Christmas Tree

A busy day today, dentist, bank, pharmacy and then a visit our daughter for coffee and a gluten-free cake, before collecting some items she had ordered for me so that I can wrap them up and take them back again on Christmas Day. I have also had to fit in student tutorials and I still have two lots of marking, which I originally planned to do tomorrow.

Very early tomorrow morning I have to do a final food shop for a few bits and pieces with our daughter and then, except for wrapping a few presents I would have been finished. However, my teenage grandson has not yet done his Christmas shopping unlike his younger sister who has bought and wrapped everything already. He was going with some school friends, but things did not work out, so me and Oliver are going to Cambridge tomorrow. Lunch I think might be in Carluccio's as they have a gluten-free menu which as we are both coeliacs suits us just fine. There is no way I am taking the car tomorrow so today I also had to go to the railway station to get two train tickets; the ticket office is only manned some of the time.

Every year I say I am not going to have a Christmas tree and every year I have one. We always have a 'growing' tree which is planted in the garden fairly soon after Christmas. Today's picture shows our small tree, which is a slow growing golden something or other and it was bought with its final place in the garden already decided. I also managed to find time today to put some lights and baubles on it.

The chicken is cooking for dinner, although I have not managed to do any marking; both pieces of work were very late being submitted, but they will be done before Christmas!

Tomorrow's blip is likely to be very late, provided I survive the crowds in Cambridge.