Now I am a little snobby when it comes to Christmas Decorations.....and with thoughts of Yuletide "trimming up", much to the fore, it is definitely a case of out with the tinsel and in with the real Christmas tree!
Trelawnyd is lucky when it comes to public shows of Christmas. Thankfully we are spared the gaudy, Blackpool illumination-esque shows that are dragged up every year in the nearby villages of Dyserth and Meliden, and mercifully we do not have to suffer the fake Christmas trees ( green tinsel wound around a few wire coat hangers) that have been propped up on the shops in Prestatyn.
In Trelawnyd, the village has gone for a rather minimalist approach, as today I spied the conservation group members erecting the single village Christmas tree outside the Memorial Hall.
I always think that when it is lit, the small tree looks rather valiant and brave against the austerity and darkness of winter. It stands alone, with no beaming Father Christmas's or flashing neon "NADOLIG LLAWEN" signs to overshadow it...(Nadolig Llawen is Happy Christmas in Welsh by the way) and I must say the tree always looks appropriate and welcoming in its central spot.
Tonight, with Chris still away, it is a case lighting the fire and finishing off the Christmas cards. I am crammed onto my sofa with all four dogs and Albert in tow..(not one wants to sit on Chris' sofa), Our friend Nigel is visiting Friday and Saturday and I am due to work on Sunday, so at least with Chris away I can concentrate on card writing tonight
Now It may surprise some people but I have always been a fan of the tv music show Never Mind the Buzzcocks .. the latest team "leader" is the odd looking Noel Fielding, who over many weeks I have found to be one of the nicest (yes, you can tell!), sharpest and funny stand ups on tv. 
Overnight the wet Autumn has been turned into an icy winter. as temperatures have dropped dramatically. The frost was thick this morning before I let the birds out, and I did feel so sad for Hughie (centre of pic) who has spent another frozen night up in the Churchyard elms.
Again Chris is working away for the majority of the week, so with the weather cold but dry, I have gotten on with outside chores for over eight knackering hours. All 13 coops have been cleaned of the wet steaming bedding that has almost gone mouldy in the damp weather and fresh bedding has been laid down in them and in the pig hut. The baby Turkeys and guinea fowl are still holding their own in the shed and have been cleaned out too and I have arranged for local feed shop owner Helen to deliver an old unwanted shed to the field, which should house all of the turkeys including Boris and Gloria. The guinea fowl can then be housed in the old turkey house and the circle of animal movement can continue.I even had time to fit in a bout of dog bathing 
We had a lovely informal chatty dinner party last night. Annie Lennox (lookalike and indeed soundalike), Jen (left) kept the conversation animated and fun and it was great to catch up with Nu's hubby, Jimmy (right) too.
Organic sculptures of seeds (fashioned in willow) by Tom Hare, were dotted all around the grounds and looked wonderful in the Autumn sun. We spent most of the relaxing day ambling around talking and laughing....
Mindful of the fact that Nu doesn't often have time to catch up with her work obsessed hubby, I reluctantly left them early today to have a mooch around London before my train this afternoon. Typically the weather was dreadful, so I treated myself to an expensive visit to the cinema to see A Serious Man. (Mini review tomorrow) .jpg)
Nuala is busy cooking for a dinner party tonight, so that leaves me a few minutes to catch up with a quickie blog.