Advent

The year's been messy this is true so much so that if you've been out you may of seen signs of Christmas out early and this week we're in the preparation period for it.

Advent is the build up, the counting down for Christmas Day itself which as we all are aware will be a bit different this year but it's about a bit more.

It's about preparing yourself for celebration of the Nativity of Christ, which we may do by reading the story of Mary and Joseph, in this house we have a model of that sign with them and three Wise men we put out too.

You may sing Christmas carols around the Christmas tree not just because singing is a fun thing to do but to mark His coming into the World.

You may have and a good many churches have Advent Crowns which has its origins in the Lutheran church is widespread today and you may light candles.

There's a significance in the sequence of candles we light, the things we pray for in the World not least at troubled times like these and the promise of better times to come.

In with the chocolate of our Advent Calendars, there's something magical if you keep your eyes open for it. 

Hope. 

Preparing for Winter

As I write this it is actually a bit cold, I mean when I walked up to the shops I did have to put my grey and white pom pom'd gloves on and actually overnight it had dropped as low as 0.6, a sure sign we are entering winter.

What other craziness we seem to be going through at the minute we haven't had ice or snow as yet even if the other day I spotted a reindeer outdoors and a few window decorations already for Christmas.

This time of year tends to bring out my craving for hot puddings with cream not least hot syrup coated ones.

I like a tree and craziness aside, according to the Council newsletter we will be having a Christmas tree on our green paid for by them even if we might not be all gathered singing around it thanks to restrictions.

Teenbeat XXVIIII - Wildflowers & All The Rest

Just about the last time I mentioned this artist would of been about twenty seventeen so it's kind of fitting to pick up again.

In 1994 Tom Petty released the album Wildflowers for Warner Brothers which was issued on cd, cassette and in very limited quantities on double vinyl.

That limited release now goes for huge amounts used when and only when you do see a copy in the wild but when it was issued originally it was to contain another ten songs but Warner's blocked that.

Since Tom's death in 2017 a number of projects have come out but that longer version of Wildflowers was something he had been working on before death and that came out in late October this year.

There were a number of different lp and cd options so I opted for the triple lp containing the original double mastered by Chris Bell and those missing ten tracks which sounds superb on very quiet vinyl on this Dutch pressed edition. 

It happened that I spotted a special discount code which when entered brought the price to £26.56 which was quite cheap.

You Wreak Me 

Remembrance Edition

In more normal times yesterday would of seen many of us attending Remembrance Sunday services, the more poignant this year for being the Seventy-Fifth anniversary of the end of World War Two although British forces fought in other conflicts since such as Korea and Afghanistan apart from peacekeeping duties in Northern Ireland during the "Troubles" of the late Nineteen Sixties and into the Nineteen Nineties.

Sadly that thanks to Covid could not be happening.

People of every colour and creed fight together not just in our Armed Services as British People but also with those from other countries not least our Commonwealth.

 We WILL remember them.

The Halloween that took a break

Normally this weekend I would be off for a Halloween Party and Bonfire Night but like so much else this year it's been messed up being polite by the Covid Party none of us wanted so it's had to be called off.

In any event with at the time of writing this some 90 odd percentage of this district on Tier Two restrictions and my own council ward having a high rate of infections, it really would not wise to travel and stop overnight with people.

Anyway had we'd of been able to then it would of been highly likely we'd of been making Halloween Lanterns to which a tea light would of been placed inside and there would of been some sort of treasure hunt going on.

You'd of had to had been careful not to accidentally come into contact with people from the spirit world who just seem to be hanging around.

Boo!

There would of been on the Saturday night a Bonfire lit to which we'd be out dressed up for the cool nights standing near holding sparklers before the fireworks would be carefully let off illuminating the night sky in pretty colours.

Dedicated to friends who haven't been able to see for a good while.