Heartburn Already…

We are just starting the seasonal celebrations and already I have heartburn from over indulgence. If this is a sign of getting older… …I don’t like it.

Friend’s Milestone Celebration…

Good friends of ours, Chris and Carole, were celebrating 20 years of wedded bliss and we were very proud to be a part of their party at a local restaurant. For us all who were there at the wedding the years seemed to have passed by quickly and we did not feel greatly different to when the happy couple were married, but it was our children, now all grown up and venturing off on their own new adventures, some married and with children of their own, that made us feel old.

Neighbourly generosity…

Sue and Pete, a couple from down the road held a small soirée for a select few of the neighbours to celebrate the festive season. They have a small flat but they were very welcoming and generous with their good humour tasty nibbles and limitless wine. We had a joyful evening and enjoyed good company with lively chat, jokes and spirited debate until we all felt quite replete and sated whereupon we only needed to stagger a few steps back to our own homes.

Raise your voices…

A regular seasonal outing is to visit my Uncle for Christmas carols with his neighbours and friends. For many years this was held in his house, but since my Aunt passed away it has been transferred over the lane to Alistair and Bruni’s place where we gather for songs, liquid courage and good food brought by the guests.

It is a jolly affair supported by the ample skills of the musical members of the Aldbury Morris and the virtuoso talents of other neighbours and professional classical musicians Jo and Paul. All of the guests were in good voice with a mix of young and old singers providing a heavenly sound.

I went on my own this time as Sue felt obliged to go to her company’s party and I think from what she said she would have preferred to come to the choral evening (something about nightclubs, no shoes and tears before bedtime).

OH, OH, OH…

The festive season is upon us once again, the tree is up and decorated, lights are strung up and twinkling, presents are wrapped and pilled high ready for the big day. Greeting cards are covering the mantelpiece, the wine racks are filled in readiness and Christmas music is on the radio.

As I walked past the tree I happened to glance down and saw one of the labels showed the rather puzzling three short words - OH, OH, OH, and then I realised that this was not a cryptic warning but that I was seeing it upside down.

International Rescue…

A couple of friends of ours who live out in Corfu are back in the UK for the Christmas and New Year break and we imposed on the good nature and handy man skills of Terry to help change out our faulty shower unit while his wife Alexis kept Sue and Debbie company and decorated the Christmas tree.

We had a slap-up meal in the evening provided by Sue and eat and drank copiously into the wee small hours reminiscing and telling tale tales. The next morning when we tried to give Terry some money for his help he refused saying that considering the amount of food and drink we consumed it might have been cheaper to employ an actual plumber.