It's been a good couple of days.
Eating Christmas food;
Reading Christmas books;
Working away at Christmas kits;
Planting up a bowl of crocus bulbs (one of my presents);
Eating chocolate;
Eating Christmas biscuits;
Quiet, peaceful, with time to reflect, to marvel at the amaryllis, now 55 cm tall and about to flower
Time to stand and watch all the little birds busy busy busy at the bird feeders,
The weather has been bright and sunny but bitterly bitterly cold. I've enjoyed looking at the garden without the need to go outside (although I did nip out to put my crocuses in the shed; the instructions say to leave them there for 10 weeks or they won't flower)
I hope you have been enjoying Christmas as best as your circumstances allow; you can hope and wish for the perfect Christmas but one never knows...
I remember the time BB was called out for an IT emergency just as he had started to carve the turkey. My father took over and we carried on; BB returned about five hours later, ravenously hungry, and grateful for the generous helping set aside for him...
Or when my parents caught flu just before they were coming to stay with us; one of them staggered to M&S and 'bought Christmas ' which they cooked once they were well enough...
and the many other occasions when plans went awry...
they all become part of the big family story...
People who have been reading this blog for a while will know that my father spent last Christmas in hospital with a broken hip and died early in January from flu/covid plus old, old age.
This hasn't made me sad; he was so frail and tired, and had he lived I doubt he would have recovered from the op. I can't help feeling he picked his moment to 'shuffle of this mortal coil' when life had become increasingly arduous.
So this Christmas has been a good one, quiet, peaceful, relaxing and reflective.
I have appreciated the quiet moments this year...
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when I thought Christmas ought to be all jollity and fun, but not no more!
DeleteGlad you had a good Christmas. Yes, the anniversary brings many memories. Stepson's birthday is Christmas Eve, as is the anniversary of my father's death (many decades ago - neither of my parents made it to age 70). Isn't an amaryllis a treat? Ours will have bright red ("Red Lion") open blossoms in, probably, a day or two. I remember a friend giving her father one when he was in hospital "for the entertainment value".
ReplyDeleteI gave them to my father 'for entertainment value' too; he was a bit dismissive when I presented it to him but appreciated it once the bulb burst into life. No flowers allowed in hospital these days; we gave him a battery powered candle when he was in hospital which he found very comforting.
DeleteMy amaryllis has done nothing, and I dont think it's going to. Sadly.
ReplyDeleteOh dear. I've never managed to get them to flower a second year, but I'm pretty certain I don't look after them properly. This one took several weeks to make a start.
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