Five good things on Friday (mid-December!)

It’s been a while since I did one of these, but this has been a week with lots of good things in among the rubbish stuff happening in the big wide world, and I want to capture them here.

And yes, my arithmetic is good enough to recognise that there are more than 5 listed here, but what the hell – we’re all in need of as much good as we can find these days.

1. A long phone catch up with the best of friends in Denmark.  We may not be able to get together often enough, but at least we can chat on the phone over mutual cups of coffee.  Some good news, some not so good, but all now shared.  Wonderful.  (Note to self: must do this more often!)
2. A plan to go to London for a day next week to meet another best of friends.  Something else I haven’t done for a while.  For much of this year I let the busy-ness take over and take hold, crowding out many of the things I really wanted to do (keep up with my allotment and garden, enjoy going away, see friends, knitting and crocheting…).  In September I resolved not to let that happen again, and I have been trying really hard.  Not always succeeding, but at least I’m more aware of it and really trying.
3. Yesterday, going down to the Somerset Levels to watch the dusk murmuration of starlings.  Exquisite and always astonishing to see (and hear).  To think we have that practically on our doorstep.  No need to travel far to see amazing things.  If you’d like to get a feel of what it looks and sounds like, see this video clip Malcolm made.
4. First crawling by our granddaughter.  We’ve seen the video and are looking forward to seeing her repeat her new trick when we visit again next week.
5. Carol service at Bath Abbey, organised by Bath Rotary.  As Charity of the Year for our local building society (BIBS), Bath City Farm was invited to provide one of the readers for the annual service.  One of our staff was delighted to do the reading, and I was fortunate to be asked to go along with her.  We took refreshments beforehand with the Mayor in his parlour (yes, there really is such a place, and very impressive it is) and then off to the Abbey for the service.  Walking between the two, we saw row upon row of minibuses, used by Rotary volunteers to fetch and take people with disabilities or mobility problems to the Abbey.  One aisle was set aside for people with hearing impairments, and the whole thing was signed.  It was a stark reminder if one were needed that so many are excluded from ordinary life in this country not by their impairments but by the way we design and organise our towns and cities.  This Jewish woman thoroughly enjoyed the service.  The Abbey is always a glorious place to listen to music, and we were treated to the children’s choir and Bath Bach Choir.  The fan vaulting is something to marvel at.  Bath City Farm will receive half of the retirement collection.
6. Giving stuff away – my rootle around the house continues, and I have moved some more things along to the Dorothy House charity shop.  I’ve given several more things away on Freegle – including a bag of last year’s (used) Christmas cards for a craft project and a wooden chair frame, also destined to be a craft project.
7. Quietly knitting and crocheting – for relaxation, nothing beats sitting on my bed with a good podcast and my knitting or crochet.  Colours to captivate me, stories to enjoy, plans to make.  Add a cup of spiced redbush tea, and well, bliss.

Not this week, but one I finished last month as a special present for someone special