It was a busy few days leading up to Christmas for us with a family get together on Thursday before Joe and Kate set off for Shropshire with Kate's parents, as well as Bridie and Joseph heading to Bristol for Christmas. The girls and parents slept over which was lovely and the next evening Alison and I were able to go to The Rude Giant in Salisbury for the Ragwormers gig. Maria was sleeping over at a friend's house and so we had no responsibilities other than ourselves and it was no problem when the band were an hour and a half late getting on stage. Such a novelty not to be be feeling rushed!

The gig was great and I was happy drinking the Heineken Zero. Nice to wake up clear headed too. Later on Saturday we began a new tradition for the family with a pub crawl in Verwood, just the five of us. Starting at The Albion, we got a lift to The Three Swans in Bridie's car which she left there. From there we walked to The Monmouth before heading to the Olive and Oak wine bar, enjoying the lights and displays in the gardens and at Ferret Green. There was a final walk to The Albion where Alison drove us all home ready for Christmas Eve.

With Glen arriving later on Christmas Day we had a very civilised start to the big day and it was very welcome. We'd done a lot of prep the day before and so it was just veg required for the dinner. We maintained the tradition of watching It's A Wonderful Life and the Griswalds' Family Christmas on Christmas Eve with lights and candles lighting th downstairs. Beautiful.

Run up to Christmas

Juno and I have been getting a lot of dog walks in before the Christmas indulgences including down to Dewlands and over to the Monmouth Ash. The new routine of a later but longer morning walk and an afternoon walk has been working well from my perspective and Juno seems happy with it too.

Contrasting weather

 After yesterday’s rainfall it was a pleasure to be beneath blue skies. Little trip to Ringwood meant Joy had a break and we got a few Christmas things sorted too. 

Beside the seaside

It was a filthy day yesterday with rain and wind throughout the daylight hours which meant we couldn't go to the allotments which meant I decided to take Joy to the beach to enjoy the waves. Being able to take Juno was a bonus and she got very excited chasing the gulls.

The beach was covered in foam from the waves breaking with so much energy but I did worry about whether there was any sewage discharge in there too. The water companies have permission to dump overflows when the rain is heavy and I wouldn't trust them to ensure it remains offshore.

However, Joy loved being there watching the churning waves and wondered several times about the insects in the water. It is funny how her mind works these days but she was entertained, especially when she got her cup of tea and custard tart.

We had a very busy weekend which is par for the course but it seemed even more so than usual. As well as entertaining Joy with visits to church on Saturday and Sunday, as well as the village hall Christmas celebration on Saturday afternoon, we got Maria to dance on Saturday and all day Sunday, as she was performing as part of a trio from dance. We also had the girls over for a sleepover and cooked for 10 for Sunday dinner. Joseph stayed Friday and Saturday nights too and we got his PS5 set up in his room so he could join a minecraft tournament but that didn't work out.

By yesterday afternoon I had decided to just watch football and have a few drinks and that was a good call! I forgot to mention getting the house decorated for Christmas too and it is looking very festive.

November snow

You will see that we were blessed with a visit from the snow god which was exactly in line with the forecast. Although you will not see a lot of the white stuff layered over the cold surfaces, it did actually snow pretty persistently throughout the day, little flurries and then not so little ones. I don't recall having seen snow like this in November before but if I have, it is nevertheless, very unusual. 

I still managed a 5km run and plenty of dog walks but with lots of little jobs to do in the utility room, I ended up lighting the wood burner too and it was lovely. We haven't been using the logs much at all and so have a big pile ready for the wood burner and the stove in the front room. I lit that in the evening and enjoyed the glow of the fire, glad we kept it despite it no longer having any practical value.

Maria was at dance again and has two dance exams today before heading to the dance studio again on Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully it will calm down a little after that!