It's very odd having not very much to do!

It really felt very peculiar. Most odd.

I came downstairs on Saturday morning. The Builder came down on Saturday morning. “Right,” said I. “What’s the plan?” “I don’t know what the plan is,” replied The Builder. “Plans are your job.”

But I didn’t have a plan. Neither did The Builder. The day stretched ahead - completely empty. There was nothing that needed doing, particularly. There was no urgency. Didn’t really matter if I didn’t change the bed or do the ironing or clean the kitchen. Plenty of days yet to get all that done. There was no urgency to make stews, soups, cakes. No point, in fact. We’re heading to Cambridge on Thursday, then we’re going to Salisbury and we’re not coming back until Saturday week. There’s plenty to eat, and there are already lots of soups and stews in the freezer.

I really didn’t know quite what to do with myself. I surfed the net and read a bit and felt vaguely unsettled. I’m not used to having almost nothing to do on a Saturday morning. It’s usually a mad rush!

We did go out for lunch, to the Three Horseshoes in Spitewinter. We could only have a light lunch, though. We were going to Bea and Steve’s for dinner in the evening. The most magnificent bowl of leek and potato soup for me, very, very lightly curried (but not chillied). They were quite busy with people having pre-Christmas lunches out, although the people there say that it’s noticeably quieter than it was last year. I asked, without much expectation of getting an answer in the affirmative, if they happened to have a table for Christmas Eve. They did. They only had three bookings! I realise that many people are a bit busy on Christmas Eve and might t go out for dinner, although we sometimes do. But even so three, now four bookings doesn’t seem a lot.

We had a lovely evening with Bea and Steve. Steve had done a bit of work for the local fish and game monger and had been paid in rabbits. Bea made a really lovely rabbit stew. The Builder enjoys rabbit but I think I’ve only eaten it once or twice before. Certainly once when I went to dinner many, many years ago with Kate from the Glenroy library. I haven’t eaten it since, but probably ate it in my Yarrambat youth once or twice. I will definitely eat it again. We had a good time, sat up late, drank lots of wine, set the world to rights and went to bed, not waking until 8:00 on Sunday morning!!!! All very civilised.

I was in the kitchen, sort of mid-morning on Sunday, gazing idly out the kitchen window. There was something on the fat ball feeder. Not a sparrow. I looked more closely. Hmmm. You’re very pretty. You’re some sort of tit. But what sort of tit are you? Called for The Builder. Also, got the bird book! It was a long tailed tit. And there were two of them. No - four. No, there are long tailed tits dotted about the garden round the pond. There were two goldfinches on the niger feeder and two more on the now defunct thistle plant. There was a single blue tit on the peanut feeder (We hadn’t seen any blue tits thus far this winter until yesterday). Plus there were the usual sparrows, blackbirds, doves, magpies, starlings. I keep thinking that I really must get in and tidy up that bit of garden. Should have been done ages ago. But the birds appear to be quite grateful that I haven't.

We had afternoon tea with Penny, Steve, Joseph and Imogen. Their house is very festive indeed. They have a beautiful Christmas wreath in the dining room, based around a beech branch that came from Potters Bar, and a smaller, newer one. Joseph and Imogen are very excited about Christmas coming. They gave us a present :-) And a little bowl of jonquils for the dining room table. The jonquils aren’t flowering yet, but soon. Might take them away with us so we are about when they do flower! Everyone was looking very well and very happy. Penny is now declared to have been mended by all her doctors and they don’t want to see her again. So that’s good news.

We had roast chicken for dinner. I put the fairy lights on in the dining room and lit all the candles and it was also very festive. So we had our dinner using the Christmas crockery.

I’m beginning to get used to there not being any rush. We didn’t get up until after 8 this morning, either. Pottered about. Wombled around. Realised that we had intended to go shopping nice and early, and this really wasn’t even remotely “early”! But we went anyway. And now, I think - we’re done. I’ve got all the shopping. I’ve wrapped all the presents. I wasn’t going to dress the Christmas fig tree. It has fairy lights on it all year round and there didn’t seem to be much point in putting the decorations on just to look at them until first thing Christmas morning. I decided today that I would at least put the little red glass balls on - and it looks very pretty We’ve got booze for here. Tabitha is organising booze for Cambridge and we’ll worry about Salisbury on Saturday.

Everything on my list is crossed off!! I need a new list :-D (One for cooking on Wednesday, perhaps.) I do believe we’re ready. Well, apart from going out tomorrow or Wednesday to get whatever it is I’ve forgotten to think about!