On a continuing balmy morning I picked a December bouquet from the garden – photographically speaking, of course. We have:
Festive jewels,
violas,
petunias,
geraniums,
snapdragons,
and solanums.
Jackie went on a massive ‘operation fill the freezer up’ shop; Aaron finished off the bathroom; and I completed our last batch of cards that we posted on the way to lunch at Helen and Bill’s.
Helen produced an excellent roast venison meal for us; for Shelly and Ron; for herself and Bill; and for their delightful son, David and his lovely wife, Jen. The starter was tasty pate with redcurrant jelly and salad. The meat was served with plentiful carrots, Brussels sprouts, green beens, and roast potatoes and parsnips. Chocolate roulade with strawberries, melon and cream was for dessert. Cheese and biscuits was to follow. Afterwards we just about managed coffee and mint chocolates. Various red and white wines were the accompaniment.
Convivial conversation with a sprinkling of reminiscence kept us going well into the evening. Ron told us about a terrace of houses in Knighton Park in Barton which sported splendid Christmas decorations, so we decided to visit it on our way home.
We were treated to a staggering display, complete with a singing reindeer strapped to a post.
Other people, such as the little family in this shot, had come out to see the show. I was asked to photograph them on the mother’s phone.
The whole of this terrace was festooned with coloured lights representing numerous motifs, and the tiny front gardens were crammed with glowing figures, including a few cribs, snowmen, and Santas.
None of the facades or sides of the dwellings was neglected.
The street was lined with parked cars on which the scenes were reflected.
No further sustenance was required after we returned home.
Good grief, these lights must have been put up by Len and Steve. Wouldn’t want to be checking their electricity bill in January 😆
Thank you, Jenny. I confess I don’t know who Len and Steve are
They were the characters in my story about the Christmas lights!
Of course. I forgot their names, although I did think of them when wondering who was paying for this lot 🙂
A really beautiful light show!!
Thank you, John
Wow! Those people went all out with the decorations…I love it. They might need to take out a loan to pay the bill.
Your flower photographs are perfection, Derrick!
Thank you, Jill
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these…
Thank you, Bruce
Not my cup of tea.
Thank you, Cynthia
I thought everyone had stopped with the rise in electricity tariffs. Its good to know that pockets of neighbourhoods like this still exist.
Thank you, Sol
December is the one month I worry less about my electric bill, especially during the week preceding Christmas. I had to look up the definition for terrace houses, Derrick. Just what we call row houses here. I think the lights are a gift to the people of that town from the residents of the terrace houses. I think it is lovely.
Ginene
Thank you, Ginene. Quite mad, but lovely
Gosh, at first, I thought you said my thoughts (comment) was “quite mad” (crazy). The funny part of that is that I was thinking, “Geez, he can tell from way over there?”
Merry Christmas, Derrick!
Ginene
🙂 and to you, Ginene
They are obviously rich enough to pay for hotels when the lights blow out their power board or I hope they enjoy a very very very cold Christmas.
OTT it is
Wow I just can’t imagine. Helen put on quite a meal – sounded wonderful Derrick.
Thank you, Mary
Wow, Derrick, your flowers are astonishing. And the lights show is amazing. I can feel the Christmas spirit from here 🙂
Thank you, Monica
🙂
Wow! ‘Tis the season for excess. Bring it on, I say. Time for more frugal behavior after the holidays.
Thanks, Laurie
It was a happy day! Flowers…
Thank you, Micheline
Flowers and Christmas lights – double happiness! 🙂
Thank you, Eliza
The vogue for these Xmas ‘light’-houses seems to have peaked. I used a play a mildly fun game ‘scoring’ the really over-the top ones (very distracting while driving, I can tell you!): I was always hoping there’d be a gross-out poo-ing reindeer, or (back in 2003) Saddam Hussein in Father Christmas garb, to score a maximum 10 :-). I’d have like to have fixed a Xmas night run-around with two teams competing to find the highest-scoring ones in a limited time, but could never find enough people free on Xmas Night. I found council estates were the best places. There’s a renowned street of these joint displays on Southampton’s Townhill Estate, which I think may have influenced the council to install a one-way system along it because it becomes such a bottleneck during Advent with visitors coming to gawp. The street (Broadwater Road) collects for charity. They had a very inventive design one year of a champagne bottle whose cork ‘popped’.
Many thanks, Paul. There must be a book in the phenomenon
Should it be called “A Sense of Perspective”? Or “No Sense of Perspective”: the first time I saw a series of these joined from one house to the next was just up the road. One night when I passed, the middle house was dark, and there was a man on the roof (yes, they used the roof, too!) obviously fixing the problem (an electrical problem, note, dear readers), IN THE RAIN!!! Yerss.
There is a street in Morden which is gradually losing its contributors as Muslim families move in
I am pretty surprised by the lights because I thought only Americans decked their places out like that 🙂 We just got our lights up yesterday evening!
Thank you, Weekly. There are lots of little communities that do that, but this one is the craziest I have seen 🙂
Sometimes I like a lot of crazy lights like this, and sometimes I like a serene scene. So far, this year, I am leaning more towards bright and brighter.
Wow. This is wonderful Christmas post. I love Your photos, they are stunning. Merry Christmas.
Thank you, Sartenada. Praise indeed, from you. Same to you and your lady
Lovely photos. This made me chuckle, a fitting end to a lovely day out:
No further sustenance was required after we returned home. 🙂
Thanks, Timi
Beautiful flowers Derrick! Then the dichotomy of the lights! Interesting post!
Many thanks, Rob