bopeepsheep's parents and various friends had their annual carol party. This consisted of running about trying to find questions (cut out from various Internet quizzes on Christmas-related themes, particularly on carols, popular Christmas songs and Dickens) which had been stuck to the walls, doors and bannisters while eating mini sausage rolls and mince pies and at the same time trying to stop smallclanger breaking a spinning wheel; and then gathering round the piano to sing some traditional carols, ending with the audience-participation version of the Twelve Days of Christmas.Great effort was then made to get
smallclanger to go to sleep, which took quite some time, and then we went home leaving his Granny to look after him.So on Sunday we slept through the radio alarm for what seems like the first time ever, and then gathered ourselves together to visit
elleblue and antoniosteve for lunch and a game of "übersettlers" (that is, The Settlers of Catan with both the Seafarers and the Cities and Knights extensions added). Sadly I got off to a bad start and had my city destroyed in the first barbarian attack (much like on the last occasion I played), but at least pulled myself back into joint-last place before elleblue unexpectedly won at almost the exact instant we needed to pack up to leave.I went off to practice for the evening's Advent carol service, while
bopeepsheep went back home to await the arrival of smallclanger, who unfortunately had been up coughing half the night. Because of this, the two of them didn't make it to the carol service. Apart from that, though, it went rather well and was probably one of the best of recent years.And on Monday it was back to work, though I was a bit late because of sleeping through most of the alarm again.
I have been rather enjoying "A Bach Christmas" on Radio 3. If anyone happened to be listening just before 7pm this evening they may have heard my name mentioned (assuming I wasn't hallucinating). An hour earlier I emailed in my answer to the quiz question "What is Andrew Parrott's book on performing Bach's choral music called?", and I have apparently won a digital radio for my efforts (although what kind of radio this is I shall only know in January when it arrives).
But we have failed to win the lottery again this week.