That headline sounded so silly on the BBC News Website last week. Then I dug deeper and discovered that too many hospitals are struggling with patients expecting the emergency department to deal with niggling issues, who really ought to seek help elsewhere. A spokesman for NHS England said "We are under siege from hiccups and ingrowing toenails"- across England, in the six months between Nov 24 and March 25, an average of twenty people a day turned up at A&E because they had problems with an ingrown toenail. Such foot issues don't happen accidentally or become an overnight emergency.
...Were The Whole of Incarnation
One time of the year
the new-born child is everywhere,
planted in madonnas’ arms
hay mows, stables, in palaces or farms,
or quaintly, under snowed gables,
gothic angular or baroque plump,
naked or elaborately swathed,
encircled by Della Robbia wreaths,
garnished with whimsical
partridges and pears, drummers and drums,
lit by oversize stars, partnered with lambs,
peace doves, sugar plums,
bells, plastic camels in sets of three
as if these were what we needed
for eternity.
But Jesus the Man is not to be seen.
There are some who are wary, these days,
of beards and sandalled feet.
Yet if we celebrate, let it be
that He has invaded our lives with purpose,
striding over our picturesque traditions,
our shallow sentiment, overturning our cash registers,
wielding His peace like a sword,
rescuing us into reality, demanding much more
than the milk and the softness and the mother warmth
of the baby in the storefront crèche,
(only the Man would ask all, of each of us)
reaching out always, urgently, with strong
effective love
(only the Man would give His life and live
again for love of us).
Oh come, let us adore Him—Christ—the Lord
Using the white stripes I worked different embroidery stitches across the piece, working with two strands of DMC embroidery floss in shades of blue.
I wanted to acknowledge that this was something I had done for the Shed Project - but I didn't want to add lettering - doing Quarry Bank in September had been difficult. Then it occurred to me, I did not need to add lettering as such. On Remembrance Day I had been thinking of Mum and her codebreaking at Bletchley Park. So I chose a contrast red thread [to match the tags on the aprons] and using running stitch and French knots, I stitched
- .... . ... .... . -.. which is T H E S H E D in Morse code!
As far as the Christmas patch goes, at the moment I am stuck, so saying
... --- ... [S O S]
Here is Santa, setting off at 10am to go to the Little Acorns Toddler Group. I was driving, as it was safer- he had his wellies on, and also he was wearing his 'computer glasses' which are fine for screen work, but no good for distance or driving. I turned into the road to Foulsham, the village where our chapel is. "Road Ahead Closed" said the sign.
December is a time for reflection, as the old year comes to an end, and we look towards the new one.
For many of us there have been times of deep sadness, as well as glorious flashes of joy.
Sometimes it is enough to say 'I may not have got far, but at least I am moving in the right direction'
And sometimes it is important to stop focussing on our own struggles, and encourage and help somebody else.
I'm not sure why, but the three creatures travelling together on this month's calendar picture reminded me of the Journey of the Magi. Here's TSEliot's poem, written a hundred years ago
A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
There must have been moments when they wondered if it was all worth it...but in the end, I am sure they knew it was
I have come across various explanations for the Advent Candles. I am choosing to go with the Roman Catholic/Church of England pattern* this year [my Grandsons' school is RC, so I want to make sure we are all in harmony!]
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Yesterday afternoon I drove into Dereham to see the Tree Festival in the Parish Church. They did their first one last year, and have clearly worked hard to make things even better this time. Ten more trees than in 2024, but also better laid out and clearly numbered. Quite a few trees had the same decorations as last year, or the same stuff with a few bits added. There were better refreshments too! Lots of business and charity groups represented. Thank you to all those in the community who worked so hard on this.
The hospital tree had the laser designs I'd helped patients to colour in last year, and the Mothers' Union still had my little felt books - but both groups had added more stuff.
They were huge slices, so I wrapped mine in 2 napkins, and brought it home to share with Bob.
Yesterday was quite busy. We began with a nearby Craft Fair where we met a few friends [and found a couple of Christmas gifts] then dropped in on the Village Hall where our neighbour was celebrating her 18th birthday with a lunchtime party. Then on to the Hospice for the Christmas Fair there. We encountered a number of Bob's colleagues, including Hugo, the Head of Fundraising, who was interested in the tableau. We purchased a Christmas wreath from Jack, the gardener. The team of volunteer gardeners have made loads of these from greenery around the site. We ended our afternoon in Earlham. A quick stroll round a couple of charity shops, then on to the Greengrocers, for cups of tea, and a shared slice of cake. They have a community noticeboard, where locals can pin their adverts. For maths support, chess tuition, harp lessons, yoga classes and more... I was very taken with the message on a postcard pinned there.
