'Tis the season to be ...

Jolly? Stressed? Excited? Panicked?

I like Christmas: all the lights and decorations in the streets contrasting the longest nights of the year, the excess eating, the presents, the days off work. I mean, who doesn't love that? But no matter how early I start Christmas shopping or sending cards out there is always a last-minute rush and that does spoil it. The pressure on us to get it right and have fun is stressful, I find. 

This year I'm joining friends in France from the 26th so I'm getting a suitcase packed as well, and I'll also be bringing them some seasonal food, which needs careful storing and packing too. I've had to send gifts by courier and their proposed delivery times are... creative, let's say. Or as one recent joke has it:

    As a child:

    "You are grounded! Grounded, d'you hear!?"

    As an adult:

    "Your package will be delivered between 8 am and 6 pm."

So, yes, there's fun ahead, but I'm finding it a bit busy! 

Good luck with your seasonal preparations.

Christmas sausages!

You can tell that I don't originate from the riviera as I don’t have a pet in tow. A cat on a lead is quite acceptable here, or a small fluffy dog in a bag or a basket. I often see one gay couple walking their tiny doggies in town, two in frilly pink coats and one in blue. The two in pink might be boys, of course. On Sunday, though, I literally tripped over the Christmas Dachshund Outing, about 30 of them, many in Xmas attire, being walked en masse by their owners (also attired), with a woman on poop scoop detail following behind. This ordered tide of waddling sausages was quite a sight but I didn’t manage to get my camera out in time as it was down at the very bottom of my bag! So I have shamelessly pinched this photo from the group's Facebook page.

 

Photo: Beatrice S Valli, from "I bassotti di Sanremo e dintorni" Facebook group.

Instead I do have photos of a little park near home that’s just reopened now that the open-air theatre has been rebuilt. It’s pretty, with cascades and a view over the sea. It will be nice for concerts in the summer. 

Sue x