All My Ducks In A Row

I know it is not Twelfth Night yet, but George discovered the drawer where I keep the potatoes- all through his visit, he was bringing us potatoes, and trying to say 'potatoes'. So once he'd left, we had to seriously sort things out at Cornerstones, in case there were spuds lurking in strange places [there were!] So our Christmas stuff is all packed away now.

Here are the bathroom ducks. These only get into the water when grandchildren stay - but I am very aware that bath toys are breeding grounds for mould. After George left I gave these a good overnight soak in a bowl of mild bleach plus detergent solution - being sure to squeeze them hard so they filled up with the liquid, and slosh it round inside.  A good rinse the following morning, and a rest on the dish rack to drain and dry, and they will be fine if Rosie comes for a sleepover.

Next for the draining board treatment were the Christmas Cake Characters. This was very nearly a disaster! I popped them in a bowl of warm detergent [not bleach this time] to wash off the icing from their knees feet. I brushed the sugary bits from Mary's base, then picked up the angel. I realised with horror that unlike the other people, she is not made of resin, but sugar!

Her hair was starting to send brown trickles down her sleeve. I blotted her quickly on kitchen paper, and then balanced her on the wire cradle from a cava cork [Tesco alco-free, very pleasant] The silver trim on her robe had already washed away. Once she has had a few days to really dry out, I shall repaint the trim and then varnish her carefully.  Felt very guilty - when Pauline gave her to me in April, I mistakenly thought she was another resin Culpitt figure. 

Two ladies [and five dogs] turned up to see the Nativity Scene at the side of the Lathe Palace- just as we took away the final piece. "My daughter's been telling me for weeks I need to come and see this, and now it's gone!" she said. She had come from a village ten miles away! I showed her a photo on my phone.  The neighbours opposite have said they were aware of quite a lot of people coming to look at baby Jesus. 

Another neighbour said her great granddaughters turned up this week and asked where Jesus had gone. She said he had fled to Egypt with his parents as King Herod was trying to kill the babies [Matthew Chapter 2] 

Only one ornament got broken this year - and it was not a 'precious' one, so that's fine. And a couple of my cheap plastic Christmas plates cracked [Charity shop buys from years ago] So all was well. But why is that even after careful dismantling and packing and sorting, there is always one decoration that gets missed?

This year, it was love that remained - as the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 - "there remain three things, faith, hope and love- but the greatest of these is LOVE"