To all Friends and readers of my blog, Season’s Greetings and all the very best for a vastly improved NEW YEAR.
I chose not to attend the First Communion of Christmas last night, and thus went to bed at an almost respectable hour, and was up in good time for church on Christmas Morning. The sky was as you see it in the picture, and the air as still as a lamp-post. The downside of such wintertime tranquillity, a sharp frost! Before making breakfast, I decided to check at least one of my cars would start. The red car was frozen up and the doors wouldn’t open. The silver car’s battery had drained. Instead of a breakfast of porridge and banana, I hastily put a marmalade butty together, consumed the same and legged it to St. Mary’s, arriving ten minutes’ late. After the Covid formalities were completed, I was shown to my seat and for a third time (or is it fourth time?) the Order of Service was of little use…I had left my glasses at home….yes, again!! I was intrigued with the sermon highlighting in unfamiliarly graphic detail, just how unglamorous it was to be a shepherd at the time of Christ’s birth. The young curate spoke extremely well. The Christmas carols were set to modern melodies, and I still can’t get my head around “While Shepherds Watched….” to the tune of On Ilkley Moor Baht’at! But, it was a good service and I am glad that I didn’t get there too late!
The walk home seemed much harder work than the walk to church. And dark clouds started to gather as I progressed homewards. I discovered that the frost had thawed off my red car, and was now able to open the door, and found, to my relief, the battery wasn’t flat.
I ran it to Parsley Hay and back without stopping the engine so as to keep the battery charged.
I returned home in good time to join Roger for the first Christmas Dinner he had ever prepared single-handedly. It was magnificent. We spoke to family members on Zoom, and I found myself trying to recall (because I was asked to) my lengthy South America voyage from January to March. I was a little embarrassed at not being able to offer much of an intelligent account; my mind went blank! Apparently, there is an art to communicating on Zoom, a bit like leaving a message on an answer-phone. I got the feeling this proved of more interest than I anticipated.
Those of you who bet on a White Christmas will be “quids-in”. It snowed in Harpur Hill, Buxton this afternoon. Here’s the proof, folks!
I was glad to hear from my Godson and nephew, Christian and his family in S.E. London, who gave me and other family members such a wonderful Christmas last year. This year has been vastly different for everybody everywhere; not much in the way of family gatherings. Nevertheless, I will have good memories of Christmas 2020.
Happy New Year everybody!
David
CHRISTMAS 2020, 19.54 hrs.
David's Cruise 