Carolling incompletely
Dec. 17th, 2011 06:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shewhomustWe are in London for the weekend, for carols and family visits.
The Bears' carol evening has become the point at which I know that it really is Christmas, even in those years when![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
durham_rambler and I aren't able to attend, even when - as this year - the event is severely handicapped, to the extent of being a Bear short.
My sister-in-law, GirlBear, is in hospital with a poorly leg. I won't broadcast her medical details to the internets, and will say only that after a prolonged series of false starts, she does now seem to be receiving effective treatment for a) the visible problem, b) the underlying problem and c) the pain. It's an anxious time, but she looked brighter when we visited today than she did yesterday, and she is well enough to enjoy visits, though I think she finds them more tiring than she admits.
In her absence, we were not as organised in preparing for the carol evening as we would otherwise have been, but the essentials were all present: floors were vacuumed, chairs were found, wine was mulled, mince pies warmed, songbooks found and guests welcomed. We skimped only on the decoration, this being very much GirlBear's forte (and the absence of candles was later noticed, and remarked on).
Since a very similar group of people sing our way through an identical set of carols every year, the music always varies in the details, and is always the same. Without the GirlBear, the difference was more marked: no xylophone on Past three o' clock, two guitarists turning into rock stars in one corner. What else? Someone remarked that she preferred On Christmas Day taken faster, and we decided that was worth trying, sang it again faster and agreed that this was good and we should make a note for next year. I haven't given up on the campaign to sing Adeste Fideles in Latin, because I find the English words very awkward to sing (and must find a full set of words, including the verse that I don't know because we didn't include it at school). We had two versions of While Shepherds (Cranbrook and Sweet Bells) but omitted the 'basic' version (which presumably isn't basic at all, but that's how I think of it). There were different opinions of Kate Rusby.
I was sitting next to M, who made a passing remark about Rudolph being related to Sleipnir, which led to a quick chorus of "Sleipnir the eight-legged reindeer..." and gave me the image of All-Father Christmas who sends out his two ravens to find out who's been naughty and who's been nice. I have nothing further to add to this - anyone who has, feel free.
Going out into the cold in search of Italian food now.
The Bears' carol evening has become the point at which I know that it really is Christmas, even in those years when
durham_rambler and I aren't able to attend, even when - as this year - the event is severely handicapped, to the extent of being a Bear short.My sister-in-law, GirlBear, is in hospital with a poorly leg. I won't broadcast her medical details to the internets, and will say only that after a prolonged series of false starts, she does now seem to be receiving effective treatment for a) the visible problem, b) the underlying problem and c) the pain. It's an anxious time, but she looked brighter when we visited today than she did yesterday, and she is well enough to enjoy visits, though I think she finds them more tiring than she admits.
In her absence, we were not as organised in preparing for the carol evening as we would otherwise have been, but the essentials were all present: floors were vacuumed, chairs were found, wine was mulled, mince pies warmed, songbooks found and guests welcomed. We skimped only on the decoration, this being very much GirlBear's forte (and the absence of candles was later noticed, and remarked on).
Since a very similar group of people sing our way through an identical set of carols every year, the music always varies in the details, and is always the same. Without the GirlBear, the difference was more marked: no xylophone on Past three o' clock, two guitarists turning into rock stars in one corner. What else? Someone remarked that she preferred On Christmas Day taken faster, and we decided that was worth trying, sang it again faster and agreed that this was good and we should make a note for next year. I haven't given up on the campaign to sing Adeste Fideles in Latin, because I find the English words very awkward to sing (and must find a full set of words, including the verse that I don't know because we didn't include it at school). We had two versions of While Shepherds (Cranbrook and Sweet Bells) but omitted the 'basic' version (which presumably isn't basic at all, but that's how I think of it). There were different opinions of Kate Rusby.
I was sitting next to M, who made a passing remark about Rudolph being related to Sleipnir, which led to a quick chorus of "Sleipnir the eight-legged reindeer..." and gave me the image of All-Father Christmas who sends out his two ravens to find out who's been naughty and who's been nice. I have nothing further to add to this - anyone who has, feel free.
Going out into the cold in search of Italian food now.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-12-17 08:16 pm (UTC)We send many get-well wishes to GirlBear! She must be so very frustrated at being laid up at this time of year. I'm sure that it means a lot to her to know that she is missed. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2011-12-20 11:53 am (UTC)Thanks - I will pass them on!
no subject
Date: 2011-12-19 04:59 pm (UTC)Sleipnir the eight-legged reindeer really made me giggle, though...
no subject
Date: 2011-12-20 11:54 am (UTC)Good wishes can't possibly come amiss, and I'll pass them on!
Giggles can't come amiss either - glad to share them.