December 10th - Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel

 This is a proper Advent hymn and we sang this at church on the first Sunday of Advent. I have to say it seemed odd to be singing about Israel with all the horrors going on there, does anyone on either side care?

This version just says it's by a traditional choir.

Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel was probably written in the early C18. But it's origins are much earlier. From a series of verses or prayers called antiphons known as ' the seven 'O's' from way back in the Middle Ages. These were sung in medieval monasteries.

The words were translated from the Latin by John Mason Neale, one of the best known translators between 1818 -66. The tune is much older possibly from a plainsong chant.

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Sue

December 9th - Once a Year

 I had my once a year trip to the town centre of our county town of Ipswich earlier this week. Seems strange to say that as I used go much more often (I also go twice for the dentist but rarely go into the town centre at the same time). 

When Col went in to the Suffolk County Council Highways department office - usually once a week - I would sometimes get a lift in, especially at this time of the year when I was hunting for small presents for the children's Christmas pillowcases - long before Amazon and the internet of course.

Now the town just looks so sad, with so many empty shops, it's really depressing to walk round. This year it was the Samaritans second-hand book department that had disappeared since last year as well as the big names of Poundland and Wilko.  I do miss Debenhams at Christmas- it was always good to look round - long gone now of course.

As usual I went into the old church for my coffee and cheese scone for breakfast. It employs people with learning disabilities or getting back to work after trauma. They do Christmas bookings and there was a party of ladies all having a Christmas coffee morning and other tables laid ready for lunches. - Looking very festive.

One reason for going into town was to pop the cards for relations in the town into the Scout Post boxes and to tour the charity shops to see what Christmassy things they had for sale.

I found two books I'd not seen before, one is Christmas pages from Good Housekeeping magazine between 1922 and 1962  and the other is a old book of short Christmas crime stories. I was also searching for a Christmas mug, with no luck,  to replace the Christmas cup and saucer, that was passed on to a charity shop a couple of years ago because it was too big and heavy to lift when full.

In the Oxfam shop I bought a pack of  Christmas placemats for the grandchildren - they have a picture to colour on one side and puzzles to do on the other..

Then I went up the A12 to Woodbridge to call in at the theatre to pick up the book I should have got last week  (when it was too foggy to get there). I'd booked my ticket early enough to get this book included  and when I couldn't go I rang for them to hold it for me if they could (otherwise I could have had a credit note for another event.) They had kept the book for me so I ended up not being out-of-pocket after all as the book is worth more than the ticket price!

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Then home on the small roads cross country and it was surprising to find many places with standing water - we really have had more than our normal rainfall this autumn/early winter.

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Sue

 

December 8th - Winter Storm

  Another December poem                                                 

                                         While I have a home, and can do as I will,

December may rage over ocean and hill,

And batter my door - as he does once a year -

I laugh at his storming and drink his good cheer.

Anonymous words from an old English song - found in a book on my shelves 'Autumn and Winter Days' by Rowland Purton

I looked on wiki for pictures of winter storms and up came this painting by J.M.W.Turner from 1842 and if it hadn't told me it was a paddle-steamer in a snow storm I'm not sure I would have known exactly what I was seeing. The full title is Snow Storm: Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth, Making Signals in Shallow Water, and going by the Lead

Artist	J. M. W. Turner

Turner was supposedly actually in the storm and said

I did not paint it to be understood, but I wished to show what such a scene was like; I got the sailors to lash me to the mast to observe it; I was lashed for four hours, and I did not expect to escape, but I felt bound to record it if I did.^[4]

Although some people don't believe it as he was 67 years old at the time!

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Sue