Stanley Spencer - the holly gatherers

Sasa was 79 or so yesterday.  I tried ringing her but she didn't answer.  I sent her a short video of Oscar Peterson and Count Basie duetting Jumpin' at the wood side on two grand pianos. 

The weather's turned cold.  The sky above the town is full of leaves and birds.  Walking back from Lizzie's I stopped to let a misted up school bus pass and knew what the craic was among those end of day teenagers.

Back at home I found the Holly gatherers and put them by the small fire light.   I thought of Sasa and Cockmarsh and the cold coming up up from the Thames and how we counted the Christmas trees in the front windows of the houses as we pulled our holly home.