Never easy to know what to choose to epitomise Christmas Day, particularly when it’s been a fairly uneventful one — though nice, just spent with the family, eating, socialising, etc. The decorations on the dinner table will do as well as anything to represent this… with a guest appearance from Iris the lego lady. A happy Christmas to you all, however you have spent it.
Amen to that… We could all use some.
The Seafarers’ Monument sits in one of the main squares of Bergen. It’s not the most beautiful of monuments, but maybe that’s why someone decided, presumably before Christmas, to prettify it.
Those who have spent time in Manchester over the last few years may recognise here components of the disassembled Santa which graces Albert Square, outside the Town Hall, each year. It was being constructed today. But come on! It’s October still!!
*Burp*. And I cooked, too. Happy Christmas to one and all of you.
Visiting the in-laws’ for the annual Christmas stuff. This square sits beside Lancaster Town Hall, the large building in the background, and is attractively lit for the season — suitable accompaniment to the showing of It’s a Wonderful Life at the nearby cinema, another annual tradition in our household.
These are the hardest of all days to document. I was in all day, did not leave the house for a moment, and it’s December — the least sunny month in the UK, in both senses. It rained all day, the light was grey and very dull. And I’ve been doing this for 840 days now, there are only so many bits of my house left to document. So here is a recent arrival — a cute Russian doll nativity scene, bought by the wife last weekend in the antiques centre. There’s three wise men, the shepherd, mother & child etc. Well, it is nearly Xmas.
Cross Street, Manchester. Some of us are on our way to work, past the guys opening up the Christmas market. I’ve talked myself into liking this shot even though it’s out of focus. It was how I felt this morning.
Hard to know quite how to encapsulate a day like Christmas without cliché. But here is Joe using one of his Christmas presents…. a chip off the old block? Who knows?
The game, by the way, is mölkky, a version of skittles for which I developed a liking in Finland last midsummer. Very tactical. Worth a try, if you have a piece of flat land about half the size of a tennis court to play it on.
Also, today is the end of the 4th month of this blog. I feel like I have been doing it forever. Actually I have twice as much left as I have already done.
And a happy Christmas to you all….
Back to Manchester. Xmas market still full of stuff this morning. Isn’t it a little late to be expecting to get rid of a few dozen Christmas trees and ten reindeer seemingly made out of compost? Maybe, but what do I know.
Being 42 