Did you know...

Advent - the period leading up to Christmas - starts on the Sunday nearest to 30 November. It ends on the Sunday before 25 December.  The word Advent comes from the Latin "adventus" meaning "arrival" or "coming".

Christmas comes from the Middle English ‘Cristemasse’ which in turn comes from the Old English Cristesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.

The letter “X” (Chi) in Greek is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ ("Χριστός"), and “Xmas” has been used as an abbreviation for Christmas since the mid 1500s.

Boxing Day gets its name from all the money collected in church alms-boxes for the poor.

Puritan Oliver Cromwell outlawed Christmas celebrations and carols in England from 1649-1660. The only celebrations allowed were sermons and prayers.  It’s still technically illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day in England; Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas pudding, mince pies and anything to do with gluttony and the law has never been rescinded.

Holly and Ivy have been used to decorate homes since the 9th century because they symbolise everlasting life. The holly represents Christ’s crown of thorns and the berries his blood.
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The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine, but it was not an official Roman state festival at this time.

Christmas Eve - and at work!  I'm as up-to-date as I can be, and waiting on other people with regard to "stuff" but as that's not going to happen, here I am!

Although it is fundamentally Christmas I am afraid I'm not feeling overly festive, mainly because all the tentative plans we had made have been thwarted because of a particularly virulent strain of something flu-like which has wiped out so many people - extreme tiredness, snotty and coughing in extremis.  It's a weird one.  However, let's face facts, I have been a bit "bah-humbug" about a lot of things in the past six months, so I'm just hamming it up even more so - just call me Ebenezer!

No - I jest!  Fortunately, over the weekend Paul and I managed to do some Christmas shopping and have also stocked up on wine and nibbles.  However, we are going to try and avoid consuming the 7000 calories (30 kilojoules) that the average person apparently scoffs on Christmas Day!  Good grief - that would necessitate a ruddy-long walk on Boxing Day wouldn't it?*!

The house is as decorated as it gets - because it is so small we only ever 'dress' the windows.  But as you can see, I started off in the greenhouse initially and created a digital 'card' for distribution.  If I can't actually sow any seeds then I have to do something to potter about whilst listening to BBC Sounds!  But take note - we will be in the garden tomorrow morning, digging up some parsnips for Christmas dinner, so at least one vegetable item will be home-grown at least!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!​

It has been a very busy week.  Typically, it’s all or nothing!!  This is what has been going on:

Friday 29th Nov:  Meal out at The Daffodil in Cheltenham for our work’s Christmas do.  The restaurant is good – and is in a converted cinema and is a restored 1920 art deco building and interior.

Saturday 30th Nov:  Fine dining at The Ellenborough Hotel courtesy of my Dad and Terri; they gave us a voucher for Christmas last year.  It is a 5-star restaurant – and absolutely amazing.

Sunday 1st Dec:  Meal out with the family at The River Avon Chinese Restaurant – where we always go!  This was an impromptu get-together, and was to celebrate my Dad recently passing his Grade 6 piano exam.  Any excuse!

Mon 2nd Dec:  Work as normal in the morning, then late afternoon, Roger, a friend from California arrived in the UK, so we picked him up from Cheltenham bus station and drove to the self-catering cottage (linked to Sudeley Castle) that he had booked.  We then ate food I had previously prepared whilst catching up on all the news – the last time we saw each other was in 2007 (I think).

Tues 3rd Dec:  Spent the morning with Roger, and walked around the Sudeley Estate and had more food in a local café.  Paul and Roger then picked up another Californian friend, Mike, whilst I started the Christmas Festival ‘rounds’ to make sure all ‘my’ stall-holders were happy and organised.  I sporadically met up with ‘the boys’, and later with Louise who came for the Christmas shopping and local buzz. Then we all went for an evening meal at The Corner Cupboard pub.

Wed 4th Dec:  Dropped off our Californian friends at the bus-station as they went off to London, and then I went into work from noon.  Then in the evening I attended the Winchcombe Gardening Club and did a short presentation.  (see below).  The meeting started at 7.30pm and I left at 9.10pm.

Thurs 5th Dec:  Worked as usual but was in bed by 8pm - exhausted!

The Gardening Club Meeting was a very local experience!  I had been added to the agenda - after popping in and speaking to the Chairman at the November meeting.  So, I was called up to speak using the microphone as a few of the members wear hearing-aids and are on a ‘loop’.  There were about 60 people at the meeting, and I would guess that the average age was 70 years old!!  The membership is 85 people altogether – quite a large group by all accounts.  Anyway, my presentation consisted of:
 
1) introducing myself as the new ‘lead’ for the 2020 Winchcombe Open Gardens event,
2) asking for Volunteers to be on the committee – or to help in any which way, and
3) asking for Volunteers to actually open their garden in June!
 
However, it did have an immediate impact as one chap called me the day after and has volunteered to open his garden in June.  So, my initial ‘advertising’ attempt has worked!  I have created some flyers and posters and gave out a few at the meeting, and I will do some laminated ones and distribute throughout the local shops, cafes and garden centres next week and, possibly, do a letter-box drop too.  I am also going to go to the Ireley Hardy Plant Centre which is on the edge of town as it is owned by an old-boy I met at the Gardening Club, and because I said I would!