Happy Birthday, Larissa!

Hope you have a lovely day!

Time for Presents!

The scene is set - the tree has held up remarkably well - looks better in the photos than real life! Evie has arrived home from her church community lunch. Santa checks that his(her ) hat is OK
Everyone is delighted with the gifts the receive - many thanks to all!
Job done, pose for a photo, while Berry wonders'what was all that about?'

Christmas Day -- morning and afternoon

A hoodie in the kitchen was making her porridge, until her mother asked her about codes for texting to far flung places, Guadeloupe and Tenerife to be exact. While the Hoodie looked up the codes online she forgot about her porridge...ooops. But we didn't need the fire brigade, thankfully!
So another pot of porridge. And all the windows had to be opened. Fortunately it was quite a nice day.
Lunchtime was quiet. So many trimmings there was hardly room for the turkey. Many thanks to Romeo for cooking the meal. All were very restrained with our traditional cream this year.
Then we retired to the drawing room (ha ha) to watch HRH The Queen.

Christmas Eve at Malvern Manor.

James was suppsosed to be sticking stamps on his dad's Christmas cards but couldn't take his eyes of the computer screen!
A greeting appeared on the fridge door. The letters had been hidden underneath for months.
Romeo and I went to the Angel for lunch in a favourite cafe in Chapel Market. On the way back we saw this robin - no, HEARD this robin in a tree outside our garden! Berry helped to wrap parcels while I iced the cake and searched for the decorations, which I haven't found yet... any ideas where I could look next?
Evie spent a lot of time saving the tree which I got far too early and didn't realise it couldn't get the water in the bucket...For full details look at Evie's blog.
Finally James tried for an altered greeting while his mum baked two cakes, which smelt so good I nearly went to Beccles for Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Brother!

This is a selection of photos I gathered together this morning! Still it will be online before you get to the computer, George. Did you know you sent me and Margaret a Christmas card when you were hours old? The outside picture is the old (now demolished) nursing home.
Then there is you at 1 year old, in the garden at Cumnock with Lassie's pups in Mum's shopping basket, was it after this that she started to keep clothes pegs in it. You'll need to tell me why the next two were taken. Maybe the Scout one was when you became a Queen's Scout.
You are the cowboy with Ian McAllister I think it was. Finally, when you visited London earlier in the year, and in front of the Scottish Parliament in November.
We are all hoping you have a lovely day and Many Happy Returns of the Day!

Christmas tree Festival, Beccles.

This year there were 48 trees in the Methodist Church. Each of them was decorated by a different group in the town. Earlier we watched the town Christmas lights being switched on (in pouring rain!) by Davros (Dr Who). He was a very friendly person who got on well with the children.
For Karen's benefit (she has the same camera as me) these were taken on the candlelight setting and I have lightened most of them a bit. I don't think they're as good as the candles under your awning.