All sewing and kitting has remained untouched for the last 10 days, until the family exodus a couple of days ago. After a day of washing bedlinen and towels and returning things like the sellotape, the guillotine, the industrial hole punch and the little wooden Noah’s Ark to their customary places, I picked up a jumper and today set about a bit of mending. No, I never did finish the grandchild’s jumper. After daughter No 2’s knitting needle was broken by an excited 2 year old, I decided now was not the time to bring out more knitting, let alone the sort that requires concentration and counting.
Foraging and fuelling went well with some of the household taking on the cooking of major parts of meals while others moved into the kitchen and set about washing the dishes. One of the church wardens and his wife gave us a fine turkey for Christmas, helpfully delivered on Christmas Eve, causing me to remember how in London my first husband used to join the queue at Macken’s, the butchers on Turnham Green Terrace at 6am on Christmas Eve to pick up the bird ordered weeks in advance and then stagger home along Chiswick High Road with its vastness like some Dickensian character, delighted with his bounty.
Madonna and Child (hand embroidered for 2013 Christmas card by Mary Addison)
Ipsden’s secret Santa did not disappoint as once again there was a little gift on the doorstep on Christmas morning. Every year all houses on our bit of road are left a little present and these must have started about the time we came as I have been accused of being the night time deliverer. You would think that after 8 years someone might have noticed something – but no and perhaps we all assiduously don’t look as there’s something marvellous and definitively Christmasy about a secret giver.
Anyway, I hope you’ll forgive me if I leave you with my Christmas card of 2 years ago until I get more organised and find the time to get on with a number of half finished projects.
8 Comments
Lovely Christmas card. I had to laugh at the turkey reminiscence, as we too used to live in that part of the (small) world, and it was my husband’s job to go to Macken’s at the crack of dawn on Christmas Eve. I miss lots of those shops on Turnham Green Terrace and look back fondly on our almost-10-years living there. Unfortunately we’d never be able to go back….our small terraced house would cost the best part of £1m now – *gulp*
All the best for 2016 to you and yours.
Well, well, I didn’t expect my Macken reference to be shared by anyone reading this (apart from the people I still know in Chiswick). We particularly enjoyed dropping by for a Foubert ice cream on the way home from school- but that was when it was round the corner in Chiswick High Road and before Ant and Dec bought it and turned it into the Chiswick branch of the Soho House empire. I always enjoyed Devonshire Road too and bought some lovely scarves, prints and pots from Frivoli.
The card is lovely – inspired by one of the Byzantine icons, was it? And well done on the faces – it’s so easy to get a stitch just slightly misplaced, and turn a sober prayerfulness into a drunken simper!
Thank you Rachel.
If you click into the link to the 2013 post you can see the painting I based my embroidery on, which was by Sano di Peitro, a Siennese painter of the Quattrocento.
You have so skilfully caught the serenity of the Madonna’s expression, and the adoring look of baby Jesus. How amazing to capture that in embroidery. What a talent Mary. I like the sound of a secret Santa leaving small gifts around your village, what fun that must be. I don’t do a secret santa, but every year I do try to hand out a few unexpected gifts (usually home made food gifts) and have sent away several startled delivery men and one dignified gentleman who had come to check power lines with beribboned bags of sugared pecans! X
How lucky your visitors are Penny and how thoroughly in keeping with the Christmas spirit such gifts to chance visitors are.
A tardy Merry Christmas from me Mary…
How intriguing the mystery gift giver is and how wonderful that the lucky gift receivers do not want to find out who it is…. It sounds as though you have had a terrifically busy Christmas with family and friends and lots of fun, food and chatter too.
I hope Santa has brought you some lovely delights…
Very best as ever. Lydia
Christmas is well and truly over now and I find I had missed your comments Lydia in all the hubbub.
I hope you had a few choice things that pleased you for Christmas.
Yes, it is rather nice to have a little mystery in this world where everything has to have an answer.