I think that was what is known as a fairly quiet Christmas – in the end. Of course there was a fair amount of preliminary rushing around. On a sunny and not too chilly Christmas Eve I took Dot’s MX5 to Coventry and returned with Andrew. A pretty good journey both ways, with few lorries on the roads.

Andrew didn’t seem at all well when I arrived, and I wasn’t sure about taking him, but he improved on the journey, becoming less agitated and quite talkative. It seems clear though  that this kind of break from his routine is not necessarily good for him, and he did say that he wasn’t bothered about coming to Norwich; so a rethink may be in order in future years.

We got back by late afternoon, ready for a lovely meal of salmon, and with plenty of time to prepare for the Midnight Carol Service. Because Andrew seemed fragile, Dot decided to stay at home with him, and I ventured forth with service sheets, gate locks, notices and a certain amount of trepidation. But Eleanor and Howard were already there, as was Liz, with ideas of how to change the service which I rejected.

Everything worked, even the heating, and there was a congregation of 60-70 to try to read the service sheets by candlelight. Not that easy. Eleanor and I had a tricky time working out where the steps were, but we managed to avoid falling. I took the first half of the service, and she took over for the Peace and Communion. I assisted Phil with the Cup, which I don’t much like doing, but there wasn’t much choice.

Visitors included Matt Creber and his mum, and Chris Denton with both Zoe and Ben, but numbers were a little down. The collection went directly to Carrie (about £150) and I managed to fix the notices and lock the gates without much trouble, though of course I had to wait till everyone had finished using them. Got home just after 1am and wasn’t in bed till 2am.

Christmas Day itself was very quiet. The weather wasn’t inviting; so we stayed in and, after opening presents, mainly watched television. Dot went to visit Roger, Jessie and Co at Paine Road in the afternoon, and in the evening we had a little FaceTime with the Murrays and David in Canada. (We also had a brief session the previous night, just before going to sleep.)

On Boxing Day Andrew and I went up to the Rosary with some flowers for Mum and Dad’s grave. Misty and atmospheric: cold but quite pleasant really. As we got home, Phil arrived in a sorry state – exhausted by the walk. So Andrew and I drove him home (after the customary drink and chat), and got back for another beautiful lunch – same as yesterday.

I popped down to the shop to get some coffee and some curry paste, but apart from that we stayed in again and watched television. Later a large chunk of one of my back teeth broke off for no apparent reason.

Today there is a wintry forecast, but at the moment here it’s sunny and looks quite inviting. We shall be leaving in about half an hour to take Andrew back to Coventry, and then travel on to Caddington, where we shall stay the night.