Papa Noel pays a visit...

Christmas Eve afternoon and along the outside of the house, someone was walking, ringing a loud bell and calling "Bon Noel - Happy Christmas!".  He rounded the corner and Papa Noel stopped at the front door which was opened to welcome him - and in he came...

The girls were shy at first but, with their Mum's encouragement, they went to see him, as he sat in an armchair, to receive their presents...

Thank you, Papa Noel - and we hope you have a happy Christmas!

The final decorations!

Our visitors arrive and soon the girls get cracking on more decorations for the tree.

 Amber, Nadine and Hanna...

 Reece lends a hand...

Phoebe is feeling poorly so watches from a cosy spot...











The men?  Hole-in-the wall syndrome!

It’s looking very pretty. 

FATHER CHRISTMAS IS IN TOWN!

Sunday 21st December and Papa Noel is here. 

This is an enjoyable, free, annual community event which, this year, is held in and around a small marquee on the car park by the post office.

For the children - Papa Noel hands out sweets, there is a horse and cart to take children around the town, a docile donkey and games in the marquee, the most popular one being noisily knocking tin cans from a shelf.

For the adults - a chance to meet and chat over hot wine, coffee, cake and hot chestnuts.

The children leave notes and pictures on the tree for Papa Noel.

The man in charge of the "tins" stall spends most of his time picking up and replacing tin cans on the shelf! The children's aim is good!!

Hot wine, coffee, cakes and biscuits served efficiently and cheerfully here.

The horse is patient and enjoys being petted...

  

...and the docile donkey, who has two young ladies for company, is sweet...

 ...although a nearby dog objects to the disturbance to his normally quiet Sunday morning!

Hot chestnuts cooking on the barbecue
while Ron and Jackie put the world to rights!

Mu husband, Ron, la belle Arlette and her husband, Jacques (our doctor and town mayor) looking very happy and ready for Christmas.

The event is a very sociable one and we all wish one another a Bon Noel.

Thanks and congratulations to the Town Council for an enjoyable morning.

Hung up on Christmas.

A Christmas tree was cut down at the lake and brought home to go into what we call the garden room.  That is a large, high room on the first floor, over the garage, with partly-glazed ceiling which compensates for the fact there is no garden or any private space outside.  There are only two opening windows on the walls - one at the back, which is inaccessible from outside, and a small window at the front. 

This should be an interesting episode!

The tree arrives on a trailer, towed by friends, who have helped with the cutting down.

“All” that has to be done is to get it in through the small window…

Well, that went more smoothly than as at first imagined…

Now to stand it up…..

The ups.....

...and downs of anchoring the tree!

Time for a cuppa.





Now to start putting on the lights…
 

...and more lights...

Yay - mission accomplished!

The other tree decorations will await the arrival of three young girls, coming here with their parents, for Christmas…less than a week away now! 

The small window now has a curtain of lights…

Next to get the furniture arranged…we will be opening presents, having Christmas dinner and other meals in this room and the open log fire will be lit.

Our garden room is gradually transforming into a Christmas room - a veritable Santa’s grotto!

Grey days

For the past six weeks or so, sunshine has been a very rare treat.  We have had foggy, damp weather…steady rain falling from dark skies…it seems to have been mostly gloomy for weeks.

On a personal note, we have battled a virus and colds and the awakening of various pockets of arthritis thanks to the damp weather conditions and, for the past week or so, we have both suffered from insomnia so dragging ourselves through the days and reading half the nights away.

Having to pace ourselves, we started on the preparations for Christmas, which will be a busy one.  Four of us already in the house and seven visitors, including children, will be staying here for four days and two other friends joining us for Christmas Day lunch.  The living room was lit up and looks so pretty I would like the lights to remain in situ all year!  But I’m sure we all appreciate seasonal things because they are just that…a change.  But our decorations brought cheer and the promise of a bright Christmas.

However, last Saturday, our still-foggy brains had to absorb the expected but nevertheless very sad news of the death of a family friend who had battled long and hard against many illnesses.  Only 61, he was a bright spirit who will be missed. It seems as if yet another light has been snuffed. R.I.P. Stuart, or, as we called him, Stubby - (from a list of several guys with the same name at the theatre where we met…he was shown at Stu B).  No doubt you are making the angels laugh with your rendition of Python’s “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”.

On Sunday, the sun shone from a clear, blue sky.  We set off for home to see what Verdun with its advertised decorations and Christmas Market had to offer.  At the top of the ridge of the Meuse Heights, cold, wet roads were steaming in the sunshine and we wondered if it was steam or low cloud that hung around the forests either side of the road.  As we descended the Heights, it, if not the weather, became clear - it was indeed low cloud. Thankfully not as low as the road but around tree-top and roof height. 

A grey, cloud blanket hung over the city.  As it was the “midi-time” traffic was light and there were very few people wandering the pavements.  Shop-window displays were suitably festive and fake-frosted Christmas trees, complete with santas and snowmen decorated the pavements.  There was just one short street with a few log cabins, half of which were closed, as were the shops until later in the afternoon.  But we had a stroll, took some photos and then headed back from the foggy Meuse valley to home on the other side of the hills. 

Ah well, we had a little exercise and fresh air even if it was without sunshine! 
(stage directions - exit stage right, singing the Monty Python song….)