Come fly with me....

Off to Germany today to stay with sister J, fitting in a visit to brother P. en route. Its always a worry to fly off anywhere, so many things can go wrong:the car breaking down on the M25, fog, snow, strikes, missing the plane, losing my passport, terrorists. Last time, niece K had to drive me through a blizzard to Munich to get back home at just this time of year. Apart from all this, I am looking forward to it.
I had a lovely afternoon with the Year 2`s at the Infants, getting ready for the end of term concert. The Nativity story this year, not Aliens like last time. A lot of boys put up their hands to be Mary, and girls to be wise men, shepherds and the Angel Gabriel.
So I have lots to look forward to this Christmas. There`s the school play, the Ditchling Old People`s Lunch (free), a Tea Dance in the Village hall where the Ditchling Choir are going to perform. Also breakfast with Father Christmas at the Garden Centre with grand daughter Tiger plus handcraft workshop, and  also daughter J`s puppet party which is always an Event.  

I want to take back what I said about the Occupy London Protest as I do think it is important they are there. I am always inclined to the view that you have to be actively doing something but that is not always the case, sometimes you just need to be.  
Stir Up Sunday is coming so I have assembled all the ingredients to make a Chritmas cake. My mother would get us to make a wish as we stirred so that she knew what we wanted for Christmas presents and also we wrote letters and put them up the chimney. Well I haven`t got a fire or a chimney and I need to get Grand daughter Tiger over to stir as I can`t do it all my own. My Brighton family have stuck lists of requests on the notice board about presents. They always put `nice socks, nice knickers, nice notebooks, nice chocolate. As if any one would try to buy nasty ones.
There`s to be an Arty Crafty afternoon today with the Quakers, so I am going to make some cards, I love messing about with glue, reminds me of the days when I ran a play group, I might even buy some glitter.
All this and it is still not even December yet. What am I thinking of?

oranges and lemons

The title of this blog comes from the fact that I was around the square mile in London yesterday. I spent a bit of time at Occupy London, the protest camp by St Paul`s. I was not impressed. It was a damp drizzly day so that might have been the reason why there were hardly any protesters, just a lot of rather disconsolate looking tents. I listened to some young men (no women!) speaking on the steps of the cathedral, including a flamboyant clergyman from Wall Street Demo in New York, but they were simply urging everyone to go on the student march to the City today. It is all neat and organised but any clergy or Quaker presence seemed sadly absent.   A lot of homeless people have joined them, but there`s nothing wrong in that.
I went on a nice bus ride to Friends Centre in Euston Road afterwards. How I love my bus pass especially when in London!   As always when there I met up by chance with old Quaker friends and then later granddaughter M came from UCL which is just round the corner, where she had been busy making banners for the march today. Then we went to an Indian veggie cafe she has found where you can eat as much delicious food as you want for £4.50. We were joined by grandson M so we had a lovely time.  I am impressed by the way my grand children are so at home in London and know all the best places. Just as I used to feel when I lived there, oh Lord, sixty years ago.