Carol Singing.

We've had a dry, grey day with a hint of sun every now and again.

I was up early this morning and had enough time to fit in quiet moment sitting out on the terrace with my tea. Not that it was all that quiet. House sparrow numbers are supposed to be declining but here the resident flock are doing well. Their loud chirping in the garden next door sounded like the excited chatter and screams of a mob of teenage girls waiting for their pop idol to appear. The sparrows were even drowning out the sound of the seagulls circling high over the sea. There must be a good thermal over the bay as for the last couple of mornings I've noticed the seagulls, probably hundreds of them, flying vigorously but not making a lot of forward progress. It's hard to tell but I assume they were rising in the thermal.

At the stables I saw that I was riding Cadno again. Last week when we were all asking to ride Margaret we did agree that it would be sensible if people got to ride her two weeks in a row so that they could make more progress with her so I wasn't surprised. Cadno is great to ride anyway as he responds well if you ride properly. This week we worked on leg yielding (going forwards but moving sideways at the same time) and  bending the horse around our leg by giving the correct aid (instruction) with hands, legs and weight as each gives a different message to the horse. When we are just walking round to warm up or cool down the horse I try my best to improve my posture. The mirrors across one end of the school are helpful for this.

Afterwards I did the usual supermarket shopping and then dashed home for a shower and change and a little bit of crocheting before going back into town for our first carol concert. I had thought about staying in town but that would have been for three hours which was too long to be sitting in the car or a café even with my crocheting. Also I was in need of a shower after riding and it was fun to put on Christmas earrings and a silver top. 

This afternoon's concert was in a supported living home that overlooks the harbour and the sea. 

From the main dining rom there is a great view of the harbour and I imagine the sunsets are pretty good too.

I think there were 24 of us singing and the residents who came to watch seemed to enjoy the concert even joining in with some of the carols. Nearly everybody joined in with Calon Lan which is a traditional Welsh hymn that was sung frequently in schools. Our audience liked it so much they asked us to sing it again as an encore.