Rothbury nativity

Our trip to Greenvale to collect the Christmas meat and to do some shopping took far longer than anticipated - most of the day, in fact! We were hopeful, on the way to Greenvale, that we would have some good views of the hills around Alwinton, but the sun didn't ever succeed in burning through the mist. 

Next stop was Rothbury, for herbs and spices and a collection of dried peas and lentils that aren't available more locally. Finally to Alnwick. Failed to find anything suitable for a specific gift, but we bumped in to friends when we stopped for a coffee, and lingered in the cafe longer than intended.  Finally, on to the supermarket for a last food shop before the festivities. MrM is anxious that we should have enough for our guests, but I suspect we'll be eating nothing but leftovers for a while once they've left!

In the evening, hung the candles in one living-room window, and put the tree in front of the other. The lights were lit for Solstice Eve.