Traditional Boxing Day Party at Carl and Mavis' house in Donaghadee. We seem to have been doing this now for 20 years! It's always a great evening with old friends and catching up with all the news.

Bill was back from India and in great storytelling form! Got a free upgrade to Business Class to Bangalore!
Tim had won the contract for supplying and erecting the Christmas Tree (26 ft!) in Stormont and that was a saga. Etc. etc.

Had sausage and mash for dinner followed by the traditional flaming Christmas Pudding and this year a chocolate fountain in the kitchen.

We stayed overnight, and as most of the party didn't break up until about 2.30am it was just as well!
The following day we were invited for lunch in Annabel and David's. Good to see them again too.
We are really blessed with Good friends.
Rick and Kate and Reuben arrive back from New York on Saturday morning. I'm picking them up at the airport at 8.20am.

Had a great Christmas. I really love this time of year. Despite the fact that Dave and Stace are living in Canada and Rick and Katie were visiting friends in New York this year, we had another great Christmas.

The church was packed for the Carol Service on Sunday. Here's the Nativity group from the "Tinies" who took part in the early bit of the Service.

Then about 40 of the YF came up to our house afterwards for snacks and games. Played "Empires" and "The Steeplechase Game"

On Christmas morning opened our presents and had church and then Freddie and Linda and the Family came for lunch on Christmas Day.

Dave & Stacey Skyped us from Canada and Rick rang us from New York.

Here's a picture of Caleb playing with one of his toys on Christmas morning in Canada.

Boxing day was the

traditional Boxing day football match, "Youngun's v the Oldun's.Another travesty of "The Beautiful Game" ! And the Oldun's were hammered again.

Escaped the Christmas madness by going for a walk this afternoon through Crawfordsburn Country Park with Pearl and Archie. Cold but bright and very clear. Lovely walk for a couple of miles along the coastal path. Sea very calm. Full moon rising as we were coming back.

Reminded me of a poem by Matthew Arnold

The sea is calm tonight.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.

After our walk had coffee and made our way home again. Nice afternoon out.

Who said Belfast was full of cowboys?

Day off today so we went into Belfast in the afternoon to do some shopping. Belfast's a bit mad at the minute and all the shops are bunged with people who have obviously stopped work at lunchtime to have a party and have no intention, (or are in no condition!) to go back.

Some guys in traditional North American Indian gear performing in Royal Avenue for some reason. A crowd of bemused shoppers gathered round, enjoying the strange chanting, singing and dancing although strange chanting singing, and dancing can be heard in many areas of Belfast most nights when the pubs are getting out.

Met Linda and Freddie in the Europa, which appeared to be in the middle of Party mode with several office dinners going on simultaneously and went and had a meal somewhere quieter and cheaper. We were going to St George's Church to hear "Melisma" a singing group I had heard at the BBC "Sing Carols" event in Spires. They were excellent and the acoustics in this old church are amazing. It would be good if modern church architects could recover the art of acoustics without relying on amplifiers and speakers which are a very poor substitute. This old church has an interesting history. In 1690 William of Orange passed through Belfast on his way from Carrickfergus to the Battle of the Boyne, and had a famous sermon, "Arise Great King", preached to him here. They still use the chair he sat in! Henry Joy McCracken, a leading member of the United Irishmen in the 1798 rebellion was buried in the churchyard after being hanged, before later being moved to Clifton Street Cemetery.

A Bad Day at the Office

Christmas is coming. Bought our Christmas Tree on Friday morning.

On Friday night we had the Annual Gingerbread House Building Competition. This is now the third year and the competition is hotting up. Below are the six finalists. Despite Alison and Nev's shameless attempts to put out the lights and illuminate their house with sparklers.

The judge, (one of our neighbours, Pat Stirling,) refused all bribes, ignored all hints, nudges and threats and chose Rick and Katie's two roomed bungalow (need to tighten up the rules for next year!) as the winner!
On Sarturday morning Lilian and Katie decorated the Christmas Tree and we spent a quiet afternoon reading the paper, listening to carols and playing "Phase 10".