Bluuuue Moooon and Happy New Year

Flickr

This month we have a 'blue moon' on the 31st of December. Sadly it doesn't mean that the moon will actually be blue it simply means that there are two full moons this month - 13 moons this year instead of 12. Because the lunar cycle is around 29.5 days the year has 11 extra days, so every few years the days add up and we get an extra moon. There was apparently also a partial eclipse at about 7.30 pm (GMT) but I missed that.

So, another year. Are you writing up your resolutions? :)

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
And God bless you, and send you
A Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.

Oh I meant to add, every New Year’s Eve my Great-Grandma would say to my Mum: if you go to the Toll Bar and if you look you’ll see a man with as many noses as there are days in the year.

Here's to a blessed and peaceful New Year. Come Lord Jesus!

The Royally Awful Performance

The Royal Variety Performance was, in general, dreadful. Who in the wide world thought that Lulu, Anastasia and Chaka-Khan would make a good combo? It was like they'd never rehearsed. And Miley Cyrus wasn't Royalty entertainment standard really, really, really.

I quite liked the ventriloquist though, he was - as Chatterbox would put it - WAY funny. Peter Kay was great as compère too. Diversity were quite good, but not as great as they were on Britain's Got Talent I don't think.

Any Brits out there that watched?

International Ironing Champion

Flickr

The trouble with Christmas is that housework piles up and nothing piles up more than laundry and ironing. I have been ironing, washing and drying clothes for England today to Olympic standard. I've done the majority of it, there are a few clothes that are still drying, but that shouldn't take me long tomorrow.

I've been watching Hamlet with David Tennant (he of Dr Who fame), it's rather good, before he was Dr Who he was a classical actor apparently. I'll hopefully finish watching it tomorrow. I'm recording Miss Potter right now, I haven't seen it before and one or two people have said it's good. I think Christmas has been very good for telly.

Next on the agenda - cleaning, but it can wait until tomorrow.

Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?

Today is the lesser festival of St Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th C, in the Church of England. It is the anniversary of his death on 29th December 1170.

T'other day hubs and I watched a Time Team Special programme about Dover Castle. English Heritage were restoring some of the rooms to how they would have looked in Medieval King Henry II's time. As part of the programme Thomas Becket was mentioned.

Thomas Becket was for some years chancellor and confident of the King. In 1161 the King appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury. Rather than becoming the King's yes-man Becket took his role as Archbishop seriously and resigned from the role of chancellor. After many disagreements over the king's desire to implement Constitutions of Clarendon (in the hope of reducing the Church's control and influence in lawful matters in the ecclesiastical courts - i.e. clergy literally getting away with murder) on 11 October 1164 Thomas Becket was convicted before the Royal Court of contempt of Royal Authority (bizarrely over a piece of land) and malfeasance as Chancellor. Becket and his family (400 dependants!) went into exile in France.

Henry's control over the church and the clergy reached such a point that Pope Alexander III threatened excommunication. In order to placate the Pope the King allowed Becket's return in 1170. However, the King riled Becket's pride by having his son, Henry the Younger, crowned by the Archbishop of York a ceremony which should have been enacted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. So Henry and Becket attempted to reach a 'compromise' - it didn't last. As soon as Becket returned in a fit of pique and to wrest some control back he immediately excommunicated his ecclesiastical enemies and the Archbishop of York.

When news of this reached Henry II he was sick and legend has it that Henry cried out, "Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?". It would seem that four knights took him at his word and travelled immediately to Canterbury. Eyewitness reports stated that they had first hidden their swords and covered their chainmail they tried to convince Becket to return with them to face the King. When Becket refused the knights really got the 'hump' (to use a Delboyism). During Mass the knights stormed the cathedral and Becket was killed gruesomely!

The following is part of the account from Edward Grim a visiting clerk from Cambridge:

…The wicked knight leapt suddenly upon him, cutting off the top of the crown which the unction of sacred chrism had dedicated to God. Next he received a second blow on the head, but still he stood firm and immovable. At the third blow he fell on his knees and elbows, offering himself a living sacrifice, and saying in a low voice, ‘For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.’ But the third knight inflicted a terrible wound as he lay prostrate. By this stroke, the crown of his head was separated from the head in such a way that the blood white with the brain, and the brain no less red from the blood, dyed the floor of the cathedral. The same clerk who had entered with the knights placed his foot on the neck of the holy priest and precious martyr, and, horrible to relate, scattered the brains and blood about the pavements, crying to the others, ‘Let us away, knights; this fellow will arise no more.’

The shock spread throughout Henry's Kingdom and he was declared a murderer. Becket was immediately declared a martyr and three years later was canonised by the Pope. Things also started to go wrong for Henry, his three sons revolted against him, and he put this down to God's displeasure because of Becket. Henry did public penance at Becket's tomb in Canterbury and asked Becket to pray for his soul. After which a hostile Flemish armada which had been heading for England did not attack but returned to Europe. Henry also scored a victory over the Scots. Henry took this to mean that Becket had appropriated forgiveness for his sins.

The collect for today is:

Lord God,
who gave grace to your servant Thomas Becket
to put aside all earthly fear
and be faithful even to death:
grant that we, disregarding worldly esteem,
may fight all wrong, uphold your rule,
and serve you to our life's end;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

History is fascinating. Those chaps at English Heritage don't know how lucky they are! Click on the Dover Castle link, or go on the virtual tour. You wouldn't believe how colourful those Medieval peeps liked their furniture.

The danger of magpies

I'm reading a book of my Dad's, well dipping in now and then, called, 'Stories and Tales of Old Lancashire', selected and edited by Cliffe Hayes. It's a modernised version of a book called 'Lancashire Stories', by Frank Hird written about 1910. It's all rather fascinating.

I've just dipped into a section entitled, 'Some Old Lancashire Superstitions'. In this section magpies are mentioned:

The magpie occupied a curious position in this world of superstitious belief. A single magpie was one of the worst of evil omens, but when accompanied by others there was a different significance attaching to each number, as set out in the rhyme -

"One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a wedding
Four for a birth"

In some parts of Lancashire they carried on the numbers thus-

"Five for rich,
Six for poor,
Seven for a witch,
I can tell you no more."

Gentle and simple alike regarded the single magpie as the harbinger of evil, and various charms were resorted to, which were supposed to avert the evil influence, when the bird was seen. One was to raise the hat, if it was a man, or to curtsey, if it was a woman, in polite salutation; another was to make the sign of the cross upon the breast, or make the same sign by crossing the thumbs."

My Nan, of Lancashire heritage, taught me the magpie superstition as a child (as an adult I am no longer superstitious). She taught me that one must salute the magpie if it were a single bird in order to avoid whatever dangers a magpie was thought to bring. Many a time on the bus I would surreptitiously salute a magpie hoping that no-one would think I were mad. The rhyme I was taught was quite different:

"One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told,
Eight for a letter,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten for a bird you cannot miss."

flickr

Arghhhhhh, run for your lives!

I wonder where this magpie superstition came from? The book mentions that for anglers the 'pyat' signalled good or bad fishing - one bird alone meant the other was keeping the eggs or young ones warm due to the cold weather, two birds meant that it was mild enough to leave the nest - therefore good fishing.

Magpies are unpopular with farmers because of their liking for grain and with gamekeepers because they steal eggs, they are also known for their thieving ways taking a fancy to bright shiny objects. Birds from the crow family have featured in superstitions and 'omens' since at least the middle ages, often being linked with witchcraft. Indeed, it is not just those from Lancashire who dislike magpies, a quick Google showed that all over Great Britain and Europe they feature in various omens and superstitions. I read somewhere that in Korea they believe magpies can foretell the arrival of guests.

It's a funny old world.

Kittehmas

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Funny Graphs

Things you might hear in Lancashire

flickr

Me tea's a bit fortnight!

Fortnight = two week, i.e. I'm afraid my tea is too weak.

Fortnight from Old English fēowertiene niht 'fourteen nights', Oxford English Dictionary (also fēowertyne niht).

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College

Nine Lessons and Carols is a popular format in churches today for their Carol service:

The format was based on an Order drawn up by Edward White Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury but at that time Bishop of Truro, in Cornwall, for use on Christmas Eve (24 December) 1880. Tradition says that he organized a 10 pm service on Christmas Eve in a temporary wooden shed serving as his cathedral and that a key purpose of the service was to keep men out of pubs on Christmas Eve. From wikipedia

THE Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first held at Kings College on Christmas Eve 1918. Here is the service booklet with the history, lessons to be read and order of service. From the booklet:

"‘The main theme is the development of the loving purposes of God …’ seen ‘through the windows and the words of the Bible’."

"The centre of the service is still found by those who ‘go in heart and mind’ and
who consent to follow where the story leads."

Jesus walked through whispering wood:
‘I am pale blossom, I am blood berry,
I am rough bark, I am sharp thorn.
This is the place where you will be born.’

Jesus went down to the skirl of the sea:
‘I am long reach, I am fierce comber,
I am keen saltspray, I am spring tide.’
He pushed the cup of the sea aside

And heard the sky which breathed-and-blew:
‘I am the firmament, I am shape-changer,
I cradle and carry and kiss and roar,
I am infinite roof and floor.’

All day he walked, he walked all night,
Then Jesus came to the heart at dawn.
‘Here and now,’ said the heart-in-waiting,
‘This is the place where you must be born.’

THE HEART-IN-WAITING
KEVIN CROSSLEY-HOLLAND
from Selected Poems
Enitharmon Press 2001

I am listening and watching on BBC2 right now! It's beautiful.

Here's Angels from the Realms of Glory from 2008:

Management Speak eek

Dave Walker, Cartoon Church

It amused me.

In the bleak midwinter...

Today I needed to buy some more Christmas cards and pop into the bank, so we walked into the village (it's about 2 miles). We did a bit of sledging on the way.

The snow is really coming down today, it's quite deep in places.

Tiring work!

Mr Snowman's face is almost covered in snow!

Big icicles

I was so relieved when we got home. It's uphill all the way back, my legs were aching so much. I'm going to have a hot cup of coffee now.

How's the weather where you are?

SNOW and disastrous singing

Here, in our neck of the woods, we're knee deep in snow.

Yesterday evening was our carol service at church. In the afternoon our music group leader rang to ask if he could have a lift as he couldn't get his car out. So when the time came we set off...in a blizzard.

We struggled to get out of the avenue, but we managed. And we slurred and slipped all the way into the village centre. At a mini-roundabout we were nearly wiped out by 4x4 who indicated after turning towards us, we stopped literally an inch from the side of the 4x4.

Anyway, we eventually picked up our music group leader, who after his walk down the hill looked like a snowman with a snow-guitar.

So we arrive at church and I find that I am the only female voice in the music group who has managed to get there...and I missed practice on Thursday...and I have never sung the two songs that the music group are to sing without the congregation. So, I mumbled through one song and sang in the lower range in the second because I was sure that I would sound like a screeching cat if I tried soprano (it was rather high).

Then we sang, 'O Come All Ye Faithful'. LOL we got to the chorus 'O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him'...and totally forgot that the female voices lead the chorus (with male voices joining in after). So when our music group leader didn't sing the first line I stopped...the WHOLE congregation stopped singing and turned in unison to look at me. Scared by this turn of events I turned to look at hubs behind me who urgently wiggled his head in a 'you're supposed to sing this bit' way. And then the penny dropped. So, loudly over the microphone I sang, "OH...ha...Come let us adore Him". Satisfied, the congregation returned their gaze to the front and continued.

Why me? Eh? LOL!!

Interestingly, I've started to watch a programme I'd sky+'d today called The Truth About Carols. Apparently, it is thought that O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles), written by a chap called John Wade, contains a secret message in its original Latin. Its message is apparently the desire to restore a Jacobite king to the English throne and the frustration felt by Wade at the treatment of Catholics in the England of the 1700's.

Professor Bennett Zon, of Durham University said:

"There is far more to this beloved song than meets the eye.

"Fideles is Faithful Catholic Jacobites. Bethlehem is a common Jacobite cipher for England, and Regem Angelorum is a well-known pun on Angelorum, angels, and Anglorum, English.

"The meaning of the Christmas carol is clear: 'Come and Behold Him, Born the King of Angels' really means, 'Come and Behold Him, Born the King of the English' - Bonnie Prince Charlie!"

The Latin version was written by John Francis Wade, an English Catholic who fled the country after the failed 1745 rebellion.

Quote take from this Daily Telegraph article: O Come All Ye Faithful.

I love little tid-bits of information like this, it's why history is so interesting. I know very little about Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Jacobites or even about the civil wars in England, but this has piqued my interest. I may read up on it a bit.

The programme is very interesting as a whole (from what I've watched so far), it details the 'birth' of joyful Christmas carols (as opposed to plain song) attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, how the Tudors celebrated Christmas and their carols, how they were banned by Puritans in the 1600's, and I presume we'll be getting to their revival when I return to watch the rest tomorrow.

Winter Wonderland

Squidge tasting the snowman

Daft cat

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland.

Secularising Christmas

I want to feel Christmas, how it used to be
With all of its wonder falling on me
This season has felt so empty, oh for quite a while
I want to feel Christmas like a child...

It's been so long now, I can't say
Just when I lost my way
But I'm going back to how it was
When this day meant everything
And we spent our time remembering
The baby Child born for us

It's all about Jesus, asleep in the straw
This infant, this King, this Saviour for all...

Excerpts from 'Christmas Like a Child', Third Day

I read a very interesting article written by an atheist about Christmas. I'm sure not all will agree with his points, but it certainly made me think: Secularizing Christmas Holidays. It focuses on America's Christmas, but I think it can be applied to the UK too. Not saying I agree with all his conclusions, I just reckon it might make us think just a little more about the season and what it really means to us.

I need to cull my book pile

Today I tidied and cleaned our bedroom. So that I could vacuum I piled up all the books I have next to my bed on my bedside table - the result was a rather dangerous leaning tower of books. Don't imagine for a moment I am reading all these books at the same time...but I am chopping and changing. Some are being read now, some are for reference and some are on my 'to read' list. I think I need to get myself some kind of basket or box or something next to the bed! It looks like a health and safety issue at the moment.

Books are (from bottom upwards):

• Tolkein's Ring, David Day (library book, read)
• Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version
• My Dear Child, Colin Urquhart (dipping into now and then)
• Holy Bible, King James Version (study Bible)
• Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Douglas Adams (read for the zillionth time)
• Some notes from church
• Holy Bible, New International Version
  
• Rough Guide to Ethical Living (library book, dipping into now and then)
• Interlinear Greek/English New Testament Bible (KJV)
• Life Application Study Bible, New International Version
• Enquire Within Upon Everything (Mum's book, was her Auntie's, old book from 1930s, really interesting)
• Slow March Through Hell, Douglas Swift (Soldier's Memoirs from WWII, Douglas Swift was in my Granddad's regiment - they were prisoners of war)
• Home Hints and Tips, Rosamund Richardson (library book, natural tips for homekeeping)
• Keeping Christ in Christmas, Steve Russo (book from church, has some great tips)
• Longitude, Dava Sobel (my Dad's book, on my to read list)
• Book of Common Prayer (Anglican)
• The Herb of Grace, Elizabeth Goudge (wonderful book, lent to me by Dulce Domum, only one chapter to go!)
• Short story of my Great Granddad's time in WWI, written by my Dad - really interesting.
  

Christmas decorations...if you can make them out

I note that others share their Christmas decorations on their blogs and they look so pretty. I rather like mine, but I can never get a decent photo - causing my competitive blogger angst to rear its head (LOL). Here they are in various stages of darkness. Our living room is small so the majority of decorations are focused around the fireplace. To try to get the effect of the lights I covered the flash with blu-tack (if I switch off the flash the camera spends five minutes exposing to get more light and the picture is all wobbly)

Full blu-tack cover on flash.

Blu-tack slightly covering flash

No blu-tack. Note viking longship on right and Anglo-Saxon pottery on left (as created by Chatterbox).

Very dark Christmas tree - it looks pretty in real life I promise. As decorated by the smallests.

Nativity. Jesus, shepherds and wise men not yet arrived. Chatterbox lay Mary down so that she could get some rest (it's a long time to stand until the 25th for a pregnant lady)

Do you like my new blog theme? Very Christmassy, bring on the mince pies!

A sad and happy day

I attended a Requiem Mass today - my first. My Mum's neighbour died a couple of weeks ago. I've known him since I was a baby. He always remembered my birthday because he moved in next door to Mum and Dad the day I was born. The poor man died of a massive stroke as he made his supper and lay there for two days before he was discovered. Friends said they wondered why he hadn't attended certain meetings, another friend had rung and rung him on the phone. We were worried when we saw his curtains were still shut. But we just thought perhaps he had the flu and wouldn't want to be disturbed.

He was such a lovely man. So many will miss him. The church was pretty full and many from my Mum's street were there.

I was surprised at how much of the service I could follow as it was very similar to the Anglican service in many parts.

This evening we went to see Chatterbox in her Christmas show. It was frustrating because she is only little and being one of the singers it was hard to see her most of the time. But the few glimpses of her were lovely, she has such a beautiful smiley face. I do love her so.

This time of year is so busy with all the shows and concerts and plays and...LOL.

I've hurt my shoulder. I sit here with my sling on. I woke up three days ago lying on my side. As I turned over the sudden sharp pain in my right shoulder was awful. Since then I haven't been able to move my arm, I can bend it at the elbow but cannot move the shoulder. Getting dressed, even putting a coat on, is agony. I saw the doctor yesterday, but it wasn't my usual doctor but one of the others in the practice. He just gave me ibuprofen, said something like, "oh yes that looks painful" and "it's not a dislocation" and sent me on my way. The pain has got worse so I'm going to see my usual doctor tomorrow if she's not booked up. I just want something stronger so that I can get on with things! It's Christmas for goodness sake, one can't have just one arm at Christmas!! The good thing is I can still type if I just bend my elbow and don't move my arm, the bad news is it takes me hours to iron and vacuum left handed!! You might say that I should just give up, but we need clothes and we have a violently shedding Christmas tree and messy kids! :)

Hope you're all having a happy Advent.

The danger of pink

My Dad rang me this evening. "Here's something to really wind you up. The PC thought police are now boycotting all stores that sell pink products to girls". And I was annoyed, I hate this kind of thing. Obviously a girl's liking of pink is going to destroy brain cells and turn them into marshmallows. SO NOT! [*with appropriate side-to-side finger waving and Egyptian style head manoeuvre*]

Is pink really so dangerous? Read here: Pinkstinks To me it's so ridiculously trite that I can't believe someone had the energy to actually get annoyed (unless you're me getting annoyed about them getting annoyed of course). If you don't like your children to have pink then don't buy it - but don't turn it into some kind of moral crusade - surely not! There are plenty of non-pink toys around.

One of my friends loves pink. In fact her Christmas tree is black with pink Disney princess baubles...I'm not sure what her husband's opinion is about this though! LOL I asked hubs for a pink tree, but he said no...

My girls love girly pink stuff (although Chatterbox is claims blue is her favourite colour now), but they also love animals and reading and playing out. Chatterbox wants to be a vet when she grows up and Squidge wants to be a butterfly (lol), so I don't think the pink has turned them into marshmallows. And baby girls do look soooo cute in pink.

Dear readers, were you into pink when you were children? Is it a modern phenomenon? What do you think of these kind of boycotts?

My favourite kind of pink is fuchsia.