All is calm, all is bright.....

So Christmas is nearly upon us....tomorrow, Christmas Eve, is my very favourite day of the holiday. The time when you are where you need to be and all the shops are closed and you can finally relax and enjoy each other and everything that is to come....the anticipation is so much of the joy!

We are very lucky to live where we live, in a beautiful church square. It means that we feel a real part of the celebrations as the bells ring almost every night for carol services or concerts....and they chime the quarter hour every day of the year. People imagine it to be intrusive, but we miss them so much if they don't ring - we're so used to them now. It's comforting to wake in the night and hear them ring and know that I'm at home!

These pictures were taken this morning, one of the frostiest I can ever remember here. Apparently it went down to -10c last night....I've filled up the bird feeders and my poor plants will just have to take their chances now. The rather smart gentleman with the briefcase is my darling on his 5 minute walk to work....no scraping ice off the car for him...!

Some of our neighbours have the prettiest decorations.....and just outside the church walls is our very own stately home, once lived in by a famous parlamentarian and later a school, then offices...now sadly empty as it waits to be turned into apartments. I love to look at it and imagine a time when it's chandeliers would have been lit with real candles, it's cellars were full and life filled it's every room. There is even a tunnel that runs from it's cellar into the church....how i'd adore to go back in time, just once, to see it in it's heyday!

I must go and scrape the ice and snow off the car, wend my way sloooooowly to my kitchen and bake the last few dozen mince pies, carrot cakes and trays of bakewell pudding. My aim is to finish everything by this afternoon and then spend tomorrow wrapping, walking Alice and packing the car with goodies before we set off for Mum & Dad's farm. I wish everyone a magical and so happy Christmas. Enjoy time with your friends & family and think of the beloved ones who can't be with you.....they're always in my thoughts and it brings a special poignancy to this season of seasons.

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS XOXO