It comes to something

When you have to look at yer diary to see what you've been doing! OK, Thursday I went to take a photograph of the replica Royal wedding cake - Chas and Camilla's. Two ladies from Woodhall Spa, Dawn Blunden and Mary Robinson, (with help from adult education students and friends) and the use of a friend's bakery in Norfolk, won the contract to bake the two tier cake, with 4 weeks notice to plan, bake and decorate it. As well as the main cake they baked 2,500 extra slices (did you get one? I didn't!) for special people (ah, that's why!). The ingredients included,080 eggs from frantic local chickens, to make 93 12-inch rich fruit cakes, which were later dowsed with 20 bottles of brandy and it weighed a whopping 17 stones! Oh yes and it took three days to mix all the ingredients by hand - so if you've been labouring over your Christmas cake, stop moaning! Oh yes, I gather Prince William is partial to a bit of fruit cake! Went along to a cheque presentation for the Louth Hospital CT Scanner Appeal - the ladies of the WI had raised £245 from their August garden party and autumn auction. They were being entertained at this event by the Louth Recorder Group. I didn't have time to stay and enjoy the whole performance but enjoyed the five mins I was there. There was a rather strangely shaped 'recorder' though ...Anyonee know what it is?? Friday evening was the Caistor Sommeliers' annual dinner - held at the Kenwick Park Golf Club. Hey, it was great fun and started with a champagne reception - and me taking their piccies for the social pages. Members took their own wine and shared it around their tables. There were some fun Christmas crackers. Each had a numbered whistle inside and at one place setting was a conductor's baton and a list of Christmas Carols, in numbers, rather than with crochets, etc. We elected a conductor but then couldn't really decide whether it was better to just point the baton at each number ...Having swapped whistles round the table so the number ran one after the other around (can't think of a word for that), or for him to call out the numbers. Actually, I found it easier to be pointed at. However, calling was the chosen method in the end and we took so long deciding that we were the last table to go and everyone just ended up singing the words anyway. I think we'd sorta got beyond musicality by then. We did get point .. just the least of any other table! There was adeliciouss choc in a pot pudding (as well as two others, which I can't remember now!) which had I been at home it would have been great to run one's finger around and lick the very last morsel from the rather awkward dish! Individual ones, I hasten to add! Saturday a.m. I drove Ian up to the club to collect his car and in the meantime jaunted off to take a picture at a Christmas fayre at Holy Trinity church. As I walked up the side gate and across the York stones I was recalling how, a couple of years ago (that long?) my feet went from under me and I fell with a thump to the ground ... and blow me down, if I didn't do just that ... OOOOOF. By gum that shook me up, Arms flailing (camera case kerplonk), Pyk kerplonk, on bum, back, arms, shoulders. Don't think I hit my head but certainly pulled something in back of neck/head, whiplash, I think! I wobbled into the church and found the Director of Nursing (it was a do for the scanner) from the Louth Hospital who said I needed sweet tea. I was shaken (and had a wet bum/back). And the vicar was sought to sort the situation of the flagstones out. Not sure how much time passed but the gate I'd entered by was locked and the area roped off so no-one else could walk along it. The Vicar told me NO ONE else had fallen over. She had walked three times that day on it and hadn't fallen over. The flagstones had been power washed just a few days before. THUS "It must be the way you walk." You know, it may well have been the way I walk, but unfortunately, it's the ONLY way I can walk! The DofN on the other hand, who had come out with me to look at the offending bit of paving and had announed them 'lethal' as he rubbed his toe over the area, suggested that some sand 'cheap as chips' should be thrown over them to give some grip. Well, I didn't really fancy doing much else jobwise after this but with Ian driving we went out to Mablethorpe where the Dunes had a Victorian Christmas. The boys there, the very fragrant Malc and Phil (I always like to give 'em a peck on the cheek, cos they smell so good!) were dressed up and the mayor was wearing mayoral robes, which were very becoming but they weren't really his but from Dennis Joice's wardrobe, who's abfab with a needle and thread and makes all his dame's costumes and many others for the various pantos in which he's involved. He won't be doing pantos for a while cos he's starting a new career - at 73 - as a dance host on the Fred Olsen lines cruise ships. He's such a dapper guy, I wouldn't mind being a wallflower mesen! Left to right they run: Malc, Phil, Santa, Mayoress andgranddaughterr, Mayor and Dennis. Sunday was the Christmas market in Louth and with my trust camera bag carrier/minder, Ian, we went into the fray for piccie taking. It was pretty crowded and we arrived as the Alford Morris were about to perform. After a warming glass of gluwein we repaired to the Mason's Arms and tested out a pint or two of real ale. Ian joined in with the singing, got a great voice. On Sunday night one of the Morris guy's said "You can bring him again, he's got a good voice!" New life was breathed into yours truly and when the playgoers cast, or some of them, from next year's panto encouraged us, from the stage to join in the dancing, yours truly took to the cobbles and danced her little pants off. Well, not quite that but certainly the ale acted asanaestheticc for my back! The event was organised this year by the Rotary, Round Table and Lions, who also had stalls providing sustenance including some delicious looking sausages - 'cept they'd all gone by the time we got out of the pub! Not much wonder, eh?? Well, it was a dog's life for some ... the Bernese Mountain dogs, towing little trailers found time for a rest though! Oh yes, day ended with the pub quiz which 'we' won this week, without having to share the glory. Well, I actually only answered a couple and one of those was wrong! The quiz answers were punctuated with laughter since Tom, had a little machine that gave out some very rude-sounding farts and people kept erupting in giggles.