Saturday 6th November - Nothing to see here, no wait...

As I mentioned a day or so ago, three new cherry trees have been planted outside our neighbours along the round and opposite. What a great idea!

I made some preliminary enquiries, and now I am wishing I had been a bit quicker off the mark, like acted six months ago... 

We too have had a truck turn up, and with remarkable efficiency, we too, have had something planted right outside our front window! 

This is taken through the upstairs window; a stonking girt big telegraph pole, complete with a notice saying we have a short period of time to appeal against it! So, peering through the left hand pane, I have an eye-level view of the telegraph pole, and through the right hand pane is the street light, which has always been there in one form or another. If you take into account the fire hydrant access cover just to the left of the telegraph pole that doesn't leave much room for a cherry tree!

I'm not over-joyed to have the pole in front of our window, but I take comfort from the fact that I can't see it when I am sitting in my usual place, and I suspect that after a while I will stop noticing it. I am told that the new cabling is not as strong as the old copper cables, so the poles have to be closer together. We shan't make an objection - some one has to have a post, why shouldn't it us?

I am already feeling very 'Advent'-y. I met on zoom with some friends last night to listen to and reflect on the first of the seven Great 'O' antiphons; O Sapienta - O Wisdom. These have been around since the 6th century, if I have remembered aright, and are usually sung at Vespers in the days leading up to Christmas Eve. We are meeting to think about one each week. You can find out all about them on wikipedia, or this site has information and links to the plainsong chants. Many people already know them through the Advent hymn 'O come, O come Emmanuel'  which is a 19th century paraphrase.

I have also already started on the Advent tealights;

They are very simple - just a piece of Christmas washi tape stuck around the edge!

If you are interested in the Johanna Basford 30 days of Creativity course - the videos and ideas, if not the actual book, you can sign up here; today is sweets.