Home Sweet Home !

I'm back home, and desperately checking all my favourite blogs to see what I've missed since Christmas Day... I was only away for three nights, but it felt like an eternity because my stepfather's internet connection was appallingly slow (although he supposedly has broadband!) and the computer wouldn't load any of the blogs for me to read, let alone post stuff!

Christmas Day itself was fabulous... having been to Midnight Mass, I checked out a few blogs and left some Christmas messages. I finally got to sleep at about 3am. I knew this was likely and so asked a friend of mine, Anna-Marie, to phone me early as we were both singing at the 9am Mass, and I needed to go and collect her at 8:15am. She promised to ring me at 7am. However, no phonecall came...

...as she got into the car, I joked about the lack of phone call. Anna-Marie was adamant: yes, she had phoned me, and she'd had a conversation with me. Now, I know that I have overslept in spectacular fashion before, and I've dreamt that I've got up when I haven't, but the phone was in the sitting room, and I'd have had to clamber over bags of presents in order to get to it. Then a thought struck me: what number had she phoned? She told me. It wasn't my number...

So, some poor soul was woken up at 7am on Christmas Day when they didn't need to get up. I'll bet they were happy...

Three of us were leading the singing at the 9am Mass, and we did a couple of pieces before Mass and at Communion. We'd been asked to help out, as there isn't a choir at that Mass, or an organist. It was great to be able to belt out the descants to Hark, the herald angels sing and O little town of Bethlehem, even though I nearly didn't hit the top note due to a chesty cough. I think it sounded ok... Anna-Marie and Julia covered up my mistakes in one of the songs, and spared my blushes!

I then stayed for the next Mass, as a special treat...

The rest of Christmas Day was spent dog-sitting for my parents down in Eastbourne. The dogs aren't real dogs, they're yappy yorkies. I'm not really into dogs, and I definitely prefer real dogs to little yappy excuses for canines. However, we have come to an understanding over the years: I feed them and give them the occasional pat, and take them for a walk or two when I'm looking after them. I do not make a fuss of them. After an initial greeting, they calm down, and leave me alone, probably sensing that any attempt to get my attention is a bit of a waste of time and energy...


Boxing Day saw me venturing into Brighton. The Mass in Eastbourne was at lunchtime, and my parents were due back then, so it seemed to be more sensible to pop on over to St. Mary Magdalen's for a 10am Mass. Fr. Ray's church is beautiful, especially all decked out for the festivities, and after Mass we gathered round the Crib to sing a carol. I then went in for a coffee and a chat, and Fr Ray rather unkindly took advantage... I tried to avoid being snapped, but he just stood there with the camera poised, and I realised I was going to be "got" so compromised by demanding a side-shot!

My sister and her husband came down the next day, and I was able to give my nephew his Christmas present: it met with his approval, although he hasn't quite got the idea that the balls should be hit with the mallet. He pushed the balls into the holes by hand, and used the mallet to hit the floor instead...

I was also surprised to learn that my nephew likes sprouts...

All in all, a very enjoyable Christmas.