damping down of the fires of its days, and the pulling up of its misty
moisty duvet around its late mornings, and its early nights. While the
season is- bellowing? No, it’s not an exaggeration; it bellows from a
distance in its Advent, but it yells in its urgency- Stock up! Cook! Make lists! Prepare!
e will have a full house again- Valerie and me, John and Miriam, of course- that’s the home team, plus Grandpa, David and Heidi, Simon and Dianne- and NATHAN! Son of Simon and Dianne. Born August, little bruiser, jolly fine boy! I feel like Alistair Simms Scrooge, on waking and finding the drapes not torn down. Now what was I saying? We must prepare. Nathan’s first Christmas will be with Oma and Opa. We were asked by Simon and Dianne what we wished to be called, instead of great aunt and uncle, and Valerie came up with the German diminutives of Grandma and Grandpa. Strange how things come round again, isn’t it? So I have volunteered to prepare a plentiful supply of frozen, pureed, salt free veg. for the little man. Well, I am at home. I did have a jaunt up to Morpeth, recently, to decorate Nathan’s bedroom in Christopher Robin/winnie the Pooh, not from Disney but that nice Mr Shepherd.
nough of Nathan; you want to hear of the rest of the family. John has just started his sandwich year out. He’s designing traffic junction/light control systems for Nottingham L/A, having done the first two years of his university course with no bother. He’s happy. Miriam with her pockets full of ‘A’s and ‘A stars’- O levels, started 6th form college at Notre Dame College, Norwich, doing French, Spanish, Classics and Psychology. She had a letter from the examining body for French O level to say that, in the 73,000-odd candidates, she was in the top 5- not 5% - top five! The Spanish needed a private tuition kick start to bring her in on the ‘A’ level track, so, in effect she did ‘O’ level Spanish a few months prior to starting at N.D. Part of the Spanish tuition involved a pen- friend in Argentina, so she took herself off for a visit, and she will be there again for New Year.
iriam also found a thoroughly nice young man at a Christian summer retreat/camp. Another Simon. He’s from Hexham, up north somewhere, a trainee policeman studying linguistics at Durham University. We have met him, and are quite happy.
Valerie is still ministering, angel-wise at Catfield. They now have a pre-school unit (Catfield Kittens) and are soon to be stretched to a primary school, as opposed to a first school.
e’ve had a little crisis with Grandpa of late. He took a dive with fluid on the lungs and stomach, and suffered a cardiac arrest. He spent a few days in hospital. He came out with everything under control, but feeling a bit scared, and ready to do a major stock-take. The up-shot is that he has decided to sell up, and we are going to find him sheltered accommodation here, in Norfolk, within a short tram ride or whatever from here. That way, he can keep his independence, and we can keep tabs on him, and see much more of him.
for me? Oh, I just poddle on. Just dip me bread in and say nowt. Really, what can you say about me? I make a living by doing the thing I enjoy most. Trade was grim all summer, but in the last month or so, it went ballistic, so I came home as happy as Larry. I’m married to the loveliest woman in the world. We have two wonderful children (that’s wonderful as in ’who scare the fertiliser out of me’). I have an exhibition coming up, for which I have high hopes (last year’s was a knock-out) but I’ll take whatever comes, and then we’ll be on the final approach to Christmas. In fact, this coming Sunday, Dec.1st, I will wake Valerie with the first of our Christmas music- Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel Overture- the first of our Christmas traditions. I must get the puddings out of the loft. Two years ago, I had to empty several bowls of green mould; never again. I know the cakes are all right, and the wine stocks are bearing up nicely. Holly is looking a bit scarce, this year, though of course I can’t start the Christmas decorations until after Miriam’s birthday.
But ever and always, the centre will be the balsawood stable, over the inglenook, with the shepherds and sheep, the kings and camels, the ox and the ass, Mary and Joseph, and the baby whose first feeble cry has pulled at our hearts for two thousand years, and still won’t be ignored.
From the family at Barneybees, Merry Christmas, everyone.