December 2009

01.12.09: Last Card Class at Alfreton. Class has gone well over all , but numbers have dwindled to just 4. One student had her baby early, one was moving house, one was on holiday etc, etc...

Went to tap class

03.12.09: Jewellery Class at Lakeside, collected Lucy from train.

04.12.09: Lucy and I went to The Clothes Show. We had complimentary tickets because of new links recently forged between the UKHKA and the organisers of The Clothes Show.

08.12.09: After tap class went to a Christmas Fuddle at Rycote. Was very touched as a past student of mine gave me a small Christmas gift. Had a good chat to lots of tutors there. Amazing how relaxed the atmosphere was.

10.12.09: New adult piano pupil came for introductory session. Last Jewellery Class at Lakeside, evaluation sheets all had positive comments.

12.12.09: Craft Fair at The Quad 10.00am-8.00pm. Graham just back from America that morning, came with us to help carry everything in and then went home to bed. (In truth he played with his motorbike bits...) Thanks to everyone who came and supported me, Deborah, Mary, Gillian, Irene, Judith, Gail, Tina et alia... We saw Father Christmas drive past on his motorbike! Came home tired, but happy at 7.00pm, it was a very long day...

14.12.09: Found time to go to town and pick up some Swiss francs.

15.12.09: Early start to catch a plane to Geneva. Left the house at 5.00am. Disappointingly dull and freezing cold in Geneva. Luckily we hired a car and kept warm.

16.12.09: My birthday! Snowing in Geneva, so took a gamble and headed for the mountains where the clouds rose and the sun came out revealing the mountains with an icing of snow - magical. Thanks to Graham for making it all happen!

17.12 09: Up early again to be at the airport for 8.00am and catch the flight back. Unfortunately we were delayed as three of the passengers were left behind at the terminal and we had to wait for them. Surprised to get back home and then it snowed...

18.12.09: Back to Rycote for a 'One to One' meeting with my Line Manager. Took two hours to go through things all positive. Popped into see Mig, but she wasn't at home and then had to go back to hand in my pay claim!

20.12.09: Robert came home for a Christmas break. The way things have been going at work for him, he was glad to be able to make an escape. We had his company for almost two weeks and he had the use of my car...

21.12.09: Another one of my ambitions has always been to have a concert of my piano pupils and raise some money for a good cause. I haven't ever broached the subject with my students before as I thought I'd get a negative response. In fact, the response I got was 100% positive - so as an introduction to playing in front of people, I thought that we'd have a Christmas Musical Evening and make it into a party. It all went very well, we were all equally hopeless... However, everyone said how much they had enjoyed it and that we should do it again in the summer. Many thanks for Graham for doing the cooking (and lots of tidying), Robert for helping out and Gail for providing us with a Musical quiz.

22.12.09: More Christmas festivities, a meal at Le Pierre Bistro with my tap buddies. Nice evening, good food and good company...

23.12.09: Took Robert for a check-up at the dentist.

24.12.09: Robert drove us down to my parents for Christmas. Stopped off at my sister's in Solihull for a cup of coffee and then again in Warwick for some late lunch - just like old times again... Graham was still at work and so came under his own steam later. Just before we got there we received a request to collect the turkey en route. How could we refuse, it was Christmas Eve. Having made a detour through snowy Longborough and down the treacherous hill at Luckley - (not forgetting the thick fog), we eventually arrived at my uncle's farm buildings to find we had just missed him. (it was 10 to 5) I was not particularly happy to be expected to find said turkey in the dark. However, Alistair, my cousin, came to the rescue and all was made well. Needless to say when we arrived at our destination, Graham had already arrived!

25.12.09: Christmas Day. It's a sad fact that as you get old, your parents age too. So it was disappointing that they could not be persuaded to accompany us, as in previous years to attend the church service up at Stow. We nearly didn't get there as the snow made it impossible to get out of the drive - we would have been stuck there had it not been for the help of some passing walkers in digging us out. The service - a few carols, not all of them known, and a dreary sermon which lacked originality and content ( apologies for criticism, but where was the forethought and inspirational content?!) fell way short of the mark. Then off to my uncle's - except he'd phoned up after we'd left to say he wouldn't be there...

Excellent Christmas dinner, well done to all the 'cookers' and then a long walk with Robert, (can't remember why no-one else came) and finally, as the sun set, we were allowed to open lots of lovely presents. Great day, hope we can all be together again next year...

26.12.09: Got to see my uncle and aunt and hear all about their recent holiday to South Africa (and see the photos), pity there wasn't time to tell them what we'd been doing...

Took Robert on another long walk, one which I don't think I've been on since I left home nearly 30 years ago. Once we'd negotiated the Boxing Day Hunt (no horses, just dogs and lots of people racing along the road in their cars), and the blind hill, where we had to scurry over someone's field until it was safe to go back to the road, we came to Upper Slaughter the' back way'. What memories it evoked...

27.12.09: Time to pack up and leave, but not to go home. We headed in the opposite direction and went to Cheltenham to visit Graham's mother, who always goes to his brother Dave's for Christmas. Unfortunately his brother was out, but this gave us the opportunity to speak with his wife Marj, who usually has to take a 'back seat'. Lovely to see Doreen, happy and healthy once again... Graham drove home with Lucy and I went with Robert, home again by 8.00pm and before the next fall of snow.

30.12.09: Had planned to go to London, but in view of the cold and damp weather, it would have been pretty miserable. Instead we three went to Nottingham and looked round the sales. I hobbled as I'd somehow hurt my foot. Robert and I went to the new Contemporary Gallery. Beautiful new venue, which I could think of something complimentary to say about the main exhibition. Suffice to say David Hockney doesn't do anything for me, perhaps if he'd managed to finish some of the paintings? As with all the exhibitions I go to with Robert, there were lots of pictures of nude men, a change from nude women...

31.12.09: My foot was still very poorly, so although we three went to Allestree Park for a walk, I stayed in the car and listened to my Christmas CD (Michael Buble) and read a magazine. I did manage a short walk, but it was soooo cold!