Redwings return

Clare and I were on duty at church this morning, welcoming people and checking them in. I took names and contact details as we're required to do for track and trace purposes. Clare read the OT lesson and Psalm. It was so good to have Emma back celebrating the morning, and Fr Rhys in support, preaching. Altogether, there were twenty adults, three children plus the two clergy.

On my walk after lunch I spotted a family of redwings foraging in the field below the stables and on the grass verge of the road nearby. They were in exactly the same place as I last spotted them in Mark 2016. Whatever there is for them to feed on at this time of day and year must have been there. I've not seen them that often around here. I believe they are winter visitors, possibly from Eastern Europe, or at least Eastern Britain driven further west by extreme cold weather. In the course of taking photos, I lost the lens cap from my Olympus. Although I knew roughly where it happened, I was unable to retrieve it and was most annoyed with myself for not putting it safely in a trouser pocket. Serves me right.

As I arrived home feeling chilled, Clare was taking a fresh batch of mince pies out of the oven. Still lots of vegetarian mincemeat left over from Christmas and it's only the tenth day of Christmastide, so no better reason to bake some more, and eat them with a glass of red wine to warm up.

I listened on BBC iPlayer to Choral Evensong recorded in Canterbury Cathedral last week for the feast of Saint Thomas a Becket, with all the Psalms for the last day of the month  sung delightfully to familiar traditional chants. After supper I didn't feel like watching telly, as my neck and shoulders were giving me trouble. I don't find our front lounge sofas comfortable and supportive enough of good posture. It's something I need to consider often, as postural problems are collateral damage arising from the need to protect the wound. Sometimes I just need to lie flat on my back with a book under my head to straighten my spine and pelvis to prevent neck vertebrate going out of alignment, other times lying on the bed to read or write helps. We've only had the sofas five and a half years and they've turned out to be something of a disappointment. I need something more substantial to support my big boned frame, even though I'm a dozen kilos lighter than when we bought them.

Saralee called us from Seattle this evening to wish us a happy new year, and see how we are health-wise. It was quite a surprise. She and Mark are I think cautiously optimistic that Trump will not succeed in disrupting, let alone overturning Biden's presidential election victory. The common view seems to be that he is scamming loyal supporters for funds to make spurious legal challenges and start a re-election campaign for 2024 ahead of the 2020 inauguration. Although Biden indisputably and legally won the election, America is riven apart almost equally between Trump idolaters and the the rest. It remains to be seen whether or not criminal indictments against him land him in prison, but there are others willing to take up his crazy crown and campaign as inheritors of his legacy. Can sane, decent, trustworthy governance be restored to America? Or Britain for that matter? We need this more than ever right now.