. I don't think anyone else can see them except me! even the people who live there can only see them if they come out of their house and stand in front of the garage.
Certainly not the best photo of Christmas lights you will see this year!

Meanwhile, here are this years minimal Christmas decorations, apart from the mantel-shelf. I could fetch the big tree out from under the stairs but really can't be bothered this year.

 BTW the advent calendar is good, it has things relating to the doors and windows opened,upstairs they are cooking, cleaning and eating and  under the house on the ground floor is someone milking a cow and some chickens also a cat cleaning itself, harking back to when animals lived under the living quarters which helped to warm the upper floors in winter.

Thank you for all the comments yesterday. Sorry I didn't get to reply properly.
 I'll pass on all the good wishes to Colin. Hopefully the chemo effects will wear off soon. He's now having high energy juice drinks which go down better than the milk shakes.He is taking anti sickness tablets and has a mouthwash and they are giving him oramorph ( nasty stuff) to help with the pain. Just a case of waiting it out I think.
I think the double issue Christmas Radio Times falling to pieces is as much a tradition as buying it!

Back Tomorrow
Sue

December 15th and the Radio Times

One tradition that continues regardless is the annual buying of the Double Edition of The Radio Times (as they would say on the Beeb.........  other TV Listing magazines are available but not as readable)

Did you know there is a website featuring all the Double Issue Christmas Covers?  
from 1969? No, neither did I but there it is!

I picked this at the newsagents at Addenbrookes on Tuesday, when I got home I found my copy wasn't stapled together properly so is bound to fall apart by 5th January - bother.
I shall peruse and see what will be watched.

A14 update - two trips there this week, no traffic hold ups thankfully and I'm remembering to put the radio on as I leave home for traffic reports so I can detour via Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill if necessary.
  Colin update............he got the stem cells from the donor as planned last Friday. Now it's a case of waiting, they can't tell if results are good for several weeks. The side effects of the anti-rejection tablets are sickness and awful indigestion, not helped by having to drink litres of water everyday and not feeling like eating much. Side effects of the week of nasty chemo are ulcers in the mouth and throat which sometimes get so bad that people have to have a feeding tube, he hasn't quite got to that yet but his weight is dropping. His blood counts have all dropped - which means risk of infection is higher. He hasn't had many visitors as people keep getting colds so can't visit, but as he is spending most of the day dozing he's not too bothered. There is still no internet connection at all on the ward which is why he hasn't updated Facebook but our son might have got the dongle to work so maybe next week.

Back Tomorrow
Sue

December 14th and The Free Lunch

Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch?

There is in our village. It's all because of something called The Townlands Trust Charity. The Trust - dating back to the 1800's once owned 5 tenements, which were almshouses, and more than 75 acres, the houses were sold off  30 years ago but the land is still rented out - once to households for allotments but now to farmers, they actually owned our bit of meadow until it was sold off in the 1980s. A long time ago they gave "2 penny loaves weekly to the poor" but now it's a free Christmas lunch to over 60's as well as a donation to the church and the school.

When something says "free"  I'm there like a shot even though I thought I wouldn't know anybody. But when I rang up to book a place the lady told me that Mrs F - who lived in our cottage before us - would be going so at least I would know her.

The meal was last Monday at a large pub on the A140, just a few miles up the road from home ........ it was a  snowy and icy day. Avoiding the busy main road I drove there "the back way" so I could go slowly through the slush.

Not as sunny as this on Monday!

 The food was delicious,  I had chosen a veggie option of filo-pastry parcel filled with leeks, nuts and mushrooms in a mushroom sauce served on a bed of rocket and with roast potatoes. For desert a chocolate brownie with ice cream. Then there was coffee and a mini mince pie. On arrival we found a bag of chocolate coins on the table for everyone and a raffle ticket each.
My ticket was actually drawn out - mainly because there were enough gifts for everyone! and I picked this

No idea what's in it, I shall save it until Christmas day, but I'm hoping  from the shape that it's edible😊.


Thank you to everyone for comments. I'll do a hospital update soon.

My £12 Christmas treat money has so far bought some Pringles for £1.25, another box of the Nescafe Salted Caramel coffee sachets for £1.50, some Port Salut cheese for £2 and I wanted Jacobs Cornish Wafer biscuits but Asda in Stowmarket didn't have any, so there is still cash left for next shopping trip. I'm quite cheap to keep at Christmas!

Back Tomorrow
Sue