This evening I went to meet my dear friends L and O a wet bus-ride west of Oxford in Witney. There was so much conversation over a fabulous Vietnamese meal that it wasn’t until they walked me to the bus stop home that I remembered to give O the bookmark I’d made him. I’d written a short poem about this endearing coincidence on the back of the completely unexpected business card I now have from having completely unexpectedly gone back to work.

L and O are both local councillors so have some responsibility for Witney’s lovely Christmas lights. The best touch by far is this Christmas pudding, the winner of the town’s annual competition among local schoolchildren to submit a design for the centrepiece on the Town Hall. Don’t you just love those raisins? The lights designed by previous winners are displayed opposite (extra).