Except for the alcoholics, gamblers, and narcotics who willy nilly go on meeting here, Christmas or not, the house is very quiet. Most of the residents are away, and there are no bed and breakfasts. I realise that I go completely to pot unless I have a lot to do. so perhaps I had better not retire just yet after all. I get up late and mooch about, do the Guardian crossword after breakfast, watch TV or read novels in the afternoons, make cups of coffee and have snacks at all hours, it is shocking. I had meant to embark on a writing project, and also do some tidying up of cupboards. Still it only Tuesday and things will not start getting going until after the weekend, so I hope I will knuckle down.
Still no clues as to the nightly lawn wrecker, most nod their heads wisely and say it is badgers, but I thought they hibernated in the winter. It is a scene of desolation up there on the back lawn.
Two groups of my grandchildren have been skating in the cathedral Close in the last weeks. I was dead against the ice rink in the Close, but I have come round to it as the children came in positively glowing after their skating session, even four year old T was whizzing about in the middle with no fear and it is obviously an exciting thing to do on a winter afternoon just when it is beginning to get dark.

Something mysterious is happening in the garden at night. The lawn is being torn up in large lumps and the turf stripped back. It looks as if a herd of wild animals has been trampling about. Could it be deer, or badgers or a family of foxes? Or perhaps a gang of youths come in after the pub closes and play football. I am puzzled.
Otherwise all is calm, all is bright. I am about to tackle the mammoth task of writing letters or emails to some of the people who sent cards as otherwise they will think I am dead. Next year I will just go with the flow and send cards in the normal way, it is easier in the long run.
At our Christmas dinner this year there were two vegans, six vegetarians and three omnivores. It was a bring and share meal and food provided consisted of: tofu canapes, smoked salmon, nut roast, roast chicken, vegetable curry, sprouts, carrots, roast potatoes, red cabbage, bread sauce, cranberries, xmas pud, trifle, vegan mince tarts, brandy butter. As an omnivore, I had a little of each. It was delicious.
J and G with Jumble the dog, went for a Chrismas swim by the Palace Pier along with about fifty others. I felt a twinge of envy as they plunged in, but it would probably have finished me off.

Well I`ve strung up the Christmas cards at last, for days they have been piled in a basket on my desk looking reproachful. They are goodwill, kindness and love made manifest, all those good wishes to me to be healthy and happy, I am a fortunate woman.
The house has been eerily quiet and tidy all day, most of the housemates have gone away, the phone has hardly rung at all, and I have had only a few droppers in. I had a satisfying trip to the dump with all the bottles and cardboard that has been lurking in the shed for weeks, and purchased for peanuts from the shack at the back, a delectable pile of good stuff, including a nice pine towel rail for the bathroom, a bone china teaset with roses on it, a silver hand mirror, half a dozen decent wine glasses, and two pretty candlesticks.
Then I cleaned the car and packed it for Brighton tomorrow: presents, a table, a chair that I fished out of a skip by the Wessex Hotel that I thought might come in useful (but if it doesn`t I will put it back) prepared brussel sprouts, red cabbage and carrots, home made mince tarts and brandy butter plus a few other things, my contributions to the feast at Brighton tomorrow.
This evening I popped round to see T and we played some Corelli and Telleman piano and violin sonatas which seemed a nice thing to do on Christmas Eve though my piano playing is not up to much these days.
Altogether a very good day.

The house has gone all quiet today after a busy happy weekend with family visiting and then a party for residents and meeting house habitues last night. Though it was not a fancy dress party, one guest turned up in full Father Chritmas outfit and another came dressed as an elf with stripy tights and a pointy hat. Both of them got very hot as we had a roaring log fire, but it made it very jolly and four children came including a beautiful baby.
There seemed to be enormous quantities of food everywhere but I thankfully find it has magically been consumed today, (even the huge trifle made by wonderful J as usual), and the kitchen is peaceful and tidy again.
The frenzy of buying Things and wrapping them up is almost over. I tend to buy lots of what Joyce Grenfell called `Useful and Acceptable Gifts` and then try to match them up to people but it doesn`t always work, some of them have been lurking in a drawer for years. I always think of the John Betjeman poem: "No loving fingers tying strings/around those tissued fripperies/the sweet and silly Christmas things/ bath salts and inexpensive scent/ And hideous tie so kindly meant" I have never relly got the hang of sellotape so my presents always look lumpy.

I have been up north to stay with beautiful grown up grand daughters and lovely B. I have had a restful time with long lie ins in the mornings, so I have come back full of pep and energy. Just as well as it is busy busy here with all the groups having their Christmas parties, there have been four in the last two days! Tonight the Theosophists appear to be having a four course sit down meal, and this morning we had a mothers and childrens party complete with Father Christmas. I also had the forty one school children with their RE teacher and had to talk to them about the Quakers and no they did not make Quaker Oats.
The kichen looks as if there has been an earthquake and I will have to have a serious go at the fridges tomorrow as they all leave mouldering remains of pork pies and dodgy sausage rolls. This will be the time that the Environmental Health officer decides to pay us a visit.
I have still not written a single card. Kind people send them to me. They come thudding daily through the letter box, a constant reproach.

Christmas is hotting up, we put up the Christmas tree today, or rather G and D did. Present residents have amazing abilities:G has a passion for Xmas trees, and he not only carried one bodily all the way from Hilliers, getting scratched raw in the process, he bought a special stand thing. He produced beautiful ornaments that he has collected and keeps carefully in little boxes in his room. It stands perfectly straight and bears no resemblance to the wobbly garish thing we usually have. Also he provided mulled wine and mince pies and we all had a good time this Sunday afternoon.
I have just discovered a terrible bit of my double booking at the Meeting House. There is a Christmas party for the family group on the same day as forty twelve year olds come with their RE teacher from a local school to learn about Quakers. So some of us will be trying to talk about the Inner Light surrounded by jelly and balloons.

Such are the miracles of modern science that I can actually hear the poetry reading that I did last Wednesday on my laptop! It was recorded apparently and put on line. I was shocked by my high pitched posh voice, I sound like the Queen`s Christmas broadcast.
I did a lot of driving over the weekend: Brighton, London and Limpley Stoke near Bath. The good thing about it all, apart from the pleasure of seeing lovely people, is that I get hours of listening to the radio without any interruptions. Desert Island Discs, Poetry Please, Now Show, Any Questions, it was a real treat. I sit in my car in my own little world and no one can get at me.