A breathless week or so, leaving me too busy to keep up to date. David and the grandchildren have been with us since teatime on Tuesday, and David has been very unwell with a heavy cold. Happily the rest of us have been OK, and Oliver and Amy have been exemplary. Yesterday we went shopping in the morning for clothes and did the grand tour in the afternoon, starting at Jessie’s, then moving on to the cemetery, Auntie Sheila’s and Rosie’s. Real pleasure to be with the children, who showed lots of interest in the conversation and were very patient. Amy slightly disappointed that the dogs were not to hand at Rosie’s (they had been bad dogs and were being “punished”) but happy to talk about them and where they slept.

Today the weather is a bit better (mild and dry) and we have been to see Auntie Ethel. Oliver has just taken some photographs for a quiz he’s compiling, and I’ve printed them out for him. We’ve also been to the Puppet Theatre to see Red Riding Hood – very impressive, especially when one of the two puppeteers handled two puppets simultaneously and also did quite different voices with them at considerable speed. And almost as impressive as my running off another quiz for Amy after we returned home, via the Cathedral.

Several noteworthy events since my last post: on Wednesday last week we had lunch with the Kibbles at Prezzo’s, and they came back here for coffee. Dot had to dash off to one of her schools, so I had to keep them entertained with stories of my life. I’m not sure “entertained” is the right word. On the Friday was the Archant pensioners’ Christmas lunch extravaganza, but first we had to locate a unit on the Hellesdon industrial estate to obtain some Gift Aid envelopes. Mission accomplished just in time, Dot dropped me at the airport Holiday Inn for the lunch and social gathering. Johnny Hustler gave quite a good speech, given that I dislike him,  and the food was passable, given that they were catering for about 150. Yompers Bruce and Robin were present, but I sat with Frances and Val, plus organiser Debbie and her sidekick Melissa, or possibly Merissa, who gave me an extra couple of goodie bags to avoid having to return them to the office. Dot picked me up just before 3pm.

The next day we were at the Higbees for a delightful evening meal with their friend Heather, whose husband Graham had been delayed on an oil rig. And Sunday, of course, was the big event of the winter: St Augustine’s Christmas service, communion and lunch. I had written the service and led it – quite a lot of work, but happily everyone appreciated it, and I got a very kind note from Howard afterwards. Nice meal, to which everyone contributed, and Matthew was back from Palestine and still working on the PA system. I put up notices on the hall gates to say they’d be locked on Christmas Day. Now I have to remember to unlock them ready for Boxing Day. One of the notices had vanished when I visited the hall a couple of days later to read the electricity meter. No surprise there.

Have been having quite a lot of trouble over hall bookings – specifically arranging to meet the person who organises it. Happily she has decided the job is too much for her, and a new regime will start in the new year. Result.