Thursday 24 December 2015

End of the Working Year


The doors shut at twelve noon, or just after as a woman entered as we were locking the door, and I will not reopen them until January.  How nice to be free form it for a while.  How nice for them all to forget work and enjoy life once again.  Family gatherings, holidays in the sun, short periods in jail, all these are ahead of us during the next few days.  My fridge is full of everything I need except that one thing I will be missing when I find what one important missing thing is, then there will be trouble.   Folks were filling the shops late into the afternoon, many men only now beginning to realise that they have a wife at home and no present and they have to leave the pub and go get her whatever it is she wanted whatever that was.  
Passing down the High Street I noticed a lot of bright yellow jackets hanging around.  The sight of one young man making off and haring down an alleyway pursued by one bright yellow jacket indicated something was amiss.  The yelling, screaming lassie, hands waving foul mouth in action, indicated others were involved, as indeed was drink!  For some time the populace forgot their worries and watched as these lower orders, and lower orders indeed they were, assisted the security staff with their work.  As I passed on two ambulance vehicles and a two police vehicles arrived.  They are never there when you want them and when they turn up there are loads of them  arresting you, well that's what I find anyway.
Now here's a thing, in Australia soon enough kids will be up early tearing open overpriced presents and still demanding more.  In the UK folks have still to get home from work, the shops, the pub, to wrap said presents, and in parts of the USA people are reaching for coffee to aid their entrance into the world yet again.  If Santa existed how would he overcome that I ask?   
Anyway it's teatime here, I can tell by the burning smell from the cooker, so I leave you while I go and hang my largest football sock up and await developments.

Christmas by John Betjeman
 
The bells of waiting Advent ring,
The Tortoise stove is lit again
And lamp-oil light across the night
Has caught the streaks of winter rain
In many a stained-glass window sheen
From Crimson Lake to Hookers Green.

The holly in the windy hedge
And round the Manor House the yew
Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge,
The altar, font and arch and pew,
So that the villagers can say
'The church looks nice' on Christmas Day.

Provincial Public Houses blaze,
Corporation tramcars clang,
On lighted tenements I gaze,
Where paper decorations hang,
And bunting in the red Town Hall
Says 'Merry Christmas to you all'.

And London shops on Christmas Eve
Are strung with silver bells and flowers
As hurrying clerks the City leave
To pigeon-haunted classic towers,
And marbled clouds go scudding by
The many-steepled London sky.

And girls in slacks remember Dad,
And oafish louts remember Mum,
And sleepless children's hearts are glad.
And Christmas-morning bells say 'Come!'
Even to shining ones who dwell
Safe in the Dorchester Hotel.

And is it true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,
A Baby in an ox's stall ?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me ?

And is it true ? For if it is,
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,

No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare -
That God was man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.


6 comments:

Mo said...

Merry Christmas

carol in cairns said...

My boy wanted to open his Christmas presents when he came home last night because he wasn't tired. I said No .. He does not get Christmas presents until he wakes up on Christmas Day .. and reminded him that when I was a kid we didn't get to open presents until after lunch was eaten and cleaned up. Enjoy your holiday from the museum Adullaman. Happy Christmas.

Lee said...

It is now Christmas morning here as I write, Mr. Ad-Man. Yesterday morning I had two unexpected, uninvited Christmas visitors...I've related what occurred elsewhere...you might get a smile from it, too.

I got the shock of my life as I was about to head out. I’d just put the key in my car door in readiness to do a final run (drive) to pick up some more fruit and my ordered seafood when I heard a slight sound behind me...not a loud noise. I was miles away, lost in my own thoughts, thinking about all and sundry, but soon I had a very rude, abrupt, unexpected awakening!

There behind me, up close and personal - about two inches from my back/shoulder or nape of my neck - were two Great Danes!! And I’m not talking about Fred and Mary of Denmark! They had declined my Christmas invitation!!!

My car is a little white Toyota Echo and one of the Great Danes was black and white...he was almost as tall and as long as my car - I kid you not! The other, a light tan/brown less Greater Dane was a little, smaller, but still a huge dog! I'm tall (I used to nudge 5ft 9; I've probably shrunk a bit over the years)- the white and black Great Dane and I stood almost face to face, eye ball to eye ball...a little bit off-putting!!!!

I sure didn’t expect to see those two giants when I turned around.

Both were as happy as Larry...big smiles on their faces; tongues flapping in the breeze, wanting to lick me to death with kindness! They bounced around like two excited kids on Christmas morning as I tried to tell them to go back home...wherever that may be! They ignored my demands, of course. I’ve never seen them before. I have no idea where they came from or who they belong to.

However, I have a sneaking suspicion they might have been Rudolph and Prancer in disguise...checking the place out for a later visit. I didn't hear much movement on my roof last night, though.

And that, my dear, is your Christmas story for this year! I know I've already wished you a Merry Christmas- but too bad - here I go again....Merry Christmas...from me, Remy and Shama! :)

the fly in the web said...

I'm so glad you put up that poem of Betjeman...one of my favourites.
Put your feet up, enjoy the football and don't burn the Irn Bru.
All best wishes to you from me and from Leo - who is basking in your compliments!

Adullamite said...

Mo, May your day be merry also.

Carol, Quite right, mine are awaiting till later. I hope your day is good.

Lee, Love the dogs!!! Merry Christmas to the cats and you!

Adullamite said...

Fly, I managed not to burn anything, especially calories!