Finishing work for the year. CP came to stay. Uncle M’s funeral.
Started catching up on life admin on Tuesday, not quite finishing last week’s weeknotes before it was time to stroll down the lane to TJL’s, and to walk back up to ours with T&L for tea and catch up.
Then work. Lots to catch up on there too. Extra busy as it was my last working week before breaking up for the Christmas hols. I’m off until Tuesday 10 January 2023.
Somehow “2023” feels like The Future far more than previous years in the 21st century.
Busy, busy Wednesday and Thursday, missed VWW and only just wrapped up the last bits and bobs as CP arrived to stay for a couple of nights.
On Wednesday evening, I had THE most infuriating experience with 3 customer chat. We use 3 for our mobile broadband – aka the wifi – and have been doing so since we moved here. Wednesday was the first time I hit their Adult Content Filter. “What, porn?!” you exclaim. No, a bread knife. To cut a long, tedious story short, I ended up having to get Phil to take over the chat and he then had to have a credit check to prove he was over 18. And – GUESS WHAT – the adult content filter is STILL ON.
So, yes, CP came to stay. We had a couple of lovely evenings catching up with a glass of wine or two in front of the log fire, and on Saturday we all walked over to Ewyas Harold for a smashing pub lunch at The Temple Bar Inn.
Our route: Canns Hill – Abbey Dore – Deer Field – Ewyas Harold Common via School – Ewyas Harold – LUNCH – Ewyas Harold Common via Recreation Ground – Dore Abbey – Thistly Field.
Cold and crisp. Blue, blue skies.
The deer in the deer field were reindeer-like.
At Dore Abbey, preparations were in progress for the Christmas Tree Display and Out Dore carols on Saturday.
Waved CP off to the village-with-no-vowels on Saturday morning then returned to life admin, starting off with flickring photos and finishing off last week’s weeknotes.
Dad and Jean called in just after lunch with a bird box from the Abbey – no idea there was a craft fair there (and light lunches and mince pies) today!
More admin kept me busy all afternoon, then tea and telly.
Sunday. Sleet. More admin. It’s that time of year! Doing it now so that I can slob over Christmas.
Started the Christmas cake.
Up early on Monday to drive over to Solihull for Uncle M’s funeral. A truly lovely, lovely man – kind, ingenious, always thinking of others. He leaves a big hole in our family’s world.
Weatherwise it was Flippin’ Freezin’!
… until it bounced up to 14°C on Monday.
With overnight temperatures down to -10°C, we did the boiled water in tin cans trick to make holes in the ice for the fish in the large pond. It took 3 refills to melt Thursday’s holes back through the ice on Friday morning.
TV: Snowfall (finished season 4, started season 5), Falling for Christmas, The Wonder.
Podcasts: Empire.
Photos: Herefordshire week 155 on Flickr.
Phil: w/e 2022-12-18.