Plain Daft

 Dear Marmite

The weather here is not nice. It is either damp and raining or crispy cold. Too cold to enjoy being out playing tennis matches, that's for sure. Yet, yesterday that is what I did. I still see pictures of the tennis events at my old club and people there are wearing very little. The pictures are current and they are all standing on sunny courts. This is the sort of tennis I consider normal. On the other hand, over here I have to get dressed up to play and my recent purchases have all been for thermal stuff. I even bought a pair of gloves that can grip a racquet - but I don't recommend holding a racquet like that. I haven't even decided on the best combination of layers for free movement. Over the course of a game I shed some of these layers, but still, I am beginning to see games such as chess as being more my thing even though I once tore a disc playing that. Moments like these, I reckon I must be plain daft. 

We are well into December and I haven't forgotten a certain old dog's birthday coming up this week. Sadly though, December birthdays do tend to play second fiddle to all the things we need to do to get ready for Christmas. I feel busy just thinking about Christmas. My tree is up. My lights went up around the livingroom and then came down again - three times. They are still in a heap on top of my wine bottles. I am awaiting inspiration on this hiccup. Meanwhile, I feel an urge to drink the vino and forget the lights. I have bought Christmas cards hoping they might write themselves - ooops. I have also thought it would be nice to decorate the tree in my garden with delicate lights. I am still thinking about it and as they say, it is the thought that counts.

I feel totally uninspired doing any Christmas shopping. I went to a craft fair advertised to open at 10am and when I turned up with Danielle and little one, it said it was opening at 11. I am thinking about going to another craft fair. I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. 

Last night the village had a lighting up ceremony. A brass band from the local town turned up and played beautifully. There were braziers lit up on the green at the end of my road where the "do" was happening and there, a tent had been set up to sell mulled wine and mince pies. It was a really heart-warming affair despite the cold. I fully expected the large tree on the green to be the feature for the lights. To me, it seemed contemporary and imposing. My focus was on that one. I didn't notice it was an unassuming, minature Christmas tree on the other side of the road that we did the countdown for. When I realised which tree was the ONE, I muffled a little giggle at my stupidity. 

So as you can see, Marms, time slips by and we are heading for my second Christmas here in the UK. I have known nothing of a "normal" existence here as I arrived home and almost immediately it was lockdown.

In many ways I can imagine another year of COVID life ahead of me and it makes me sigh.  Our statistics are obviously the wrong side of dreadful. I am beginning to dream of travelling to far flung places. My feet are getting itchy.

Meanwhile, I have been doing a bit of painting to while away the hours. I have to say, this really does make the time fly. Before leaving Singapore I thought of setting up an art shack / garage but even that is now a distant thought. Maybe I think too much!

What do you think, Marms?

Love

XXX