Of course Christmas often starts in September if you pay attention to TV and shops. But the run up to the ‘big’ day was even gathering pace in our sleepy village, and so things were getting busy. Monday December 5th saw something of a sad occasion though, when Tricia went to 3rd Winslow Brownies for the last time. After over 30 years association with the pack she has stepped aside, and let Fran take over the pack. She is having a little break, and then will start up a pack in our village.

After what seemed numerous planning meetings, adverts and a long period of time, on Tuesday 6th we finally got to interview some Head Teacher candidates at the school. Over two days we put candidates through their paces, but it was clear almost from the outset that the best candidate by a long chalk was our existing Deputy…. who we appointed. Of course that means we have to recruit a new Deputy in January, but I know we did the right thing. It was an enormous relief to get to the end of the process.

On Friday 9th I drove Tricia, Nikki, Sarah and Jess to Luton airport, and they departed to Copenhagen for the weekend, and go to the Christmas Markets. Ellie had originally been scheduled to go, but she had landed herself a new job working at M&S in the food hall. Initially for the Christmas period, the first working date coincided with the trip to Copenhagen. Here are the ladies enjoying drinks on the plane.

Whilst Tricia was away, Ellie and me procured a Christmas tree, which she decorated.

It was a late arrival back for Tricia and Nikki. Tricia still had some Christmas orders to finish the week beginning 12th Dec, but it wasn’t quite as manic as previous years. On Tuesday 13th she went into London with Robbie to visit some museums. Thursday evening Tricia and me went to the Waddesdon school carol service. On the Friday Tricia was looking after Isobel, and then in the evening we went for a ‘Christmas’ Curry with the usual curry night group. We went to a curry house that I now wouldn’t recommend to a hungry refugee… it was poor. We had some fun though. Saturday 17th was the ‘Living Nativity’ in the village. I was pleased that I had managed to get out of being in it this year. Then Sunday was ‘Lights of Friendship’… I ducked out of this one. I was ‘Christmassed Out’ and it was only the 18th.

For Nikki it was a time of some change. With Matt taking on more work constructing barns etc, they decided she would give up her nannying job, and focus on the farm, and so has pretty much become a full time farmer. Mid December they had their first batch of lambs due, and so spent the run up to Christmas lambing.

It was quiet in the office the following week. Every year it seems that people take really extended breaks. When I was a lad…. yes I know, grumpy old git time, I remember my father having just the Xmas and Boxing Day off. Seems some people now have the best part of three weeks off. I worked up to Friday 23rd. In the morning I met an old colleague for breakfast, then in the evening we went around to Carole Webbs, for Carols at Carole’s. It’s a bit of a tradition now. Xmas Eve, and Ellie worked, I picked her up at about 6pm, we then picked up a Chinese meal on the way back. Tricia, Ellie and me were sitting queitly around 9pm, when we heard a bell outside. Turns out it was one of our village acquaintances, Peter, who was dressed as Father C, and going around houses… and drinking whisky. Well, he was a little giggly, but we still shared a whisky before he moved on. Ellie thought it was great, a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve :-)…

Christmas morning was a quiet start, after breakfast we went up to Church. Robbie and Amy came over and after presents we had our Christmas dinner…. then Nikki and Matt arrived, and before you know it the day had gone. Here is Ellie Christmas morning.

Most years Tricia and Robbie like to try a different meat. Last year they had zebra, this year they had reindeer! Not sure Father C would approve. We had brussel sprouts from the garden. Here I am in a helmet… this of course belongs to Robbie.

Boxing Day, we had Rob and Amy, Nikki and Matt, Gran and Gramps, and David & Manda and little Isobel, and Sarah. A busy day. I enjoyed a quiet day on the 27th, Tricia went out to have a look at the sales, I sat in and watched World Champ Darts… which I love to watch.:-). I was then working for the 28th, 29th and 30th. On the 29th I started to go down with a cold. There was a kind of inevitability about it really, in the run up to Christmas I met so many people with colds it seemed I couldn’t avoid one. On the 30th late afternoon Tricia and me went across to see our friends Juliet and John for a little while, then on to Aylesbury to pick up Ellie, and then on to Tring, and we went out for a very good curry. Here we have Ellie in a unicorn onsie, of course, the living room on Boxing day, and Tricia resting at the end of Boxing Day with a drink and a cat.

New Years Eve I was really bunged up and feeling sorry for myself. We were at Pat and Clives, with the Webbs and Docwras. Soon after midnight I went home.And that was it. 2016 done and dusted.

It seems to have been a year for 80th’s… my Dad back in March, we had one for David Heffer in mid November, and then it was Tricia’s Dads turn. He was 80 on the 29th November, but we didn’t celebrate that day, we had a family gathering on Saturday Dec 3rd. In the week leading up to the party it was manic as usual. Ellie was in the school production of Annie all week, Mon and Tues, then Thurs and Fri evenings. Ellie was playing ‘Lily’, the dumb blonde, lipstick-wearing girlfriend of Rooster Hannigan, one of the villains of the piece. On the Tuesday evening Tricia was at the Pilgrim for a quiz, then at Hardwick the next night for another. On the Tuesday I was on a Governor training evening, for recruiting Head Teachers. A little bit late as we were doing interviews the following week, but it was useful to affirm we had been doing the right things.

On the Friday night, Tricia, me, Nikki and Matt, Amy and Rob, and Gran & Gramps all went along to see Annie at the school. It was excellently done, and Ellie played her role very well. Here she is with some of the cast.

Then a busy Saturday… in the afternoon was the village Xmas fayre, and so Tricia had a stall, and then in the evening we had a full house for Colin’s 80th. A fine man, father and grandfather, he enjoyed having all the family around him, in particular all his grandchildren…. not often they are all together.

Tricia laid on some good food…. and a cake of course.

And of course we had to play a game… you stick an awful plastic thing in your mouth and then tray and say something and everyone has to guess what. 🙂

All in, it was a good evening. That was all on the evening of Saturday Dec 3rd… thankfully Sunday 4th was a quiet one. In the evening Tricia, me, Ellie and her friend Jess went over to Waddesdon to see the lights, and Xmas stalls. A pleasant evening, but blooming cold!