Carol accompanists at the Crown and Sceptre

Just as I was finalising my plans with GG for tonight, a WhatsApp message came through about carols at the local pub, the Crown and Sceptre.

We decided to meet there. And as I was about half an hour late leaving work, we thought it might all be over. Not a bit of it! I've never seen such a great crowd, all ages, singing together in a packed pub and filling the air with merriment. Joe was on keyboards: that's the only name I've managed to find.

Of course, these weren't the carols sung in Thomas Hardy's day because they had different tunes, but there was something Hardyesque about the scene. Finally, I am beginning to feel a tiny bit Christmassy.

At work, we received the ten hampers we had 'ordered' from the food bank for households we had nominated. We weren't allowed to deliver them, except two, because patients were asked to collect them from the surgery. Six  out of the ten have collected already, and it was joyful to meet some of the people I've only ever spoken to on the phone. We wore our Christmas jumpers. Another of my clients is coming in tomorrow. When we rang to tell her that her family had been nominated, she cried. I shall probably cry too.

After the carols, GG brought a hamper of sorts back here and we had supper:  pizza and other things.  By this time it was already late, because the carols had gone on for a great length of time, so GG departed into the rainy night. It's now a balmy 13 degrees outside. Quite a change!