Yes I'm going to mention the C word - Christmas , there I said it and I just don't care. I will say it again - Christmas, Christmas, Christmas.
Yes it's coming. Yesterday I loitered for a while in Jarrold's Department Store in Norwich and found myself looking at Christmas ornaments and decorations and even picking a few up for closer inspection.
I did find myself tut tutting, after all it's still 50 days to Christmas Day and today is only Guy Fawkes Day (or fireworks day if you prefer). We still have Remembrance Day to come. So why am I thinking about and mentioning the C word this early?
Well the answer is simple. When you have publications to do, you are always working a month ahead. They don't suddenly write themselves. And so yesterday I sat in my study preparing the December editions of Good News and Hethersett Herald and of course they were full of Christmas events and details and so I just had to go with the flow and strangely I got caught up in it all and it felt more like the beginning of December than early November.
Then I called on Alexa. As I write I like to have music on, unless it's something very intricate and then I just have to have silence. But that wasn't the case yesterday so I turned to Alexa.
"Alexa play me the new Beatles song."
Whoops that probably wasn't a good ideas as I've listened to it myriad times and am getting a little jaded. So I turned to a selection by the Icicle Works (who I hear you say. They are a band from Liverpool that I'm very partial to) and then gave another spin to Hackney Diamonds by the Rolling Stones (and sorry Stones fans, I still can't get on with Jagger's vocals).
Now the other threequarters, who is paying a flying visit to see eldest son down on the south coast, had stated that she would like to go to a concert by Hethersett Singers at the beginning of December. I'm kind of luke warm to this idea but thought I would have a look at the programme which does include Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars - a song I do like.
The programme mentioned a work entitled Ubi Caritas by Dan Forrest and, showing my ignorance, this was a new name for me. So on such occasions I stop talking to Mistress Alexa and turn instead to Master Google and so I popped in the name Dan Forrest and up came:
"Dan Forrest is an acclaimed composer of choral, orchestral, instrumental, and wind band works. His music, in print with numerous publishers, has sold millions of copies, and has become well established in the repertoire of choirs around the world."
So pardon my ignorance. So I went back to Alexa and played a load of Dan Forrest and it's very romantic and very much Christian-based music and reminded me greatly of the work of John Rutter. It was gorgeous choral music and I ended up having one of those shivers that go up the spine and you just know are doing you good. Do you know what I'm talking about there. They make you fell cold and shivery but give you a tremendous feeling of well being. I found myself nodding my head to this music. If I had the skill and ability this is the kind of thing I would love to be able to write. Who knows perhaps I do have the skill and ability but have never tapped into it. Probably too late now.
I was quite surprised to find out that Mr Forrest is only 45 years of age and is American and comes from New York State. As for Ubi Caritas, well here's a bit of culture for you.
"Ubi Caritas is a hymn of the Western Church, long used as one of the antiphons for the washing of feet on Maundy Thursday. Its text is attributed to Paulinus of Aquileia in 796. The traditional melody probably also stems from the late 8th century. It is occasionally sung at Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and has for a long time been part of the Holy Thursday evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. Ubi Caritas loosely means "where true charity is."
Don't ever say that you don't get some culture in reading these blogs.
After a morning doing the publications and thinking about Christmas, I can now put the festive season on the back burner again for a while until I have to seriously get round to finishing them off.
The problem with starting to think about Christmas too early is the time leading up to it seems to go on and on and on and on.......
This is a busy weekend. Last night I was off to the cricket club's fireworks display which has been re-kindled (if you'll pardon the pun) after a gap of a few years. Then today I have football at Carrow Road with the latest edition of can Norwich City get even more boring. I will have to hurry back from that to get to the village screen film by 3 pm. I will tell you all about these things in my next blog.
I must just give a definition of a word from my old mate Keith Skipper who has his own dictionary of definitions. How about this.
Winsome - what Norwich City used to do.
Perhaps I had better stop there.