...from Montignac in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. What a place to spend Christmas. Superb weather. Extended restaurant lunch today lasting three and three quarter hours. Nice nosh though, tres francais. Boeuf bourgignon - I'll check spelling later (beef casserole).
The mountains are sublime, especially at sunset; rose-touched distant peaks one afternoon, purple cut-out silhouette against pastel pink sky another.
Yesterday, out for a sunrise walk, I had a slight mishap retracing my steps between the rural farming villages and for a few minutes thought I was quite lost. But then I noticed a familiar lie of land ahead and realised I'd just walked past our 'gite'. There's a parable in there somewhere.
Homemade dogwood tree up, Christmas lights fixed, baby niece Maia, 7 months, not falling asleep - teething?
And will we get to see Calendar Girls? Questions to be answered.
Have a blessed one.
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7 comments:
Who are the "calender girls" - are they something to do with advent calenders ? Getting lost sounds alluring - the countryside sounds fantastical - how many Gulland's have you got out there ?
The highlight of my christmas has been my daughter experimenting with singing at the carol service - she is only 3. "Away in a manger" came up and knowing the words she decided to air her voice - only she was too shy. She sang the whole song with the hymn book covering her face so that no one could see her,
Thankfully the hymns hadn't been changed to cater for political correctness. I just read a funny thing on ship of fools :
At a post-Christmas service a few years ago, shipmate Margaret encountered a massively-bowdlerised version of Joy to the World which began: Joy to the world, for peace shall come, let this be our refrain! "It continued for three verses," she recalls, "avoiding all reference to Jesus but exhorting us to exult in the coming of a whole clutch of abstract nouns."
A clutch abstract nouns now theres a christmas present and a half...
Joy to you and your kind
R.
"we"
( in a sense which still respects our individual automony )
"wish" ( without any hint of forcefullness or dogmatism )
"a" ( although we dont just mean this one we mean all ones )
" merry" ( but not drunken or forgetful of others in especial need )
" christmas" ( while acknowledging the relevance of other religious festivals - and indeed the diverse origins of christmas itself )
wholesome or just plain daft - answers on a postcard c/o sid wadell , jarrow.
Hi Bruce,
My Christmas lunch was rather Aussie - a ton of prawns and crayfish with mayonnaise. Great stuff.
Of course, I followed with Turkey, sprouts, potatoes, stuffing and gravy.
and I second rob penman's words.
Hope you all had a good Christmas.
Lee
iplayer video about christmas carols:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00gbgt3/The_Truth_About_Carols/
Thanks guys, v amusing Rob. And how's your studying going?
studying ?
moments fleeting moments of concentration - been spending most of my time playing wargames online and only looking at anatomy charts in between turns !
you in france for the new year as well ?
r.
Good good. I'm in the big BoW till 5th. Happy new year.
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