First things first - Happy Christmas to everyone and thanks to all of you who have been reading my blogs either since they started in March or more recently.
This is the day before what I call "major relax day." That's tomorrow. Yesterday we were all rushing around buying last minute presents, getting vegetables and other "stuff" and today of course it's opening of presents, Christmas dinner and any number of other things.
But Boxing Day is different. I vividly remember as a child the anticipation of Christmas Eve, the staying up late on the grounds that it was pointless going to bed because sleep was the last thing on a young boy's mind. Then the excitement of Christmas Day, opening presents, playing games, watching television and visits from neighbours and friends.
But then on Christmas night everything slowed down. It was early bed and probably the best sleep of the year and on Boxing Day everything slowed down. There was no wrapping paper to rip off and things got back to an orderly manner.
Now Boxing Day is feet up watching television with the occasional libation thrown in. Isn't libation an interesting word? It was used by the wonderful character Fred Elliott in Coronation Street played by John Savident. Fred had a habit of repeating his previous sentence. He referred to alcoholic drink as either libation or a tincture.
We must remember that this Christmas will be full or worry and concern. Worry about health, worry about livelihoods, worry about the future.
This is one of the least visited but most pleasant areas in Norwich and somehow it maintains a fairy tale feel to it. The heavy rain had stopped and the sun came out illuminating the Roman Catholic Cathedral in a magnificent way. There are a number of independent coffee and other shops in the short stretch of road. I couldn't help but feel that for many it would be their last day of trading before another lockdown. The life we are living at the moment isn't the life that we really want to lead, but it is the one we are being forced to lead.
I think this virus has broadsided us all. Heard on the news that a trade agreement with Europe is close, but this seems to be of little interest under the current circumstances.
On the way back to Hethersett from Norwich there was a vivid rainbow over the fields off the B1172.
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Anne has a habit of getting up at some Ungodly hour like 4 am. I woke up to find the bedroom clock flashing away due to an obvious power cut. A few hours later I was awakened by a loud noise. Anne had stepped outside into the back garden in the dark to pick some herbs and had sunk into a flooded lawn.
It appears large areas of Hethersett woke up to flooding. I popped a request for photographs on the All Things Hethersett Facebook page and got loads in response. I have certainly never experienced flooding like this in our garden. It must just have been the continuous rainfall just building up over a long period of time. I can certainly remember more torrential rain but it never had the same effect.