Thankfully (?), the cold, cold, cold temperatures of the last week have gone and we are once again enjoying more or less appropriate temperatures for the time of year. “Fresh” but not frozen which is somewhat of a relief. On the other hand, it means that we’ve moved directly from winter to mud season in the space of a day or so. The dog comes back from her walk wearing a discreet and distinctive mud splattering and Penny and I come back about four inches taller wearing platform mud boots. Lovely.
Stop Press: After “Zooming” with my brothers and sisters yesterday afternoon, I realise that I need to stop complaining about the “cold” temperatures we get in the UK. Compared to what they’re currently enjoying, our “cold” weather is rather akin to sitting on a beach in the Bahamas. My cousin in Montana is expecting a low of -52 F (-47 C). So, no more complaining about the “freezing” winter temperatures we sometimes see.
Thank you to all of you who sent cards, phoned, texted, and/or posted on various social media platforms, on the occasion of my latest birthday. I had a splendid day! Nick, Lucy and Annabelle came for dinner on my birthday and Adam, Ava, Jessie and Julieta came for another feast the day after. Great company and two birthday dinners! What’s not to like?
Amongst the cards and other forms of solicitations I received there were two in particular which stood out, both of which were produced partly or largely by AI. Hmm, I wonder what that tells us?
One of the AI-generated greetings was a sonnet from my dear friend Jordan:
Oh Greg, on this, your 72nd birthday
We pause to honor and celebrate
Your life, so full of love and joy
A marriage strong, a bond that can’t be broken
To Penny, your devoted wife
You two have stood the test of time
Together, through sunshine and through storm
You’ve built a life that’s truly divine
Your years at The Webb School, a time we all recall
Those memories, they’ll never fade
You’ve touched so many lives, in ways both big and small
A true friend, through and through, your spirit never swayed
So, here’s to you, Greg Stragnell
May this sonnet, a small token of our love
Express the gratitude and admiration we feel
For all that you are, and all that you’ve done
Happy birthday, dear friend, may it be grand
May you be blessed with many more, to come.
And the second was a portrait from Ben:
A stunning resemblance, I am sure you will agree.
Amongst the treasure trove of presents I received was this one from Jessie. It’s framed and sits proudly atop the sideboard in the kitchen.
Again, a splendid likeness. I love it Jessie!
I learnt something which was new to me the other day. As we all know, for those of us in the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice falls on 21 Dec and, occasionally, on 22 Dec. From that point on the days start getting longer again. Hooray! I had always assumed that the days get longer because the sun sets later each day and the sun rises earlier. Not so fast my friend!
On 21 and 22 Dec the sunrise was at 08:11 here in beautiful downtown Moreton Pinkney while sunset was at 15:54. Today the sunrise was at 08:12, i.e., a minute later! But the sunset will be at 15:56, two minutes later. Ergo, today is a minute longer.
According to timeanddate.com, the earliest sunset is on 13 December while the latest sunrise is on 30 December.
And there you have it – some useless information which you will hopefully be able to discard as soon as possible!
We’re off to Nick, Lucy and Annabelle’s for our Christmas gathering this afternoon – looking forward to it! And then, on Wednesday, we’ve got the arrival of Ben, Brex-Anna and Max – the house will be full again. Lovely.
I guess the next few days will see us engaging in a good deal of scurryfunging.
And finally, a round-up of the last year from John Crace:
Five education secretaries
John Crace, The Guardian
Four chancellors
Three prime ministers
Two Tory leadership coups
And one massive omnishambles in a pear tree
Oh, and I almost forgot. The Queen died also.
You couldn’t make it up.
Happy, Happy, Happy Christmas to you all!
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, be careful, wear a f**king facemask in crowded places and keep your distance. And keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg
PS – If you’ve managed to avoid our Christmas newsletter so far this year consider yourself very fortunate. If you want to continue to avoid it do not click here.