Tuesday 7 January 2014

Epiphany

Yesterday - January 6th - was epiphany, the day on which, in the Western Christian calendar, the Christchild was shown to the three wise men; the day on which I am always reminded of the TS Eliot poem      'A cold coming they had of it'.   The journey of the magi is always depicted as the three, all of differing races, shown on their camels arriving in full regalia dripping with gold.  We have had seven cards this year showing them and they all but one glisten with riches.

Ronald Blythe calls these 'neighbourly days', days when friends and neighbours splash through the mud and dress up to brave the cold and wet and call for a coffee.  This morning friend W and I sat for a large part of the morning in the bay window of a coffee house in our little town, drinking a cappucino and watching the world go by while at the same time agreeing that at our age we knew our idea of solving any of the world's many problems was pointless and that we were better not expressing many of our views as we were just as likely to be wrong as right - the answer (if indeed there was one) would probably lie in the middle.   It is a view which the farmer reached a long time ago.   He is very comfortable in his own skin, totally satisfied with his lot and on the whole lets things go over his head unless he can do something about them.

Friends call here, splashing through the water as it poured after lunch.   Tess and I got caught in the downpour and even she was glad to arrive home and scurried to get a place in front of the wood burner.  I put on the coffee pot (I am going to exceed my one cup a day rule today), we glance briefly at the Christmas jig-saw we have on the go, decide we can't do any without a lot of looking and settle down to soak up the heat and chat.

I have a grand-daughter marrying in the Summer and I am to organise the cake, so we talk about that in particular and then weddings and wedding cakes in general; do we prefer ones heavy with traditional fruit, iced and decorated or would we go for a giant chocolate one three tiers deep?   Luckily my grand-daughter is a traditionalist so already the cake is ordered and dealt with.

Our vet has given me a pocket diary with a matching pen.   I put it in my handbag with a resolution to keep it up this year.   When I meet with friends and an outing is discussed, they all get out their pocket diaries to see whether or not they are free.   I write the date on the back of my cheque book, look at the calendar when I get home and let them know.   Sheer laziness and inability to keep track of a diary on my part.   This year will be different I vow as I neatly put in all the events so far.   Next week our local amateur dramatic group are performing Robin Hood.   That goes firmly into the diary.  These groups have all but disappeared so they need our support.

Keep dry.
 

14 comments:

MorningAJ said...

I tend to get to the end of January before I stop writing things in the diary and start adding them to the calendar at home. I didn't even buy a diary this year. It's pointless really.

I do carry a small notebook though. So chances are, previous appointments will be in there somewhere!

Crafty Green Poet said...

pocket diaries are very useful!

Frugal in Derbyshire said...

I bought a small one for my bag this year. we have a house diary, whci I'm pretty good with. It remains to be seen if I keep the small one going beyond February
Gill

Gwil W said...

Every year the 3 Kings knock on my door on 6th January. I give them a donation for their charity and they stick a sign above the door to say they have been. It reads 20-C+M+B-14.

Heather said...

I use a small diary for appointments but apart from those it makes very poor reading. The farmer saves a lot of energy not ranting about things he can't change! The three kings were a popular design on our cards at Christmas.

John Going Gently said...

Good for you pat..... I am a firm believer in supporting local talent..or local non talent x

Totalfeckineejit said...

Always nice and cosy to pop in at your blog and say hello, Weaver.
Dec 6th was Little Christmas Day here in Ireland or 'Nollaig Na mBan' which means'Women's Christmas' where traditionally the women gather together to celebrate and the men do all the chores. Hope you told The Farmer!

Willow said...

Have fun viewing Robin Hood !

Cloudia said...

Glad to join you briefly



ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >

Hildred said...

Nice newsy post,Pat - I adore pocket diaries but hardly ever use them, and I'm all for non-fruit cakes for weddings. These days, anyway. When I was in the business of making cakes for daughters' weddings the top layer always got put away for the first christening, but those days are not exactly prime now.

Robin Mac said...

I have gone with modern technology these days and use my new smartphone for my appointments diary. At least I mostly have that with me, I always managed to take my diary out of my handbag and forget to return it! Enjoy Robin Hood. Cheers

Acornmoon said...

Happy new Year to you, I hope your diary soon fills up with good days ahead. I have a slimline calendar in my kitchen, I use instead of a diary. dental appointments, birthdays, holidays, it all gets recorded and I can glance at it whilst doing the dishes.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Please can anyone (including Gwil) make any sense of the sign over the door when the three kings have called?
Seems there are many ways of keeping a diary these days - I had occasion this morning to take my diary out of my handbag and fill in a date - felt good. Keep it up I tell myself.
Than

angryparsnip said...

Pocket Diaries are wonderful but I seem to forget to use them. But I do carry a small note book that I write myself notes in, measurements, lists so on. Then I have to come home and add appointments in my day planner but it works for me.

cheers, parsnip