Rain.

Often wet today with the occasional sunny spell. Good waves which were much appreciated by the surfers.

It was fairly dry in the morning but I didn't go to the zoo as I was heading out to Mach in the afternoon for more carol singing. Instead I took out all the limp naturiums from the street wall troughs and any weeds that were growing in and around the troughs. I collected a lot of nasturtium seeds but there are enough left in the troughs to ensure a good show of nasturtiums for next year. Along with the montbretia that's the troughs sorted for the forseable future. While I was in gardening mode I propagated a lot of leaves from the stretched succulents. The tops will also be planted once they've had a few days for the cut stalks to dry.

Then it was time to drive to Mach. The Edible Mach Christmas dinner was being held in the bowling club which we know well from parking there when we meet our friends for Welsh practice. After we sang our carols we were invited to join the community for lunch and what a lunch it was. I'm not a fan of turkey but fortunately for me it wasn't on the menu. Instead we had a vegetable en croute, an mix of mediterranean vegetables in delicious pastry, braised red cabbage, roast carrots, sweet potato and parsnips with new potatoes and a tasty gravy. Before the equally scrumptious apple crumble with lemon custard four of us bravely stood up to sing some of the carols again. I wasn't expecting to be the only tenor but the lady conducting us sang the tenor parts with me as I've only just learn't them. However we were joined by two young chaps from the audience both of whom were musicians who were able to harmonise in their own way. We were singing the line 'Bless all the dear children,' from Away in a Manger when three children from the audience came up to us. 'How sweet' we all thought until it turned out that they just wanted to get to the doors behind us so that they could go and play outside. But all in all it was a great end to our carol singing marathon and it was lovely to spend time chatting with people from another choir.