Christmas tree

Our Christmas tree is at least twice as tall as when we bought it a couple of years ago.  I think we will just manage to get it inside for Christmas this year, but I guess we will be decorating it with outside lights in future years.

I took the extra yesterday afternoon in Charterhouse Square.  It was only when I uploaded it to the computer that I could see that the bloke servicing the lamps was from British Gas, so presumably they are gas lamps, which seems appropriate for such a lovely old square.

You can just glimpse the Charterhouse in the background.  It has had many reincarnations - as a Carthusian monastery (1371), Tutor gentleman's London home (1535), and charitable foundation set up by Thomas Sutton (1611) as an almshouse for 80 Brothers and a school.  The school moved out of London in 1872 but the almshouse still provides housing, care and support for single people who are over 60 years old, who are in financial and social need, and who are capable of living independently.  The Brothers (some of whom recently are women) have their own flats but otherwise live as a community, eating and socialising together.  Heartbreakingly, the first wave of Covid hit the almshouse hard and several Brothers died which was devastating for such a close community.  So far they have escaped any mortalities in the second Covid wave.  However, their vital fund-raising through their museum, guided tours, musical evenings, open gardens, and Christmas Fair are all on hold.  We are Friends of the Charterhouse and they need all the Friends they can get at the moment.