Wick (J Nicolson): Week 16, 8 December

It’s dark and rainy as I write, after a quite gloomy day.  But that’s only to be expected at this time of year.  The Christmas season is well under way, with streetlight decorations blazing, having suddenly appeared like spring blooms, though instead of bursting through the earth into the light, they’re shooting up to bring light to the darkness.  Domestic decorations are up too.  One house I pass regularly was fully festooned before November was out. Another in the same town at least waited until December, and not to be outdone, they can probably be seen from space. 

Christmas decorations at St Fergus’

At mid-day Wednesday, the bellringers played carols at the Befriending Caithness Christmas do. Before we performed our carols, they provided a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings – a main course (chicken, turkey, or veggie), mixed veg, mash, roast potatoes, sprouts, and dessert (Christmas pudding with custard or fudge cake).  I’d chosen the Christmas pudding with custard, and the brandied custard was so good I’d have been happy with just a bowlful of that.  We snapped our crackers, donned our hats, shared silly cracker jokes, and tucked in.  During coffee, the local primary school sang Christmas songs.  They’d memorised the words to all the songs! We made our appearance after them.

River foam

In the evening, it was orchestra practice, starting on the Christmas music for two carol concerts we are doing jointly with a local choir.  The music isn’t too difficult, but I still need to practice at home.  Some of the pieces go rather higher than I’m used to playing. 

On late afternoon Friday, a few items of furniture were delivered from the family home in Northamptonshire.  Nothing is of great value except sentimental – a Victorian satin beech chest of drawers, a side table with barley twist legs, a spinning chair, a Chinese carved camphorwood chest, a pedestal desk that Gordon liked.  The chest of drawers came from the bedroom where we stayed.  Its drawers had been filled with various linens, blankets, and framed pictures back in May.  I did the same with the pedestal desk, but only in the largest drawer on the side with the conventional three drawers.  The other side has numerous shallow drawers, maybe two inches deep.  My mother-in-law had stored her seed collection there.

Texture of Grasses

There’s still been time for some knitting, and I’ve filled the space between ganseys with the ‘chargepoint’ socks.  The heels are turned and I’ve just started the leg.  I’ve chosen both the yarn and the pattern for the next gansey.  It’ll be slightly darker this time – Helford Blue.  It’s a mid-tone blue, not too dark.  The pattern comes from a Johnston glass plate without a name or date, so I’ve given it the catchy name of “Moss and Squat Diamonds”.  It has bands of moss stitch alternating with diamonds, with a narrow border between.  The sleeves are also banded until mid-forearm, where the ribbing starts.