Last full day with the family – Daughter No 2 was born on Christmas Day and she won’t be with us then so we did the Happy Birthday celebration this evening after a lovely family day of games, walks and chocolate!
From tonight the days start getting longer by a few moments……Hooray!
Solstice
After a late breakfast, a quiet catch-up morning, and a cold swim for Daughter No 2 in Portreath, we went off to The Lost Gardens of Heligan for their Night Garden Extravaganza, came home to a vegetarian chilli feast and lastly watched Elf (a film I had never seen) together! Here are just a few of the treasures in the night garden where we also enjoyed hot chestnuts, hot chocolates, mulled wine and toasted marshmallows! A fine time has been had by all. It is so good to be doing things all together..
All the PCR tests were negative so the family are with us! Love to all you Dear Readers. Here is a photo of sea and sand for you..
I bought a new Christmas cake tin last Christmas and didn’t get to use it. 
Today I have made a Heligan Pineapple Cake in the tin and decorated it in a bright jolly fashion. You can find the recipe for this delicious squishy fruit cake here. .
Then I made mince pies. The angels look more like displaced ghosts but they taste good (home-made mincemeat and very short pastry.)
All this today, because, hopefully, given the Covid situation, the London family will arrive tomorrow for a few days prior to Christmas. We are making tomorrow our Christmas Day dinner and present exchange day. I may not have time to post. Keep your fingers crossed, Dear Reader, that their PCR tests will all be negative and that they will be able to come…………
For all those very dear readers who were touched by my post yesterday, I have found another rendition of Joe Hill. Do listen. It gave me the shivers. Much love….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0bezsMVU7c
I love Christmas lights! This is our dining room.
Our Advent candle has reached 17th December.
On this day in 2004, my dear Dad died in St John’s Hospice where he had been beautifully cared for since the start of December. My favourite perfume is vanilla and I have been wearing it for 40+ years. One of the last things my lovely Dad said to me on this, his last day with us, was, “I’d love some of that vanilla ice-cream please,” as I leaned over to kiss him. He was a very special man. He chose ‘Joe Hill’ sung by Paul Robeson for his funeral and I play it every year on this date in his memory.
We heard yesterday of a family of Syrian refugees who have been homed in a town nearby. They have four small children and escaped Syria with nothing. We had a bag of soft toys that our LiveWires have grown out of so we found out where to take the bears and they will make their way to the family in time for Christmas.
Looking a bit sad and needing a new home
While we we were in Penzance we visited our favourite bookshop, of course.
There is an excellent view of St Michael’s Mount as you leave the town, better on a sunny day but always impressive.
St Michael’s Mount
My choir has been rehearsing this beautiful and quirky song, ‘Til the Winter Melts, written by a local composer, Jim Carey and Claire recorded this at our last session for this term on Monday at the Eco Park. I promised I would send it along so here it is. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we have enjoyed singing it.
We went to Stable Art, framers, near Bodmin this morning to collect our Christmas present, Lockdown I by Tony Foster. I really want to open it up and hang it!
While we were there the most beautiful little car turned up. Talking to the owner, we discovered that it is one of only 19 and is No 8 of those, made in Helston. The AA badge belonged to his father when the family was living in Africa. If you’d like to know more, this link is informative.
After that trip we went into Truro to do some (successful) Christmas shopping. The Angels are lit up all along Boscawen Street.
After a super singing session ( there may be a video to come….) at the Eco Park, we had mince pies in the airy atrium to wish each other a Happy Christmas. Our next sing will hopefully be in January. I love the colour in the car park area, reminding me of my golden Docs, worn to school when teaching and earning me the nickname of Goldenboots, which I learned about years after retiring and which I love.
What a lovely productive couple of hours at the allotment this afternoon, clearing so much rubbish, catching up with each other in the safety of the great outdoors and sharing a feast.
Working party
Feast Photo by Sue Hill
All the rubbish disappeared into the fire pit.
Fire! Photo by Sue Hill
The Lottie cat, he who has no name, turned up for a stroke. He reminds me of some stories I loved as child, Orlando, the Marmalade Cat, who had such splendid adventures.
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