Advent 2024 and the Christmas Car Boot-Sale

Last Saturday was the one-off winter car-boot sale, the weather was dry although cold and there were lots of people selling. Many were house clearance people who had obviously saved all their Christmas stuff (and lots of junk) to bring along and there were several dealers with wrapping paper etc. I would have taken a photo from the top of the field but found I'd forgotten my phone.

I didn't spend much money but missed out on a Portmeirion Holly and Ivy pasta/cereal dish by about 30 seconds although the lady who bought it paid £5 for it, which I wouldn't have paid anyway, so a good thing I missed it and didn't have to think about it!

This is what I bought and I was very pleased with the Christmas crackers that have a wind-up toy inside

to race, which will be lovely for Christmas Day now that I have the EGD here, more fun for an 8 year old than nail clippers or a golf tee!. The two other things were a Christmas card for one of the Grandsons for next year and a book of vintage Christmas illustrations meant for scrapbooking but they could be used to make cards. 

Total spend £3 and then I went home for breakfast.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

  

Advent 2024 and The Oaks in December

It was the first sunshine for about two weeks so I walked up the lane to see how the Oak trees were doing.

Hardly a leaf left except for the odd brown one hanging on.

But one of them has a good covering of ivy and rose hips so there is a bit of cover left for small birds and insects to get out of the very chilly wind

The huge field full of sugar beet still hasn't been harvested. The processing campaign runs from September through to February or March although last year the factory carried on until April due to the very wet winter. One large heap of beet were moved from the edge of a field not far away last week. There one day and gone off to Bury St Edmunds the next time I went by.

 I'm not sure where they will heap up this fields beet - I was trying to gauge how big this field is - going by how big our five acres were at the smallholding  - it's well over 300 acres I reckon perhaps nearer 500. 

On the other side of the road the oil-seed rape crop is growing. About 9 inches to a foot tall now. The bird scarer banger goes off regularly during the day, a sort of dull thud in the distance. Country people soon get used to them - unless the timer goes wrong and they 'BANG' at night - that's not so good but doesn't happen often.

Standing underneath, for a photo through the branches to the lovely blue sky

Back Tomorrow

Sue

 

Advent 2024 and the Regular Purchase

 This always causes lots of comments about it being a waste of money! which I shall ignore! so don't bother!

 I love to have a copy for the two weeks of Christmas and New Year and having given up my regular subscription in February, after a couple of years, it was a no brainer. I popped into the village shop for my copy this year.

I've perused, with my highlighter pen, and found lots of festive Christmas quizzes every day. House of Games, Celebrity Mastermind, Only Connect and then the usual Christmas version of University Challenge with famous or not so famous but clever alumni. 

There's a Christmas Special episode of Madame Blanc on Christmas eve and then on Christmas Day  Doctor Who and the Strictly Christmas Special. I used to watch Call the Midwife but it makes me cry too much now and if the 2022 version of The Railway Children is anything like the original from 1970 then I daren't watch that either  - it has me in floods from the start!

Death in Paradise is back in the sunshine of Saint Marie on the 22nd but I've never got into the Beyond Paradise crime series with Kris Marshall set in Cornwall (or maybe Devon) but the most recent spin off set in Australia ' Return to Paradise' I thought was much better and the the final episode of 6 is on the 27th and also on Friday I'll probably watch The Big Fat Quiz of the Year which has become a bit of an institution despite Jimmy Carr! who is also back with a new series of 8 out of 10 cats does Countdown.

On Jan 1st and 2nd is the very final 2 part Vera story with Brenda Blethyn and there's a documentary about the the making and story of all the series on the 3rd.

I searched through for the usual showing of the Christmas edition of The Good Life and found it on BBC4 next Monday. I don't really need to watch it as I reckon I know it off by heart!

So it's mainly quizzes and crime for me ................sorted for the duration!

I'm very glad of my TV to keep me company, it would be a lonely time without it.

Back Tomorrow

Sue