Cards mailed

Minus two overnight and extra time under the duvet after an unintended late night. A pancake breakfast, and then a start on assembling Christmas cards and letters ready for posting. By half past eleven I realised I wasn't going to get them all ready in time to go and buy stamps and post them, so I took half of the forty odd batch down to the Post Office, due to close at twelve fifteen. There was the expected queue, but I was served within ten minutes and posted the cards I had with me.

Then I walked down to St John's for their 'Santa's Grotto' Christmas Fayre, containing lots of home baked cakes and pies on one table, a couple of tables for children's toys and another for small gifts. The place was decorated with small Christmas trees and lights, and the refreshments counter was busy. I wandered around, chatted with people, had a coffee, bought some raffle tickets and then returned for lunch.

Afterwards, I completed the other half of the batch of cards, and took them out to a priority posting box which may be emptied over the weekend, if I'm lucky. The second class posting deadline is on Monday. I have a small number of overseas cards to send, and my long list of digital cards. Clare has approved the design I prepared last night.

It was dark when we went out to the shops again looking for tins of evaporated milk for fudge making, as is customary this time of year. I was going to walk in the park but accompanied her to and from the Coop, as the temperature was descending from 3C towards freezing after spells of rain this afternoon. Now the air is no longer cold and dry, but heavy cold and damp, a chilling combination unless a sub zero night and the return of clear skies reduce atmospheric humidity.

After supper nothing of interest on telly, so first I did some work on drafting the Lent Study series I'm proposing for my next locum stint at St Andrew's Los Boliches then sent it to churchwarden Jen. Then two hours reading my latest Patricia Cornwell crimmie, and a short practice of tomorrow afternoon concert music. It's stretched my music reading to the limit, and I have not been helped by a music layout which repeats the lyrics for each part for separate staves, so I scanned the sheets most difficult to read properly and deleted all text except the line I'm singing to make it less confusing. Here's hoping it works.