And Another Blog To View...

Ok, I'm not sure how Tomas scooted under my new blog radar (actually, according to his first post, it's Tomáš (pronounced Tomaash))... he seems to have been blogging since the end of July... but now I've found him. He's a Czech, but studying in Birmingham, so he's currently in my UK Blogroll... he might not feel too pleased about that! Some very interesting stuff on his blog, and I love his sidebar.

Pop on over to An Empty Cave and say hi!

Spreading The Christmas Spirit...

I'm feeling Christmassy... all the beautiful Nativity scenes available on the internet have inspired me... and I thought it was about time that I tried to make another video. So, sit back and enjoy part of J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio.

Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage!
Rühmet, was heute der Höchste getan!
Lasset das Zagen, verbannet die Klage,
stimmet voll Jauchzen und Frölichkeit an!
Dienet dem Höchsten mit herrlichen Chören!
Laßt uns den Namen des Herrschers verehren!

Rejoice and be joyful, come, praise these days!
Extol what today the Most High has done!
Leave fear aside, banish sorrow,
sing forth in joy and rejoicing!
Serve the Most High with cheerful choruses!
Let us honour the name of the Lord!

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.

Vatican Nativity Scene

I'm just back from an awesome Midnight Mass. Unfortunately I left my phone at home (and I really could have kicked myself!) Googling the Vatican Crib scene hasn't brought up any good photos yet, but this clip of the unveiling is up and about, so until the photos arrive, enjoy!

Raw Video: The Vatican unveils nativity scene

The Nativity Of Our Lord Jesus Christ

A Very Happy Christmas

to you all

With Love and Prayers

The Secular Side Of Christmas...

I wasn't quite as organised as I'd have liked this year. Mind you, it's been an improvement on last year - I was feeling so out of sorts that I didn't send any Christmas cards, and only gave out a (small) handful.

I managed to sort out my computerised addressbook - this is despite Microsoft's best attempts to scupper the process - by using an older version of Word to do my address labels, and temporarily making Outlook my default mail client... or something like that. Whatever. It worked... and having the labels pre-printed means that I can write nice messages inside the cards instead of getting writer's cramp copying out the addresses...

I made a couple of half-hearted attempts to do my Christmas shopping early, but didn't succeed. This is partly because I needed information from my mother and my sister about what to buy their menfolk. Unfortunately they were out of ideas, or were keeping them for themselves.

The December pay date is always early, which allows us teachers to buy lots of nice presents... and then practice our numeracy skills during January as we contemplate the amount of month left when the money has pretty much expired...

This year payday was Friday. I couldn't have gone to Bluewater on Friday even if I'd wanted to: evening Mass and a music practice for Christmas Day had already been arranged. Saturday was an option... but the Saturday before Christmas is probably not the best day to go anywhere near a shop. Bexleyheath apparently came to a grinding halt because of the fog and the increase in shoppers. I was in church pretty much all day Sunday. So I took a chance on Christmas Eve being my best bet for shopping. Of course, I was aware that it could all go horribly wrong...

I went to a very early Mass (which always makes one feel virtuous) and then had a cup of tea and a chat with our Sacristan who was getting various things ready for Midnight Mass. I got to Bluewater at about 9:30am, and as the place doesn't open properly until 10am there were plenty of parking spaces. I shot into a couple of shops to buy prezzies for my parents, sister and brother-in-law, and then made an emergency phone call to check whether my nephew already had a particular toy (he did) and the desirability of a suitable replacement (It involved a mallet and some round balls and holes to bash them through... my sister approved!) I was out by 11:30am - just as the place was beginning to get crowded...

I'm now home in plenty of time to do some housework and wrap the presents. Smug just doesn't cover it!

Children's Crib Service

Next to Midnight Mass, Dawn Mass and Day Mass (this year I get to go to all three... YIPPEE!), I think the parish Crib Service is my favourite Christmas activity. No rehearsals, everyone just shows up. There are two principle players (Mary & Joseph) who must have been picked at some point, if only to ensure that the costumes fit and that the girl holding the baby Jesus isn't likely to drop him...

...the baby Jesus is another part which has been worked out beforehand...

The rest of the children are either angels, shepherds or kings, according to personal inclination / parents' wardrobe skills. We were seriously short of shepherds this year...










Some of the older children get to read the story in little bits, and then the various children get moved into place during the carols. It ends with all the children being invited up, in costume or not, and a countdown while photos are taken by doting parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and what-have-you. And then we have tea and biscuits in the small hall.

Absolutely brilliant!