Saturday 19th December 2015 - No Tinsel for Barney, Village Christmas Tree and Warmest December Day on Record
When Father Christmas toured the village, accompanied by the Overstrand Singers, last Sunday, this was not a fundraising activity as such. However, the bucket collection during the tour and the tombola and raffle at the White Horse raised a very impressive £265.21. This will be added to the funds held by the group, Overstrand Together – Raising funds for our Village
Wednesday morning seemed a good time to put up our Christmas tree and decorations in our lounge. Rest assured; Barney will not be subjected to the humiliation of reindeer antlers and tinsel! Late afternoon we walked round to friends for ‘drinks and nibbles’. Passing the village garden on our way, I took a photograph of the village tree. This has been generously sponsored by village store and post office owner, Michael Maher. It has been mentioned about having street illuminations but as there are houses decorated along the High Street and in other parts of the village, these are probably sufficient. After all we are only a village and don’t need to attract visitors in the same way as Cromer.
Village Christmas Tree - sponsored by Michael Maher
I can’t get over how warm it has been, well above the seasonal average of 6ºC. When I was out tending my hen Cate on Thursday, our garden thermometer was just over 15ºC. Today, it was up to 16ºC and according to the media, this has been the warmest December day in Norfolk on record. We certainly did not need our jackets when we went shopping this morning. The southerly winds have ‘built’ the beach high with sand and walking Barney this morning; it felt like a spring day. There was a song thrush singing just down the lane and some plants and trees and definitely in spring mode. Our Portugal Laurel is in flower, the geraniums continue to bloom and we have yet to experience a frost here on the coast. At night I am keeping my arms above the blankets, otherwise I get too hot - by December I would normally have put an extra blanket on our bed. During the day we would expect to be wearing our lined trousers but no, these are still hanging in the wardrobe. Surely, it can’t continue like this throughout the winter?
Wednesday 23rd December 2015 - 1st Birthday, Fantastic Buffet and the Last Before Christmas!
It was our grandson’s first birthday on Monday and thanks to Skype, we were able to watch him open presents and enjoy playing with some of his new toys. He is a very active little boy – it was quite tiring just watching him climbing onto the settee, crawling from toy to toy and pulling himself up and walking round the furniture. However, he did stop long enough to look into the webcam and give us one of his cheeky smiles and then he was off again.
Tuesday we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours at a seasonal buffet laid on by a group of village ladies. We were greeted with the choice of sherry, port or juice and there was opportunity for a chat before sitting at one of the tables laid with brightly coloured cloths and crackers. The food was fantastic, how they did it for the price; I don’t know. We are both a bit selective when it comes to buffets; we try to avoid pre-prepared finger foods, the sort sold by supermarkets but on this occasion we were spoilt with an amazing selection of home cooked and prepared dishes, both savoury and sweet. Following the food, there was bingo and a quiz. Many thanks to everyone involved with the organisation, cooking etc. – it was brilliant. Please do it again next year and if you do, please let me help!
Later Tuesday afternoon, I made our Christmas cake. Not the traditional type made weeks in advance and ‘fed’ several times with brandy before covering with marzipan and icing. For the second year, we have opted for a Dundee cake which this year rose up above the level of the tin. Fortunately, as it rose, it pushed up the greaseproof paper, used to line the tin, with it and therefore, did not spill over the edge and onto the oven floor!
Well, this is my last Diary entry before Christmas. We did the final shop yesterday, the freezer is full with various dishes I have cooked over the past few weeks, there are a couple more presents to wrap a trifle and lemon mousse to make which will take us into Christmas Eve and drinks with neighbours late afternoon followed, by a Greek themed dinner at home of Souvlaki, courgette fritters, beans in olive oil and bread to mop up the juices. All that’s left now, is for me to wish everyone -
A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS
Sunday 27th December 2015 - Christmas, Boxing Day and Mud
That was a very pleasant Christmas. We enjoyed a very tasty Christmas lunch at home along with a friend and her dog. The loin of pork, from Mundesley Butchers, was excellent with crunchy crackling and all the usual accompaniments – crispy roast potatoes, parsnips, sprouts and apple sauce, all followed by my homemade sherry trifle. While we ate, the dogs worked at removing the stuffing from their marrow bones and then gnawed the bones. In the morning we Skyped my Mum & Dad and spoke to our youngest son on the phone. More Skyping on Boxing Day when, our eldest son, our daughter in law and our grandson joined our youngest son and his fiancé for the day.
Boxing Day Line-Up
If anyone had considered joining in the Boxing Day swim, then this year had to be the year. The conditions for a December dip were just about as perfect as they could be. The thermometer in the garden was nudging 16ºC; there was a good expanse of sand, thanks to the recent overland winds, plus the tide was a relatively low 1.7metres. There was an excellent turnout of around forty swimmers plus spectators lining the top of the cliff, the zigzag and promenade. While the swimmers ran into the sea and emerged after their plunge into the North Sea, Peter captured them on his camcorder while I took photos. Peter’s video is on YouTube and I have posted some photos on Facebook as well as here in my Diaries.
Boxing Day Dippers
In the afternoon we took a walk with Barney across the back of the allotments and fields. We have had so much rain recently we have not walked this way for quite a few weeks. We have also avoided one of our regular walks to Northrepps because of the state of the paths. Peter had to carry Barney over sections of mud and because I was not concentrating on where I was putting my feet, I slipped. Fortunately I slid somewhat gracefully towards the ground and only the palms of my hands got muddy. ‘Wet’ and ‘warm’ are probably the best two words to describe recent weeks.
With Christmas over, it’s time to think about the New Year. With 2016 just days away, I am looking forward to the longer days, some home projects and a couple of family celebrations.
Thursday 31st December 2015 - Farewell 2015
I find I tend to lose track of the days of the week between Christmas and the New Year. I was heartened today to find I am not the only one; the butchers at Mundesley were not sure whether it was Thursday. No doubt this time next week when the Bank Holidays are over and we are all back into the swing of things, returning to our normal day to day routines, we will once again be back on track with the days of the week.
We have enjoyed some good walks in the afternoons along the beach with Barney. There have been quite a few people about with their dogs; probably walking of the excesses of the previous few days and that includes both dogs and their owners. We also took a walk across the back of the allotments and along the field paths the other afternoon – this time I looked where I was going and did not slip up in the mud!
When we have not been out and about, I have been catching up on end of year paperwork, transferring photo files from CD/DVD’s to SD cards and publishing my novel, On the Verge, on Kindle. I have some good feedback from both Timotheus Pserimos Puss and On the Verge, and have been have asked for ‘more please’. I have only just started on the first short story that will form part of a compilation of tales from a Greek island but before I can give this any serious attention I need to publish my Greek recipe book, plus tackle a list of other ‘to dos’.
Last 2015 Field Walk
Despite there being a disco at the Conservative Club and Cliff as If (Cliff Richard tribute singer) at the White Horse, we are not planning to go out for New Year’s Eve celebrations. Neither of us likes loud music, which either makes conversation difficult or stifles it completely. We will be staying at home and Peter is going to barbeque steaks for dinner. Yes, you did read that right – a barbeque in December! Peter is an ace and tonight will be using a barbeque we purchased some years ago from a shop in Green Lanes, North London. This area of London is home to a thriving Greek/Cypriot community. We used to drive there to purchase Greek provisions and other delights, such as the barbeque. This is a particularly strong construction and can be used for souvlaki (kebabs), straight on the coals as well as having a rotisserie for joints and chickens (don’t worry Cate, you are quite safe)!
So all that is left now, is for me to –
New Years Eve BBQ
A VERY HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR
© 2015 Overstrand Life - Janet's Diaries
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