Tuesday 23 December 2008

Nearly here!


Well, bloggers all, deck your halls with boughs of holly because it is nearly here. Are you ready? (What a daft question, is anybody every "ready", whatever that means). I have just been making Cranberry and Orange Relish to eat with the turkey and the whole house smells of that most Christmassy of scents - cinnamon.

Will this Christmas live up to our expectations? Does Christmas ever? Somehow with all the hype about Christmas we expect it to be perfect - perfect dinner, perfect presents, snow lying white on the ground, frost sparkling in the trees, everyone merry and bright. Of course life isn't like that and realistically we have to make do with what we have. When I consider what some people are having this Christmas - cholera, warfare, hunger - I think we are jolly lucky and shall act accordingly.

If you are one of those people who spends Christmas snug by a log fire with a pile of books and a glass of something (and chocs) on the table by your side, here is Susan Hill's (The Magic Apple Tree author) list of books she would like to re-read this Christmas - old faithfuls all.

She is writing in today's Yorkshire Post:- John Buchan "Thirty Nine Steps" (it is on UK TV this Christmas by the way - don't miss it!); Nicholas Monsarratt "The Cruel Sea"; Agatha Christie "The 4.50 from Paddington"; Dorothy L Sayers "The Nine Tailors"; Marjorie Allingham "Tiger in the Smoke"; Conan Doyle "The Hound of the Baskervilles"; Nancy Mitford "The Pursuit of Love", Gerald Durrell "My Family and other Animals"; and many more. But if you get through that lot you will do well!

Our little town of Leyburn in The Yorkshire Dales tries hard to get into the spirit of Christmas. This is a shop window in the town. At night it is lit up with fairy lights and it gives the whole town a festive air.

Whatever you are doing this Christmas, wherever you are going, safe travelling and have a wonderful time. Quite a few people who are not bloggers and do not have a Google account read my blog - so in addition to all bloggers may I also wish a Very Merry Christmas to the following:-

Glennis, Robert, Frans and Riet, Maggie and Sid, Brenda and Roy, Amanda.

Click on the picture so that it fills the screen and get that Christmassy feeling. The sleigh was made by a local man who has loaned it to the shop for their Christmas display.

18 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Just read your lovely Christmas memory of your brother coming home.
It brought tears to my eyes.
Also your account of handling the Christmas ornaments carefully,
You bet we did. For some reason it didn't seem as if anyone went out and bought ornaments -- they had to be ancient.
As for the robin and cottage for the Christmas cake.......
They lived in a rather rusted tin in the larder. (Do people still have larders?)
Anyway, I could blather on indefinitely - but will spare you.
Hope you Christmas is lovely and peaceful.
We should indeed remember those in sad places and situations.
I will do my best not to whinge!

The Solitary Walker said...

I would agree with many of Susan Hill's Christmas reads - specially the John Buchan, the Conan Doyle and the Gerald Durrell, all of which I know and I love. 'The Nine Tailors' was one of my mother's favourite books.

Xmas greetings from all of us here too. Difficult time this year as my father is in Scunthorpe General Hospital.

Raph G. Neckmann said...

Love the sleigh!

Your writing evokes that lovely seasonal feeling so well, Weaver - I can almost smell the cinnamon.

My special read over the holiday is always a Rupert Annual! This goes back a long way ...

Leenie said...

Merry Christmas! Stay warm. Best wishes.

Leslie said...

Christmas is just 2 days away, then it is just a memory so make it a good memory. Merry Christmas to all.

Heather said...

Lovely festive picture and a great book list. I would have to add one or two Cadfael novels, Dick Francis and Elizabeth Jane Howard. I read a real mixture as you can see! It will be the first year ever that there have been just the two of us on Christmas Day. It will be strange but probably very nice. Boxing Day our five children, other halves and some of the grandchildren (all teens and twenties now) will join us in the late afternoon. That'll be lovely.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

What a wonderful picture of the perfect Christmas window! And what a terrific book list. My husband re-reads The Nine Tailors every winter. The opening scene is the perfect thing to read by a cracking fire. And, My Family and Other Animals is probably my favorite book. I smile all the way through it each time.

Happy Day Before Christmas Eve to You!!

Crafty Green Poet said...

Have a very happy Christmas!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Yes Elizabeth - having put a wish list from the Nairobi slums on my blog today - I feel very humble that we take so much for granted.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Sorry Robert to hear your news - best wishes and love to you all.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Sorry Robert to hear your news - best wishes and love to you all.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Raph - I love Rupert. My favourite quote, which goes back about fifty years, is when Mrs Bear is hanging out the washing and Rupert goes over in a balloon and she says" I do declare, says Mrs Bear, if that's not our Rupert flying up there!"

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks Leenie and Leslie for your Christmas wishes - have a lovely holiday.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I love Cadfael too Heather.
We are alone on Christmas day apart from a very ill friend just joining us for a lunch.
Boxing day family gathering.
Happy Christmas.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Pamela - reading at Christmas by a log fire - perfect.

The Weaver of Grass said...

A happy Christmas to you too Juliet.

Teresa said...

Loved reading your Christmas memories. I have a silver bells ornament that has been on the family Christmas tree ever since I was a child. A few years ago my mother gave it to me to continue the tradition. It's one of the few ornaments we brought with us from England when we moved many years ago. Thanks for a warm and wonderful post... and a Merry Christmas to you!

Country Girl said...

I love orange and cranberry relish! And it's wonderful being able to visit different parts of the world through the eyes of blogger friends.
Thanks for sharing . . .