Friday 24 December 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.


I am sitting here in my red fleecy dressing-gown like a gender-challenging Mother Christmas. All the shopping is done; the presents are wrapped; the food is in the fridge and at last (and it has not been easy) I have got into the spirit of Christmas and everywhere feels right. The sun has begun its slow creep back up the yard arm and - as I write - is pouring through the staircase window. The snow lingers and here and there crystals glint in the sunlight.

In the paddock by the house the sheep, those hardy Swaledales, would rather scrape at the snow with their feet to find a bit of old grass than lower themselves to eat hay and sheep nuts.

At the bird table this morning there were twenty three cock blackbirds and all were expending their energy fighting over the food rather than cooperating and sharing. One was on the table itself, shovelling up beakfulls of suet and sultanas and not allowing anything else on the table. Nearby in a bush a robin waited for its opportunity. We have five robins and they are all fighting for food too. And further away a blue tit hung about watching for its turn. There is nothing so true as the pecking order. When the woodpecker arrives everything stands back.

The farmer surprised me yesterday with a lovely pre-Christmas present of a new microwave oven. It is a state-of-the-art job with lots of knobs and buttons, so if I suddenly stop blogging it will probably mean that I have pressed the wrong button and gone up into space.

Dominic has just been round to rescue me as my computer suddenly decided to stop working altogether, so thanks for that Dominic. Here's wishing all of you a happy and peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. I will probably find time to blog over the holiday period, but if I don't then I'll see you all next week.

27 comments:

The Solitary Walker said...

Pat, that first sentence was imaginatively challenging, to say the least!

We had a song thrush at the bird table yesterday. Have hardly seen any all year.

Microwaves are great, aren't they, for warming up soup or baked beans or coffee and for cooking jacket potatoes. (Let Dominic press the knobs, though - I feel he'd enjoy space more than you!)

A happy Christmas to you, the farmer, Dominic and Karen, Pat! (You can always return the dressing gown to M & S for a refund.)

Elisabeth said...

Merry Christmas Weaver. I'm pleased to hear you're well again and ready for the season.

Unknown said...

I'm sure you will continue to look suitably festive throughout the season, Weaver. And just think of all the things you can do with the leftovers in that shiny, new microwave! Merry Christmas!

steven said...

happy christmas weaver!!! it's so great to know that you're diving deep into the spirit of christmas. have a lovely holiday in the dale. steven

Golden West said...

Our microwave mainly churns out bowl after bowl of tasty popcorn, which makes the house smell not unlike a movie theater. All best wishes, Weaver, for Christmas blessings and a wonderful new year.

angryparsnip said...

What an interesting view of your bird table. I so hope there is some food left for the little ones.

Merry Christmas to You, The Farmer
and Tess and a New year filled with Joy.

cheers, parsnip
Good luck with the microwave !

George said...

And a Merry Christmas to you, Pat. May you, the farmer, and Dominic have a very special holiday!

Sandy said...

Merry Christmas to you and yours from across the pond!

Rarelesserspotted said...

All my very best wishes
X

MorningAJ said...

Have a wonderful Christmas and if you don't feel like changing out of that Mother Christmas outfit - you don't have to!

Doohie said...

Merry Christmas.

Pondside said...

Joyeux Noel and Glaedelig Jul from this side of the pond. I hope you have a lovely, peaceful holiday.......and as I write, it's morning, and I'm wrapped up in a fleecy red housecoat too!

Hildred said...

Merry Christmas to you and the Farmer, Weaver, and our best wishes for good health in the New Year.

Sal said...

We've had so many birds coming to our bird tables.The Bullfinches are coming so close to the house and the Long Tailed Tits are simply beautiful to watch.
Wishing you a very Happy Christmas ;-)x

Raph G. Neckmann said...

Happy Holidays, dear Weaver, from all of us Neckmanns and friends!

If you do go into space with the microwave, do see if you can land in Camelopardalis Constellation - we've got plenty of festive food and fun!

Heather said...

I'm sure you look very festive in your red fleecy dressing gown Pat, and I am pleased that you feel festive and are ready for the celebrations. We are doing our bit for the birds - you are so right about the pecking order. What would we do without our children to rescue us from our mod-cons?! Have a lovely weekend and 'see' you soon.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Merry Christmas to you, Weaver. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

Julie

Peter Goulding said...

Merry Christmas Pat and I look forward to reading many more of your idyllic posts in 2011.

Penny said...

Merry Christmas Pat, I have probably said this over and over, but I do enjoy reading you r blog, your thoughts and I find it quite inspirational. Here it is warm and we have had our beach walk and lunch of prawns and oysters, salad and bubbles and late tonight we will have roast duck.
Dont get shot into space with the microwave!
Looking forward to reading your blog in 2011, if not before!

Gwil W said...

I hope you don't vanish into space with your microwaves. I think the one in the red fleecy dressing gown is bringing me a machine that prints photos. I hope it works. Now going to look under the tree. Did I say tree? A sprig of green. About quarter the size of yours :),
---enjoy the rest of the day.

Anonymous said...

The birds of the air carry on battling away almost as if they didn't know it was Christmas!

Have a great day, Pat - and a decent rest and recuperation afterwards! And hopes for a healthy and peaceful New Year.

Titus said...

Merry Christmas Weaver!

Maggi said...

Hope that your Christmas lived up to expectations and that you didn't nuke the turkey. Best wishes for 2011.

CHummelKornell said...

Weaver, I hope you and the Farmer had a wonderful Christmas. Please accept my wishes for a Joyous New Year. May 2011 be everything you wish for and more. Thank you for bringing happiness to the hearts of your followers.

Rusty said...

I suspect you will become addicted to that microwave oven! They are great - capable of almost unlimited tasks. If it happens to be one of those microwave-convection oven types, you can even bake bread! (Well, in the form of large rolls). Perfect in the summer when you don't want extra heat in the kitchen. Enjoy - and have a very happy new year. ATB!

Unknown said...

I hope you are having a happy Christmas buried in all that snow Weaver. I have missed your posts since the summer. My daughters and I have had some lovely family gatherings over the past few weeks. I hope to be blogging again soon, if only for a little while. Enjoy your new microwave. Happy cooking.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Lovely to hear from you all over the Christmas period - made a lovely start to the celebrations.