Sad

Tonight I asked someone I know vaguely what they are doing for Christmas.
She told me that she usually goes to a cousin for the day but this year she said without an edge that for the first time , for the Christmas holiday,she had booked herself into a budget hotel 25 miles away.
It's a faceless, budget hotel the sort rife with stag nights and poor businessmen.
I wasn't sure, just what else to say except a light " what have you planned for Christmas Day?" and
She said " Nothing" without any hint of self pity .

I feel incredibly sad

"You're maudlin and full of self-pity. You're magnificent!"

Yesterday, I was sipping a cocktail looking across the London skyline at the Glowing Shard. Today I'm dragging Albert's face out of a half constructed cottage pie in my pyjamas 

Winnie is unconcious  in bed, William is hiding somewhere dark Mary and George are asleep in the kitchen and its raining again. 

There is a massive brown patchwork of muddy paw prints to scrub from the kitchen floor. 

And sometime in the night William backed into the folded ironing board lying against the wall by the door and  has shat all over it. 

Welcome back to Trelawnyd

Sky Garden

 Well , I am on the way home again.
It's been a fantastic 24 hours.
Nuala ( Nu) as usual made my visit special....even down to bagging the best table at the Sky Garden's restaurant by stating that it was my 40 th birthday. The hostess , polite as she was didn't batter an eyelid ( as when have I ever looked 40? Even when I was 30 I didnt look 40) and the cute as a button waiter brought us two tiny chocolate cakes and a candle which we laughed over until we wept.

 It was lovely to touch base and it was lovely to recharge with a best friend of some 26 years.....
The best time

The sky Garden at dusk

Fab-u-lous

Have had the best time.

Last night we went to Sadler's Wells to See Mathew Bourne's Gothic take 

on Sleeping Beauty.

It was fab , a real visual treat.

Today I will do a bit of shopping when Nu gets her nails done then

I shall meet her at the " Sky Garden" for lunch

http://skygarden.london/darwin

Hey ho

I'l have to scrub up

A taste of th ballet x

Scotch Egg On A Train

I'm on the way to London to see Nu.
I'm all set for the journey, newpaper, internet, Christmas cards and an emergency scotch egg are all laid out ready.
There was a somewhat offensive druggie wandering around Prestatyn station in a father Christmas jumper when I was waiting for the train, who started to be rather confrontational to a young Asian couple standing nearby.  So I ate my first egg in rather a defiant manner at him after walking up to them and blocking his view.
" Don't you want to talk to me" he slurred at me eventually.
" NO! " I said talking a bite of scotch egg..... Druggies are like nasty drunks, the less you give them the better.
Anyhow that little drama over with, I am comfortably sat with my jobs all in hand. I 'm meeting Nu at Angel then we are off to the ballet. Tomorrow will be lunch out then some shopping for me before coming back on the early evening train.
Christmas has officially started.

Still

Sometimes it's the simplest thing that can move a person.

Something which on the surface can seem mundane,

But when you see experience it, 

It's all rather special.

It was getting dark when the cottage eventually went quiet today.

And silence often means destruction when a puppy is at home. 

I checked the kitchen and living room where the other dogs were sleeping
 and she was no where to be seen, 

so I climbed the stairs and checked the bedroom.

Mary was sitting quietly on the bed looking out of the window. 

She was still and alert and in typical Welsh terrier fashion, she was unmoving for the 

longest time

Just gazing out over the fields at dusk

Trellis

Apparently Christmas shopping has been made easier by the internet.
I agree.
Mind you, most companies now demand a signature when your on line goodies are delivered and the " window" of when the courier actually arrives can be vague.
Today that window for delivery ranges from 08.00 am to 18.00 pm, so I effectively marooned at home.
Thats fine....for I have been cottage cleaning with a vengeance.
Around 2pm I heard a card plop through the letter box. It was from Mrs Trellis and it was accompanied by two of her poems, one for me and one for the Prof

It tickled me that like so many interesting characters

Such as

Banksey, Madonna, Cher, Bono, Adele,

Twiggy

Mrs Trellis is now signing herself as just plain

" Trellis" 

Ding Dong

Gaynor , the mad organist

Around 50 of the village die hards braved the weather to come to the Church carol concert 

The service was taken by members of the congregation

which I thought was a nice touch.

(For your information the vicar is still recuperating from having a new set of plastic hips) 

Animal helper Pat, old Trevor, Mrs Trellis, old Flower Show jam winner Barbara Parry, Trendy Carol,

Daphne and Frank, only Aunie Glad was absent, she's on holiday in Llandudno.

A mince pie and a polystyrene cup of mulled wine was very welcome afterwards