The hyacinths I planted in the Victorian glass just a month ago have developed roots and I have brought them out of the dark and put them on a windowsill.I’m hoping, perhaps rather optimistically, that they will be in flower for my birthday in two weeks! I love the pattern made by the roots swirling round the glass.
We took a small gift to Sara at Make A Mends today, a small and curious object which I inherited but don’t know anything about.I knew Sara would love it and she did. It turns out, on googling, that it is a hairbrush albeit only 3 cms diameter.!
Tony Benn is one of my heroes and features in my quotations book several times. Here are more of his wise words.
We need to keep those flames alive. I wrote about Tony Benn here if you’d like to read it.
A snowflake arrived in today’s post, beautifully crocheted and a gift from a follower. It has gone straight onto our tree.
Thank you very much Judith
Another gift came today, one we were instructed not to keep until Christmas but to consume soon. So this evening we have each had a delicious Raspberry and White Choc Chip Cookie for dessert.
Thank you S and E, absolutely gorgeous!
A fellow Humanist has written the following poem which touched me and she kindly gave me permission to share it with you.
No photos of the boats, birds or the Penryn river today as the rain was interminable! and so very heavy! However we had a lovely sing and a very good choir friend sent me the following video – “May this room be filled with joy and harmony” – and it was!
Today Daughter no 2 and her daughter, LiveWire no 3 went to see The Nutcracker at The Royal Ballet and Opera House in London and this evening we have been to see the livestream of the same performance. It was wonderful and I love the idea that, despite being hundreds of miles apart, we have just shared the ballet experience together.
Today too, I remember my wonderful Dad who died on this day in 2004 after a very hard nine months and his final, even harder ,17 days in St John’s Hospice in Doncaster. where he, and I, were extremely well looked after with love and understanding.
We bought a delightful Advent calendar for one of our LiveWires, the Wild Advent Colouring Book – British Wildlife Edition, and she has been sending us the pictures as she colours them in. We love her precision and care.
Tomorrow’s cake for the volunteers is a lemon sponge in the shape of a Christmas tree.
I’m loving the effect of my trying to take Christmas lights from a moving car, being driven by my lovely Mr S.
Yesterday was so busy that two important things were missed!
After the delightful party for J, 90 years old, in the evening we went with friends to see a fabulous Christmas show called Christmas.Time. This is the third time we have seen the show and loved it every time. It’s the 18th year that the two very talented young men who are Near-ta Theatre have performed the show which has become a staple hereabouts. If you, Dear Reader, live nearby, there are shows still to be seen at The Poly, Falmouth. Here’s the link.You won’t regret it!
I have ordered a beautiful jigsaw puzzle from Ukraine for the family to do together when they are all here over New Year. I am here reprinting the whole message I received from the company yesterday. At the end you can hear The Ingleheart Singers with their first rehearsal this year of Carol of the Bells.
While our capacity to produce and to ship puzzles from Ukraine has been severely impacted by power outages caused by the constant shelling of Ukrainian power infrastructure by Russia (that’s why most of puzzles are shown as out of stock on our website), we still can continue telling about Ukrainian culture.
This week’s email is about Mykola Leontovych (13 Dec 1877 – 23 Jan 1921), the Ukrainian composer and author of the famous “Shchedryk” / “Carol of the Bells,” whose birthday we commemorate today.
Mykola Leontovych, the son of a priest, was also a conductor and teacher who specialized in a cappella choral music. He is best known for composing “Shchedryk,” which later became famous around the world as the Christmas classic “Carol of the Bells.” That happened thanks to enormous efforts of cultural figures and some politicians of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in the last months of its existence before the Soviet occupation of Ukraine in 1919. This treasure had all chances to be demolished and buried, as it happened with Boychukism and many other phenomena of Ukrainian culture, but in some miraculous way, it overcame all the obstacles along with the Ukrainian Republic Capella under the leadership of choral conductor Oleksandr Koshyts.
On January 23, 1921, while audiences in Paris were triumphantly applauding the newly discovered “Shchedryk,” its composer, Mykola Leontovych, was shot in his own home by a Chekist (a Soviet state security agent).
Important to note that Leontovych wrote “Schedryk” in the town of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, which currently is one of the key battlefields in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
So, please keep the Ukrainian Warriors who are now defending Pokrovsk and all of Ukraine in your thoughts each time you hear “Carol of the Bells” this holiday season.
Another beautiful dawn sky, paint charts to choose from and another fabulous birthday cake!
Our morning was spent choosing paint and then starting the job. A couple of weeks ago we had a new window fitted and now the repair plaster is dry, we can begin the re-decoration.
My very dear choir buddy had another birthday party this afternoon and another beautiful cake, this one covered in handmade sugar flowers, absolutely gorgeous.
Fabulous 90th birthday cake made by the very skilled Kathryn
After a delicious Christmas lunch at Trennick Mill with our friends, we drove home beside the Truro River and the winter trees stood out against the wintering sky..
Reflected in a puddle
On the Trafalgar roundabout there is a lights model of Truro Cathedral.
Nearly home, we saw a lovely nativity scene in lights.
Today is the 90th birthday of my very good friend and singing mentor whom I met in 2008 when I first joined The Ingleheart Singers. She took me under her wing then and has kept me there ever since! Her Family arranged a secret party this afternoon and asked for the choir to turn up as a surprise and to sing for her ,so of course we did! It was a delightful afternoon.
Jean’s beautiful cake, wish I could credit the maker.
Another friend from choir spotted a knitted crib earlier this week and sent me the next photo, knowing how much I would like it. I love the smile on Mary’s face and have to wonder why one of the shepherds is up on the roof!
A simple meal was called for this evening, Macaroni Cheese, comfort food at its best.
