Happy New Year!

A good Christmas? Oh yes, a very good Christmas. Plenty of the necessary and good company in abundance. Shame about some of the silly headwear.

Christmas Eve and the tree by the boat is looking very good. The ceremony of the peeling of the sprouts takes place on Christmas Eve -along with all the other veg- and then we normally adjourn to the Lamb for a couple which we did with Natalie and Ollie before they went rampaging round the town causing mischief.
While we were in the Lamb my specially designed cctv captured Santa wandering down a neighbour's path

You see what I mean about silly headwear.

Christmas Day and after church and breakfast and rousing the less enthusiastic it's again to the Lamb where I took this Elfie

The pub opens at 12 children

Pam joined us for Prosecco and silly pictures. The Lamb was quiet for Christmas Day but very jolly. A few people I've met since said they didn't go because it gets so busy!

The landlord Phil embraces his manager Anton......

........and Anton has to admit his bisexuality to his girlfriend

Chucking out time

Back to get the dinner sorted with Pam in charge-a first class meal resulted.

with occasional help

A Grand Spread

Then some dancing-apparently dancing with your grandmother is considerably less embarrassing than with your mother

And more silliness

and a Natnap

At Last-Presents!

I don't remember what was going on here but I think it's a touching mother, son and mobile phone picture

Boxing Day was a late start then preparations for the "At Home" for neighbours and friends tomorrow. In the evening to Richard and Ali's rwo doors up for drinks and snacks. Very pleasant. Not all their offspring were convinced by the photo of Santa on their drive but the camera never lies.
The following day Pam entertained guests through the afternoon-and one of them late into the evening. A very civilised end to Christmas.
Caz, Philip and Florence joined us for the afternoon and went back to Faversham in the evening taking Natalie and Ollie with them


Sunday 28th.
To Kent and the wonderfully named village of Boughton under Blean. Avid readers will both recall that on last year's trip tp Leicestershire I was moored near the village of Barton in the Beans! Great names.
We  booked into the White Horse Inn and then drove to Faversham to meet up with the others and leave Joseph with them.
Back to the White Horse for dinner next to the fire. Very good.

Monday. After a full English (with modifications,) we set off for Herne Bay for a decobwebbing walk on the front. As with Kent generally I've never been to Herne Bay before and despite the sharp wind and surfeit of amusement arcades I rather like it. Not sure if I'd like it in the Summer but felt it was representative of the seaside resorts of my youth with the pleasing hangover of Victorian and Georgian architecture.

It even has a bandstand!

and a pier

and a memorial to aviatrix Amy Johnson

Pam tries wing-walking

The Divers Arms on the seafront at Herne Bay. The absence of an apostrophe suggests that it is a place of varied upper limbs rather than a pub frequented by a diver or divers

With that unanswered thought in our minds we set off for Whitstable and another walk along the front to the Old Neptune. The last time I did this walk back in October I was seriously discomfited in the sacro-illiac joint which did detract from the pleasure but this time it was much better; a fascinating stretch of seafront encompassing converted cottages, seafood stalls, restaurants, galleries and groynes. I've oft heard it said there is much pleasure to be had in the groynes of Whitstable and Herne Bay which was once known as Hernea Bay and boasted a Truss House

The Old Neptune is obviously a busy pub all year round and we had arranged to meet the others who were coming by train from Faversham. They serve Harvey's beer which I like muchly( but the car meant one pint) and excellent fish and chips.

Natalie (though I'm not sure where the extra arm came from), Philip, Florence, Caz , Joseph and Pam

Hang on ...where's Ollie?

Well, apparently he'd travelled, unwittingly, on the same train from Faversham but his phone was flat and he couldn't contact us. Poor chap had wandered round Whitstable, had found my car but not the pub.

A shame.

Me, looking wise. So the camera can lie.

A Shelfie

Leaving the rabble in Faversham Pam, Joseph and I returned to the White Horse Inn where an excellent salmon dinner and a game of Scrabble rounded off a good day. They even let me win which was some compensation for Fulham managing to lose 0-2 at home to Brighton. To bed-for a while-because some eejit decided to have a crafty smoke and set the fire alarm going. Back to bed. A full day. Back to Berkhamsted tomorrow.

Sunrise at Cowroast Lock-New Years Eve.

To Pete and Judy in Leighton Buzzard for dinner in the evening with Chris and Claire, Mike and Mane and Alan. An excellent meal accompanied by much wine and followed by even mucher Champagne. To bed about two a m  I think.

A thorn between two roses

May auld acquaintance.....

Happy New Year!