I am very proud to report that neighbor Logan knows when to be serious. He is full of fun and sometimes mischief, but when it counts, he is totally in control. John coached him a few times for reading a scripture lesson in church. John, David, and I went to the service of lessons and carols to see him. He did a wonderful job. He had a good pace, read with feeling, and pronounced words clearly. We were far back in the church, so the camera zoomed to get these shots.
We were blessed by being there. The choir was excellent, and the large bell choir had wonderful arrangements. The Bible readings were the standard ones that we need to hear over and over. Between the readings were musical selections that enhanced the impact of God’s saving grace, sending his son to live among us. What a marvel!
After the service, we asked Logan to come over for eggs. We were given several dozen and wanted to share with his family. Logan said he needed to go home to take a shower, but I held out my phone with the Set game of the day on it. I knew Logan could work the game in less than three minutes, so the fault was mine for luring him to play. Normally he and grandson David are fantastic. Not so that time! Logan couldn’t find the sixth set. David looked at it with him, and I couldn’t resist taking photos of pure concentration.
Still wearing white shirts from church
Hear the brains whirring?
I mentioned Logan’s being mischievous. Just a few days ago I asked him the name of a boy he has played with. I don’t know what clues he gave that he was teasing, whether it was the tilt of his head, the glint in his eye, or a change in tone. He told me the boy’s name was something like Jimmy Billy Bob Jumpus. I had to laugh. How could he think up something outlandish so quickly? That’s the imp in the neighborhood that we all love so dearly.
Fun activities continued at the end of daughter Lise’s visit. Former neighbors Connie and Marla met us at Doughboys Pizza. We enjoyed talking until the place closed for the evening.
Connie, Marla, and Lise
We also met for lunch on Marla’s day off. To extend our time, we came home to chat. Sadie sensed that Marla is a dog-lover, so they had their private time together.
Lise and I walked to the creek only on days we didn’t have Sadie with us. She took a selfie and the picture that I call my poodle portrait.
Daughter/mother
Poodle Portrait
Twice Lise lured me to the water’s edge, down a rocky embankment. She ventured there when she lost a lot of weight, and she continued to enjoy her new freedom of movement. It was exhilarating to share the creek-side experience with her, especially the sound of rushing water. She took a video of me at creek level.
Anne at the creek
A sleep photo seems appropriate for the end of her visit. Lise loved having her head rubbed as she went to sleep. Grandson David could do that and catch up with messages on his phone. And Sadie? She was as happy as could be, curled up between two people she adores.
Lise flew back to Denmark and is now in quarantine after being exposed to the COVID virus at her return. This could be the quietest Christmas season of her life. At least most of the renovations of her flat have been completed, including the installation of the kitchen countertop and a working sink. She will have a Christmas tree delivered to her door, as well as all the food she needs. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Lise!
First Christmasy photo this year – neighbor Logan (11) before going to a school dance.
We had quite a snow storm on the 8th of December. First we heard reports on the radio that driving was hazardous north of London. When we left for school, there was rain and sleet; by the time I got back up the downs, snow was settling (sticking) on the grass. An hour later a friend arrived for coffee, having passed many cars stranded on the big highway. There must have been two inches on the ground before it stopped at 1 and the sun came out.
Our half of the house has the green door on the right.
Sanding lorries were out fairly quickly so that I didn’t run into any difficulties getting the girls from school. The signs on the trucks read: “Gritting in progress.”
John had gotten to work on time, but his two Norwegian co-workers came in at noon because of frozen switches. John left work a little early, and we were able to go to the home group Bible study that met in a house on Reigate Hill.
$ has been admiring the Christmas trees in Reigate High Street and is trying to say the words. After John put ours in the living room, we led $ in. He drew in his breath, ran toward the tree and reaching out his hand said, “Christmas tree!” Immediately withdrawing his hand, he said “No!” Poor thing was anticipating our reaction to his reach.
Friday it was snowing hard at 4 a.m. – my instinct woke me to see it! John walked to the station, calling on the phone to say the roads were clear. We set out at 8 in mush. I would have turned back except I’d finally gotten an appointment to have my hair cut and didn’t want to risk going to Germany with a mop on top of my head. I went into Micklefield with Kate, telling Miss Kinman and Mrs. Smith that I’d run an errand in Redhill and come back for her. I wouldn’t attempt the hill at Dunottar. There was a cancellation at the beauty shop, and Lisa had her hair trimmed. We ran to Bejam’s and Boots before heading back to get Kate in Reigate.
Things went well until we were nearing the center of town. We crept. I turned down the school road, went in for Kate, waited for her to get her things together, drove up one back street and got into the queue on the hill one car ahead of my former place! I was so thankful to get home without incident. The trip took 4.5 hours!
$ liked the snow. The girls made a small snowman, and I saw $ talking to it. First he said, “Hey-o. Hey-o.” When there was no answer, he threatened it, saying, “Snow, I’m gonna punch you in the nose if you don’t answer.”
By evening the major roads were well salted, and we sailed to Redhill with no problem. Penny and Andy had us for dinner, introducing us to a couple (man and wife) as Andy and Mike. It took a while to discover which was which. Andy was short for Andrea. She’s in banking and he in nuclear energy.
Saturday night we went to the neighbors in the other half of our house for dinner. Catherine and Philippa had dinner at our house and spent the night, so our girls were entertained while we were out. Jennifer said they don’t entertain very often and they had to invite all those they “owed.” They had 30!!! We had a chance to talk to some of those we’d met at the party they gave to introduce us around, and we met the other two couples who share the first part of the driveway. I was delighted to find out that Charles H had gone to King’s at Cambridge and used to be a reader at services! He also mentioned that his father was a vestryman at Hampton Court Royal Chapel, so he’d worshiped there many times, also.
Jennifer served a cheese dip with crackers, chili con carne (which was not spicy hot), rice, salad, French bread, blackcurrant mousse, treacle tart, meringue cake, and fruit. She served the food in the kitchen, and we sat in the living room to eat. John and several others sat on the floor because all the chairs were taken. It was great fun.
The forecast for Sunday was “grim.” It was grey all day, but nothing fell until late afternoon. We had a small fright, though, when we ran water into a hand basin in the downstairs bathroom, and it didn’t run out. As some of you remember, the drain pipes in the south of England are usually on the outsides of the buildings. We tried boiling water, but the drain was still frozen. Finally I poured hot water into the drain area outside, and the water ran out. We boiled water in all our pots and went running around pouring it down all the drains. I think it had been about 18 degrees in the night. No more trouble.
During the day it became warmer and began to snow about 3 p.m. The wind was fierce – gale force in some places. That’s when Philippa and Kate agreed to join me for a walk to the pond! We had a great time struggling to walk against the wind. My glasses were so encrusted with snow that I could hardly see. We were rewarded. Got to walk on the pond! There were others there, one with ice skates gliding around. Kate had no fear walking on the ice, but Philippa didn’t want to try it. When I walked out on it, she agreed to follow, but wasn’t comfortable. I was glad we did it, because it doesn’t happen often.
Kate and Philippa
Philippa and Kate
The weather was so extreme that John and I made rash statements about no one getting to school the next day. We couldn’t have known that the temperature would continue to rise and that it would rain most of the night. We were all sure we’d be marooned at home today. It was slippery getting out of our drive, but beyond that it wasn’t bad. The lights kept flickering until we prepared the kitchen fireplace and got out candles, but the electricity never went off.
I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced three major snow storms in less than a week. It was fun while it lasted, but now we’re hoping for less severe weather so we can get to Germany and back.
Merry Christmas! I probably won’t be writing until the new year.
Niece Chrissie and husband Chris spent 1 ¾ days with us, and we enjoyed every moment. Daughter Lise hadn’t seen her cousins since they were together in Lisbon a few years ago. Here they are on a mountain overlook.
Chrissie, Chris, and Lise
They brought a very special Christmas gift, Chris’ ornament for 2021, a hockey player. He designs and makes the ornaments based on some event from the current year. I forgot to ask if there was a story connected to this one.
Chris hands John the ornament
Hockey Player
There was one of his older ornaments hanging from our mantel. I enjoyed watching Chris give it a tune-up, gently bending the wires to restore it or give it a slightly different shape. It’s not often you see an artist revisit his work. John hadn’t started decorating for Christmas, so the rest of the ornaments were still packed away.
Chris also said the angel on the mantel is unique. After making ours, he changed the way he finished the wings. It’s exciting to know we have this one-of-a-kind piece. I found I had the angel backward when I took the photo. Chris’ blog is here if you’d like to see more, including the angel facing the correct way.
We ate barbecue at Butts on the Creek, a restaurant with a lovely view of the water. This is upstream from the point where John and I see it on our morning walk.
Going to Cataloochee Valley to see elk is a popular tourist activity. Sometimes the animals are not in sight at all, but we were treated to quite a show. We spotted the herd and stopped the car. Chrissie was probably taking the photo on the left from her side of the car, and I snapped one of a buck approaching on my side.
Chris caught the elk passing John’s window, followed by one of me as I focused on the animal.
On the way out of the valley, we stopped at an overlook where a stranger took our photo.
When Mrs. Wilson (owner of this house) came for coffee, she asked if we’d celebrated Thanksgiving. She’d seen a cookery programme (English spelling) on TV on which a turkey was done and a discussion of our holiday took place. She laughed and told of one Thanksgiving she and her husband spent in the US on business. Mr. Wilson accepted two invitations that day, one for lunch and one for dinner. When she heard what he’d done, she was aghast, knowing our Thanksgiving equals their Christmas Day feast. The lunch was with friends who excused them from over eating, but they partook of both.
She expounded on the “trimmings” they have with turkey for Christmas dinner here. One must have slices of ham, bacon rolls and chipolata sausages. Creamed onions, Brussels sprouts, stuffing, bread sauce, and individual mincemeat tarts are also obligatory. I think our Thanksgiving meal is easier!
Kate was home two days in a row feeling sick. (I’ve learned to be careful in the use of that word. English people mean “throwing up” for “sick”. The word for not feeling well is “ill.”) Kate would turn white and moan, but nothing happened. Jennifer said Catherine had felt that way last weekend, even feeling giddy and light-headed. Must be a weird bug.
Only in England – playing Christmas carols and making holiday cookies, we could look at fresh roses from our garden we’d put on the counter! Catherine, Lisa and Kate helped me make Norwegian Christmas cookies, Berlinerkranser.
John was able to buy a Christmas tree cut this past week! The one we had last year was miserable, needles falling before it was brought into the house. This one has to last longer because we’ll put it up before we fly to Germany on the 17th. We plan to return on Boxing Day (Dec. 26), meeting John’s parents at the airport.
Lisa went to a friend’s birthday party – a dinner from 6 – 9 p.m. She said they had a lovely fried chicken dinner and they played some marvelously different games. The house is an old Victorian mansion divided into three homes, but the rooms are tremendously large. Lise’s friend has her room on the 4th floor.
Today we went to church at St. Paul’s, the first time I’ve been there since the Royal Wedding, though the others went once before. It was a lovely service with a great sermon. The preacher said the second Sunday in Advent is Bible Sunday; that must be the Anglican version. John made it through the whole service with $ in the back of the church, though the little one did not fall asleep this time. I could never manage $ like his father does. On the other hand, I doubt John would put up with him in the supermarket!
John kindly dropped me off at the Tower of London so that I could see the crown jewels, only it was closed. This year the Tower and the Jewel House will not be open from November to March. Luckily he hadn’t disappeared and we were able to make other plans. We went to the Zoo instead.
John $ went to that zoo with the Brownworths last summer, but he didn’t tell us much about it. Meanwhile he’s learned many names of animals from books and got quite excited at seeing the giraffes and monkeys. We nearly keeled over laughing when he imitated the sounds of the frisky sea lions. Other people looked at us and couldn’t stop grinning.
[There were no photos to go with this letter, probably, because I knew we’d be traveling to interesting places later in the month.]
John heard an awful noise about 1 a.m. That, coupled with the sound of rushing water, made him and David rush under the house. They couldn’t find a cut-off for the water or electricity to the pump. Son John $pencer helped look, too. Sadie did what she could to help – she barked. In desperation, John called neighbor Bob, who got out of bed and came over. Bob did something with a pressure valve, solving the immediate problem. He then found the emergency cut-off for the pump, so we know where that is the next time we need it. How grateful we are that Bob answered his phone and came to the rescue! We have the best neighbors!
Are you wondering why there are no photographs of our crisis? I slept through it all! I’m here now though, to thank Bob for coming to help us. You are a fantastic friend and neighbor, Bob. God bless you.
Two days after Thanksgiving, Lise and I finally walked all the way to the creek. In trying to get good images of our faces, we failed to feature the water. We were happy, though. Sadie was not. We split at the stop sign, John going home with Sadie as we continued to the creek. She repeatedly stopped, pulled back toward us, and whined. Family togetherness was important to her!
Daughter Lise and her nephews loved playing games together. Exploding Kittens was the choice that evening.
All too soon, it was time for the mirror ritual. When Nathaniel is leaving, whoever is around witnesses the lowering. He checked his appearance before the mirror was too low for him to see his face.
I asked for family time before going to church, but John had scheduled a meeting. The boys and I walked around the church property, enjoying being together. Having talked about the sound of crisp autumn leaves, they magnified the experience. What fun!
Before driving Nathaniel back to Charlotte, we ate at one of our favorite restaurants. We enjoyed being together until time to say goodbye at his dorm.
I think John $ approaches a neat, clean house the way a writer faces a clean sheet of paper, or an artist a canvas – eager to make his mark and show what he is capable of.
Every once in a while my mother sends us a large cartoon from the Sunday comics which features a little boy with lots of energy. The pictures show his trail through house and yard jumping on beds, riding the dog, climbing a tree, playing in a sand box, watching a neighbor work in a garden, wading through puddles, riding a bike, peering in the garbage, etc. He generally arrives back home telling his hard-working mum he has nothing to do. I think John $ would be pictured that way, only trailing behind holding on to his reins (harness) for dear life is his harried mum – Me!
Ten people came to our house for the home group from St. Mary’s in Reigate. This is the first meeting John and I have been to this season. It was so good to have fellowship with devout Christians again. One of the new people in the group was Lisa’s main teacher at Micklefield last year. Mrs. Freeman asked if Lisa were here and if she could talk to her. She went to the top of the stairs for a long chat with Lisa and Kate.
I can’t remember ever seeing snow the day before Thanksgiving – had to be in England for that! Up here on the plateau it snowed all morning with nothing to show for it but a drippy roof. Looked pretty, though. The snow, not the drippy roof.
Thanksgiving came with a minimum of fuss since much of our routine continued; it didn’t feel like a holiday to me until John came home from the office early. John G had flown into Heathrow that morning, took a nap at home, then appeared in the office to drive John out. They came just 10 minutes before I would have had to set out on the school run. They did it instead, and I put the finishing touches on the dinner.
We also enjoyed Udo K and his wife, Tina, while Lisa talked non-stop with their 15-year-old twin girls and Kate flirted with their 11-year-old son. The boy loved playing with the trains set up in area near the fireplace.
John took Lisa shopping in Epsom, buying two pair of shoes and a top! It took a lot of tact and the patience of Job on his part. I think he has more to spare than I.
$ has learned to put on his jackets and sweaters by the good old Montesori method. He’s so proud of himself.
Today must have been the most marvelous of Advent Sundays we’ve ever had. We arrived at Winchester Cathedral in time to walk all around the church, finding Jane Austen’s grave and seeing this longest of Medieval churches. The girls and I sat near the front of the packed church – every seat taken in the first two sections reaching half way back. Most seemed to be regulars greeting each other and smiling at us. What warmth!
The choir was superb, singing one of my favorites by Ralph Vaughn-Williams. I went up for communion and was shocked later to see John approach the altar with a sleeping $ in his arms. The sermon was erudite, but with a simple message.
We ate dinner (roast beef for others, salmon for me) at a tiny restaurant with most attentive staff. $ ate like a pig with good manners and behaved beautifully.
The great hall still standing from the castle was also within walking distance and featured King Arthur’s round table hung high on the wall. (It’s several hundred years too new to be authentic, but is old nevertheless.)
Two original gates in the city wall remain, one with a lovely little church built right over the opening.
Church over the gate
Walking back to the car, we again stopped in the cathedral to buy a few little things and the Christmas tape done by their choir. We reveled in the glorious sound all the way home.
Our Thanksgiving celebration began when we drove to Charlotte to get grandson Nathaniel. Friend Sarah went out to eat with us before she drove to her home for the holiday.
Lise, Nathaniel, Sarah, and John
At our house, we had the ritual of the mirror.. As Nathaniel pretended it was very heavy, Lise helped him lift it. Nate puts the mirror high when he comes and lowers it on leaving.
First up on Thanksgiving morning was prepping the turkey. Son John $pencer provided the bird, and chef Nathaniel agreed to cook it. When it was ready for the oven, Nate posed with it. We all liked his pajamas, so David labeled the photo, “Turkey pose and bed clothes.” John $ let Sadie have a preview.
While the meal was cooking, Lise worked a jigsaw puzzle. This was a special puzzle from a dear friend who took photos from my blog this year to design the collage. John $ and David were spectators.
Nathaniel pronounced the turkey done.
We enjoyed both the food and the conversation. We were too full for dessert, so we adjourned for several hours. After having the sweets, we sat back and let the words flow. It was a magical time, when family stories and jokes began to flow. Hearty laughter and gentle teasing were most enjoyable.
John $, Lise, John, Nathaniel, and David
For the foodies, we ate turkey, dressing, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, frozen cranberry salad, pumpkin cheesecake, and cranberry mince pie.
We hope everyone had many things to be thankful for this year.
It’s marvelous to have daughter Lise here to help me. She laughed when I said I’d lost my eyebrows, and she quickly found a solution. My eyebrows didn’t matter at all when I was wearing glasses all the time. People probably assumed I had brows, but mine blended in with my skin. I thought a brow pencil would be the answer, but what color should it be? I am no longer brown-headed, and black would be overkill. Lise found taupe. It seemed perfect to me, forgetting that I couldn’t see to apply it. She bailed me out over the weekend, and grandson David recorded the event for us.
When we were at a restaurant later, David thought it was amusing that the only people at the table looking at their phones were the old folks. Brother Bob and I were comparing apps for hearing aids. I set mine to mute sounds behind me, but I couldn’t hear any change. He thought he didn’t have such a setting, but he found one named “restaurant”. He heard a difference instantly. Our voices were clearer, and the ones behind us faded away.
Lise found a cart for me to use in the kitchen, and she and John put it together. Our freezer is always so full, making it hard to find things. I had been pulling a chair over to pile food on it while looking. This is going to be much easier and kinder to the fingers.
Like most older people, we try to be self-sufficient. It’s marvelous to have younger ones who see problems and solve them.
My name is Suki, my human is a writer, and this is about my world. The world according to Suki The Cat. My humans smell funny, look weird, and I can't understand a thing they say, but they feed me, so hey, what are you gonna do?
Mehrling Muse 