Christmas starts (in Arundel)
Morning spent on the line to BT and testing my computers. Broadband not working - although the tests they have done show it should be working, it simply isn't and my computers still cannot download anything beyond email. I gave up fiddling with them after about three hours, almost weeping with frustration having exhausted every possible reason.
Instead Had a lovely afternoon doing Christmassy things. Put up my Christmas tree with Lorraine, and explaining to Calliope that this year it should not be used as a nest or climbing frame. Also went into the Twitten and pruned all my roses quite hard, with Lorriane stern faced when I tried just to shave the bushes. Finished, had hot miso soup and looked at the tree lights with satisfaction.
Then off to Arundel, where tonight they have Arundel by candle light. The beautiful castle was not floodlit, and instead the old streets are illuminated only by the lights of Christmas decorations and the little shops in the narrow roads. It looks very much like a card a Victorian Christmas card, with a little band of musicians playing recorders and tapping on odd drums, and a vintage fire truck gleaming in the square, and lots of stalls selling various eatables, and the pubs looking all cozy, with signs for mulled cider in their windows.
Lorraine and I went to see her friend Martin's art exhibition. This looked out onto one of the main streets and, while supping mulled wine and nibbling mice pies with Martin and Lorraine's other friend Jan, we had a great vantage for the children's procession of Mary and Joseph on a small horse, and shepherds complete with three live sheep on harnesses. Martin's exhibition was of graffiti inspired art, and abstract photography of closeups of graffiti, from places like Greece and Portugal. Martin himself was dressed in bright red, and paintings with layers of stuff, which in one or two examples looked almost George Braque-like.
After this, we wandered about poking in shops, underneath the artificial snow machine poking out of the top of one of the shops. Eventually stopping for a unusually good curry near the bridge, before Lorraine drove us home. By then all my computer horrors had receded into their proper places and all was right with the world.
Below hot chestnuts, the square in Arundel, fake snow machine (one for the Canadians ;-) Martin thorugh the window of the gallery, with Jan and Lorraine in conversation.
Morning spent on the line to BT and testing my computers. Broadband not working - although the tests they have done show it should be working, it simply isn't and my computers still cannot download anything beyond email. I gave up fiddling with them after about three hours, almost weeping with frustration having exhausted every possible reason.
Instead Had a lovely afternoon doing Christmassy things. Put up my Christmas tree with Lorraine, and explaining to Calliope that this year it should not be used as a nest or climbing frame. Also went into the Twitten and pruned all my roses quite hard, with Lorriane stern faced when I tried just to shave the bushes. Finished, had hot miso soup and looked at the tree lights with satisfaction.
Then off to Arundel, where tonight they have Arundel by candle light. The beautiful castle was not floodlit, and instead the old streets are illuminated only by the lights of Christmas decorations and the little shops in the narrow roads. It looks very much like a card a Victorian Christmas card, with a little band of musicians playing recorders and tapping on odd drums, and a vintage fire truck gleaming in the square, and lots of stalls selling various eatables, and the pubs looking all cozy, with signs for mulled cider in their windows.
Lorraine and I went to see her friend Martin's art exhibition. This looked out onto one of the main streets and, while supping mulled wine and nibbling mice pies with Martin and Lorraine's other friend Jan, we had a great vantage for the children's procession of Mary and Joseph on a small horse, and shepherds complete with three live sheep on harnesses. Martin's exhibition was of graffiti inspired art, and abstract photography of closeups of graffiti, from places like Greece and Portugal. Martin himself was dressed in bright red, and paintings with layers of stuff, which in one or two examples looked almost George Braque-like.
After this, we wandered about poking in shops, underneath the artificial snow machine poking out of the top of one of the shops. Eventually stopping for a unusually good curry near the bridge, before Lorraine drove us home. By then all my computer horrors had receded into their proper places and all was right with the world.
Below hot chestnuts, the square in Arundel, fake snow machine (one for the Canadians ;-) Martin thorugh the window of the gallery, with Jan and Lorraine in conversation.
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