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     Cake of various sorts featured a lot this week!  At each final session at work there were mince pies…although, interestingly, these were left in favour of biscuits (homemade) or chocolate log and mincemeat muffins.  These latter are a great favourite of mine and seemingly becoming a firm favourite addition to my repertoire.

     At last, the Stella Maris Trio were able to perform once more with my cakes being proffered as refreshment at the end.  The mincemeat muffins disappeared swiftly while people chatted about the evening.  As ever, the Trio were magnificent in their skills, presentation, professionalism and, above all, their friendliness towards each other and the audience.  It made a welcome interlude amidst all the pandemic panic and a gentle introduction to the week before Christmas.  Not that all the music was thoughtful – Sam’s new compositions were a lively rendition of some familiar themes.  Iryna performed some powerfully emotional pieces from the Messiah while Vicky showed us how much her studies had improved her already awesome soprano voice.  The conversation and refreshments after the performance are part of the event and greatly enjoyed by all.  It was lovely to see some familiar faces.  The previous concert had been in January 2020.  The wait for this next one has been a long one for all of us.  Cake and Music – what a great combination 😊

In the dark days before Christmas, there seems to be a preponderance of articles about the joys of Christmases past filled with people and fun.  Like me, many of these columnists and writers are missing the busyness of family life and relatives long gone.  I dreamed of my Dad not once but twice this week.  I find myself unable to write in my usual style of blog.  There is a lot of uncertainty in these ongoing pandemic times.  The usual emotional ups and downs are underscored by the turmoil in the news and events around the world.  Last year was tough.  This year there was hope and it is that that makes this Christmas particularly important.  Christmas is a celebration of love and hope.  We may not be able to party like it’s 1999 but we can still meet, eat and enjoy the company of others.  And remember those who have no others to meet. 

     One of the highlights of this week, was catching up on the excellent drama ‘Mrs Wilson’ based on real events.  Was Mr Wilson a spy? I hope Mrs Wilson’s family find the answers they are seeking.  What I found intriguing, was that the programme reminded me of a job I had working for the Department of Industry back in 1979.  The bright lights of London had seduced me out of my country life and I relished walking past shops filled with the latest fashions and being amongst the throngs of commuters rushing for a train.  I must admit to feeling a bit bemused though when I saw the might Thames emptied by the tide.  Sadly, I had no time to visit the Tate Gallery on my lunch breaks, which was next to the office in which I worked.  The Official Secrets Act binds me still yet what I learned is on the Web.  The file on Mr Wilson is still under wraps.  The unknown unknowns haunt us all.

     What to do?  Buy flowers.  Bright flowers, perhaps the early daffodils from Cornwall, and adorn the home with colour.  Celebrate the Solstice, the old Saturnalia and the newer Christmas.  All are symbols of hope.  Love and hope.

Monday Motivation was achieved by marching along with the Clangers to some wonderful Clangery marching music.  I’ll try anything to keep moving and motivated when it’s too chilly for my evening walk.  An exercise video from the Clangers would be fantastic!

     Upon stalling at traffic lights one morning, I was reminded of the benefits of the old manual choke facility.  The choke process would alert you to the fact that your engine was still cold whereas the modern automatic system lets the car ‘switch off’ at traffic lights thus meaning you have to take off from cold.  And thus prone to a stalled engine.  Some may say prone to driver error as I should have realised it would take longer for the engine to respond to the compression on the clutch.

     With a break in the cold weather on Friday, I took the opportunity of plunging into the sea…up to my waist.  It was soooo cold.  The recent storms had shifted the deeper colder water to the top.  Reluctantly, I did not have my much longed-for swim and enjoyed an extra paddle.  The air was humid and mild which meant meandering around in my swimsuit was not unpleasant.  In fact, it was less cold than the previous time I had swum, although on that occasion the water had been bearable.

     However, I soon warmed up with the excitement of receiving an author copy of a book by a fellow astronomer containing a chapter written by me.  To say I was beside myself with excitement, is an understatement. 

     Bravely, I went into the local library and introduced myself to the new staff.  A Friend of the Library had chatted to me on Saturday about the talks I used to give and wondered whether I was still available.  It is hoped to run some talks in the new year.

     The wild windy weather dominated the end of the week and we holed up indoors while it raged outside.  Having been woken in the night by the gusts, rest breaks were needed.

     Sunday morning saw me up and out early to take my mother to her local church for the Advent Service.  This was interesting in that I had not been to a real church service for some time.  I love ‘Lo, he comes with clouds descending’ and sang out gustily…into my mask which muffled any untoward sounds I made.  It was difficult to take deep breaths and sing properly, and the sound of the congregation singing was greatly muted as a result. 

     The day was rounded off with a meal out with friends.  We talked and ate but not late into the night.  Some people had booked for the Festive Menu and were supplied with crackers.  I had not thought of that, so we enjoyed the excellent normal menu without frills.  A mini pudding was treat enough for us.

     A somewhat chilly sea swim helped with the emotional rollercoaster of a week in which the sadness of stillbirth affected a friend.  The horrendous nature of this and the immense grief can only be imagined.  ‘Thinking of you’ says you are not alone.  Inadequate as it seems, it is an important message.

     Emergence from the water into pleasant sunshine helped assuage the chillness in my toes.  If only I could wear warm waterproof socks!  The next day was chilly and damp and there was a cool, brisk breeze today.  There were some stalwart swimmers in bathing suits, but the majority wore wetsuits to swim further out in the bay.

     A Winter Market enlivened the local area on Saturday with a great atmosphere of warm friendship and interest in what everyone had created.  I was there with a range of my books and enjoyed conversing with people I had not seen for ages.  Everyone seemed elated at being outdoors and with people once more.  Fantastic entertainment was provided by the Exeter Taiko Drummers. 

     While enjoying a repeat of a programme from the Proms Season, the heady days of Honiton Pantomime were relived in my mind as I sang along to “Another opening to another show”.  ‘Kiss Me Kate’ had been performed as part of the Proms and was an exuberant performance. 

     And the evening ended with an email responding positively to a book submission. 

In November around the 17^th, the Leonid meteor shower is worth trying to see.  It comes from the comet Tempel–Tuttle.  This is a comet with an orbital period of 33 years and passes through the constellation of Leo at this time of year.   It was independently discovered by Wilhelm Tempel on December 19, 1865 and by Horace Parnell Tuttle on January 6, 1866.

     Attendance at a recent one-day Writers’ Workshop provided a welcome boost to morale regarding my short stories when one came third in a competition, while another entry attracted a lot of stickers, placing it in the top third of entries for the ‘first page of a novel’ competition.  Next January, the fortnightly magazine, ‘Yours’ are publishing a short story about dementia and have also sent me a shopping voucher for my letter about the joys of discovering ravioli in the 1970s. 

     In contrast to last year’s birthday celebratory sea swim, I spent the day at work, bolstered by a supply of cakes.  I was planning on a swim the following afternoon while I was in Exmouth but the sea was choppy, the breeze was chilly and I was chicken.  Exmouth sea front has been revamped beyond all recognition since I was last there.  There were lots of water sport places and places to eat.  I do not say cafes because I do not know what the places are like.  The main beach café where you could pop in trailing dogs, children and sand has gone, as has the boating lake and model railway.  Where the sand dunes once were is now a wide promenade for walkers and cyclists.  The overall impression was one of bleakness. 

At a recent writers’ workshop, a piece of my flash fiction came third in a competition, while the first page of the space adventures was among the top few. Inspired to continue.

I am excited that another story of mine has been accepted for a magazine. Watch this space to find out when and where it will be published! ***update*** January 11th in ‘Yours’ magazine. It is an uplifting story about a wife whose husband has dementia.

This week presents an opportunity to enjoy a meteor shower. Thursday night (12th August) around 1am will be the peak of this shower although they are visible for a few nights either side, weather permitting of course. Thursday night is looking clear. The Perseid meteor shower is one of the Regular Meteor Showers, and which are visible either side of the main date in those quiet hours before dawn (it is advisable to check the press for up-to-date information and weather before embarking on a session. You may come across the Zenithal Hourly Rate, this is just the term given to the number of meteors likely to be seen directly overhead. Did I mention it might be a good idea to use a sun lounger? You will be looking up at a wide area of the night sky so lying down on something dry and comfortable is a good idea. The Perseids are an enjoyable holiday treat as, if you are fortunate enough to be on holiday, the late night will be less of an issue and the nights are less cold at this time of year. The meteor shower comes from the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle and emanates from the constellation of Perseus (referred to astronomically as the radiant). This year (2021) the moon will not be visible, so there will be no light pollution from that source and the Zenithal Hourly Rate is said to be around 30-60 meteors (this is the amount of meteors likely to seen overhead). I treasure my memory of a family holiday a few years’ ago when we set the alarm for 3am to enjoy the Perseids and were rewarded by the sight of quite a few trails. And the faces on the security guys as they wondered whether we were ok. Perhaps we did look a bit odd in our dressing gowns wandering around a holiday park at night but, hey, it was worth it, and we spread meteor watching fever onto those men too.