Tuesday 20 December 2011

another favourite carol



Another carol I like, that I don't hear very often

Sunday 18 December 2011

sand art



This was part of our candlelight service tonight.

Friday 16 December 2011

knight in shining armour

Earlier in the week I was due to go to the Pantomime with the Guides and other Leaders. They'd organised hire of 2 minibuses to transport us all there and back. I was first to arrive at the meeting point. No sign of any minibuses waiting for us - they are usually outside ready for pick-up. I started to wonder if I was in the right place. Then another Guider arrived, so I felt a bit better... until she said 'Where are the minibuses?'
Off she went to get the keys, only to come back saying we only had one minibus (which was hiding round the back) as the other had an electrical fault. PANIC! How were we going to get the other 14 Guides to the panto? I had my car, another Guider had her car, a parent who was going was happy to take some girls, but that still left us a few spaces short. A quick phone call to mrPM and he agreed to be our knight in shining armour and take the remaining Guides.
He did get to see the panto (first he's been to in years) so there was some recompense for missing his tea (although I did give him a choccy biscuit at the interval).
Another step in my masterplan of turning mrPM into an honorary Guider ;-)

Monday 12 December 2011

What a good idea...

Yesterday we had a party. Not a Christmas party, just a 'get to know the neighbours' sort of get-together. We had the added incentive of MrPM's home-baking* to encourage people to come.
At 2.15 MrPM was worried. "What if no-one comes? We'll never eat all this ourselves," he said. ("I'm sure I could have a good try" I thought...)
By 3pm we had 10 adults and 6 kids plus mrPM and me, all tucking in to baking and conversation.
"What a good idea" people said, especially those who'd just moved in to the new houses across the road.
"What a good idea" people said as we found out who lived 2 doors away.
And the doors between our sitting room and kitchen got alot of comment too.
"What a good idea" said the people in our row, whose houses are either identical to ours or the mirror-image of ours. They'd all liked this feature in the show-home, but the builders had decided to take it out when they built our row of houses. It seems mrPM and I were the only ones who had asked if it were possible to get such a door put in when they were building the house. It cost us a bit extra, but we wanted the circulating space.
"What a good idea," mrPM thought after everyone had gone, and all the toys had been tidied up (apart from one piece of Jenga which remains missing...), "we've got the neighbours talking to each other."
"What a good idea," I thought, looking at all the baking still to be eaten... ;-)

* lemon dribble cake, cider honey cake, orange biscuits, brownies, lemon slices and chocolate almond macaroons

Friday 9 December 2011

carols

MrPM thinks only advent carols should be sung before Christmas. While I understand the sentiment, it does only leave 12 days to get all the Christmas carols in to, which isn't very long. So I'm waiting until he's not around, then playing my carol CDs to get in the mood for Christmas...

Here is one of my favourite carols - I sang it in choir when I was at school, then a group of us from our last church sang it a few years ago as a special Christmas item. It still gives me goosebumps.

Bethlehem Down