Christmas away

With bags and presents packed ready, to load, I went off to St Dyfrig and St Samson's to celebrate their one Christmas Eucharist at seven, rather than midnight yesterday evening. The same number of people attended, as are present for any Sunday Mass, just twenty. The crib, the last candle of the Advent wreath and the Christmas tree were all blessed as part of the service. Although the sermon I preached was shorter than usual, it was still a quarter past eight when I left church. By the time we'd packed the car, and drove away, it was just gone twenty to nine.

Traffic was light all the way there. We used the M50/M5/M42/M40/A46 - all motorway route, which is slightly longer, but with little traffic much quicker. We reached Kath and Anto's in Kenilworth by ten to eleven, deposited presents and some foodstuffs, and then went and checked in four our stay at the Holiday Inn at eleven, exactly on time, much to my surprise. Even more surprising to me was the fact that I drove all the way there, without stopping, and without discomfort for a change.

Our hotel room was blessed with two large comfortable double beds, one for each of us! It was a little too cramped for my liking, but contained all the necessities any short stay visitor could wish for. Also we benefited from a special offer price for a three night stay.

We joined Kath, Anto, Rhiannon, Viv and Owain for breakfast at ten, then preparations for Christmas dinner began, all perfectly timed for us to sit down and eat at half past two. It was dark by the time we'd finished the meal. We'd missed the opportunity of a walk on a fine weather afternoon, but just relaxed, and enjoyed good food, wine and conversation, present opening, then watched 'Klaus' a cartoon movie more for adults than kids about why people send letters to Father Christmas. It was a thoroughly American production, reflecting all-American values and what to my mind is New York wit and humour. I can't say I enjoyed it, but never mind.

Although I coped well with Christmas Eve travel, and have not felt physically tired, the after effects of the 'flu, have left me feeling light headed and sleepy, even though I slept well in a strange bed.

Boxing Day weather was terrible, with Kenilworth shrouded in damp low cloud for much of the day. After another family breakfast, We made our way to the Abbey Fields for the annual charity fund raising Duck Race, in which plastic ducks are dispatched down a fast moving stream, and the top six out of hundreds of sponsored entries are winners. By the time we got there, crowds of people were already leaving and making their ways back into town, so a walk to the castle was called for instead.

We returned for more festive food, a game of Cluedo and a game of darts. Rhiannon showed us all the photos she'd taken on her recent school trip to Florence and Milan, as a student of fashion and design technology. Kath's dance company owns a small digital projector, so it was possible to link up Rhiannon's iPhone to the device, and see them on the dining area wall. Apparently this device is also used for viewing movies on the bedroom wall from time to time. All too soon the day was over.

Waking up on St John's Day morning, we had a WhatsApp message from Owain to say that he had been compelled to leave early in haste, as it was his turn to be 'on call' at work, only he'd forgotten to bring his work phone and laptop, and had only remember this, waking up in the dead of night. He was able to get a colleague to cover for him for as long as it took him to get back to Bristol. Luckily, he had no problems with delayed trains and he was back 'on call' in Bristol by eleven. Viv also left for home before lunch, and so did we. There was a lot of slow moving traffic on the A46, as far as the M40 junction, but thereafter, it wasn't too bad all the way home, but on a slower route with a stop it took us nearly three hours.

It's worth the effort of travelling to spend a couple of days together as a family. although it never seems long enough to savour fully. It's fortunate that we enjoy each other's company, and always a sad that Rachel and Jasmine can't be with us. Snatches of Face Time exchanges aren't quite enough of a compensation. Still, Clare has booked herself a flight to Phoenix to visit Rachel in February. Before the year gets intolerably hot over there. Will I have had my last op by the time she goes, I wonder?