I began recording the days as a result of a suggestion from my Mum that by doing so, I’d somehow be able to keep these special times forever.   At this time of the year there is so much happening, so many lovely things to do and to see, I can’t help myself but simply make the most of it all. Of course, if I’m busy doing then that doesn’t leave much time for recording.  Hence the lengthy silence at this end.

 

 

Well, of course, I am recording it all, just not quite in the finished state.  I’ve got folders of photographs which tell the story of secret santas and party games.  I’ve got little piles of tickets and programmes from choir concerts and other bits of ephemera which will eventually find their way into my December Daily journal.

 

 

I’ve got records of meetings and rather more serious training events, to which I did my best to bring a little seasonal cheer.

 

 

Thankfully I have no battle scars from braving Oxford Street on the busiest shopping day of the year.  Well, we walked all of a hundred metres or so, keeping our little group of family and friends close together amidst the excitement of it all, on our way to an early supper and Tra’s recital. 

 

 

A huge surprise to find familiar faces on the front page of Vietnam+ then, but even greater amusement when Google Translate offers “Mark Thomas in a province west of the capital, near the coastal city of Bristol, and his wife train more than two hours to get to London.”   Most important, however, were the great reviews today!

 

 

Sadly, Diana had to return to Los Angeles yesterday but we brought Mary home with us and have settled into an easy week-before-Christmas routine of a little light mooching about local places and fiddling about in the studio and kitchen, talking twenty to the dozen, catching up and making plans.  Oh, and watching the last series of Downton again with Mary, ensuring she gets a head start before it’s shown in the USA after Christmas. Jane, you should be here too!

So for now, we’re savouring the days and leaving the recording of them till there’s more time, when the house is quiet and I can sit and recall how lovely it is to be home in all the twinkle.

The little “topiary” dog in the photo above made us smile, the more so when we walked a little further down Long Street in Tetbury to the flower shop and turned around.  The general opinion though, was that the joke has now worn thin, especially since other dogs have taken to using it as an example.

 

 

See what I mean?