Saturday, January 1st 2011

Happy New Year to you all!

Roger and I decided to leave our newly acquired American culture behind and celebrate in the time honoured British tradition. Hence, as the strokes of Big Ben rang in the New Year at midnight GMT, (7:00pm EST), we opened our bottle of champagne and celebrated. My tradition from the north of England is that when the sounds of all the local church bells ring out, a tall, dark handsome man knocks at the front door and presents his gifts of a lump of coal and a paper twist of salt, thus ensuring good fortune and sufficient heat and food for the coming year. 


When I was a child my Uncle Norman was always chosen to be the 'First Foot'. We would usher him outdoors a little before midnight and he would wait on the doorstep until the bells began to peal. In those days our local churches had teams of bell ringers so we heard the real thing - I can still picture in my mind seeing them reaching up, pulling down on the ropes, and then letting them slip back through their fingers as the rope was pulled back upwards with the swaying of the bell.


   The rest of our family would crowd into the front hallway

 waiting for the knock on the door. Up and down the street the custom was continued, with much swinging of arms and blowing into cold hands to keep warm for those few dark, silent minutes of anticipation. As the sound of bells rang joyously throughout the neighbouhood, doors would be opened and we would hear shouts of welcome as the First Foots entered and were offered glasses of brandy, whisky or port to toast the New Year.

Whatever your tradition, may the coming year bring all the blessings that you would wish for.

With affection,

Vivienne.

Sunday, January 9th 2011

Not too much in this Sunday's news, I fear. 

My attention has been totally occupied in attempts both failed and successful to transfer all my files from my old computer  to my new one. I am sure that none of you want to hear any more details on that topic – suffice it to say that in the future I shall have far more sympathy and understanding when I hear that others are undergoing a similar process!

I note that Hampshire Athletic Club, where I see many of our own members, is exceptionally busy these days. My assumption is that many of the newcomers are gung ho to fulfill their new year resolutions of eating and living more healthily. Assuming that this is indeed the case, and that most resolutions are short lived, I have high hopes that in another few weeks matters will be back to normal, with no more lines waiting for a space in the pool. 

On the other hand, I have not noticed any reduction in the number of people in line for a table at Judy's (one of my favorite hang-outs),
 so maybe the resolutions encompass moving more without necessarily eating less – now that is a suggestion that does appeal to me!

At Hickory Ridge we will have our usual selection of low calorie salads and veggies plus hearty soups and entrees, so I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday. Our speaker will be one of our newer members, Amanda Lange, talking about sweet chocolate – what was that remark about counting calories?

Keep cosy,

Vivienne

Sunday, January 30th 2011

Hello Everyone,

It's just not possible - how can I not send my usual weekly greeting? Even though the sun is shining, the temperature is in the eighties, the chap on the beach just climbed up our palm tree and cut down two coconuts for us, we saw fabulous tropical fish swimming around the reef on yesterday's snorkeling venture, the local freshly harvested citrus fruits taste like nothing we ever buy in Stop and Shop, the island horses wander along the roads causing drivers to come to a complete halt until they have passed, the neighbor's dog trotted across the yard with a three foot long (plus tail) iguana hanging from its mouth..................................................yes, folks, despite all these distractions the mail will still get through!

Relaxed right down to my toes.

I am sorry to say that I have no idea whatsoever who is this week's scheduled speaker, but I can tell you that lunch will happen, a speaker will address you, and you will delight in Hub's company.

Here on the island of Vieques, just off the tip of Puerto Rico, we are having a wonderfully relaxing stay in a little cottage - three beds, two baths, swimming pool in the back and the front with a lawn dotted with palm trees and its own gate on to the beach where we can swim and snorkel on days when we feel too lazy to drive. Yes, life is good to us.

See you in one more week, love to all,

Vivienne (and Roger).

Sunday, February 13th 2011

Happy Sunday – Happy Love Notes Day!


     

Here are the two silliest messages that I found when I searched on the web for 'Love Notes':

       What is love? It is what makes your cell phone ring every time I send text messages.

       There are two reasons why I wake up in the morning: my alarm clock and you.

So much for love in the modern age!

This Tuesday our luncheon time will be taken up with auctioning left over goods from Love Notes and exchanging stories about the event. For those of you who have other commitments this afternoon, do take advantage of Tuesday's opportunity to hear all about it. 

…………………………………………………………………………….

On a related theme, yesterday was my daughter-in-law's birthday so we visited her with a card and gifts. This set me thinking. Whatever could be the reason for congratulating someone for being involved in an event over which they had absolutely no control. Now, to congratulate the parents, especially the mother, would make perfect sense to me. After all, she was the one who experienced, even suffered, endless months of discomfort and ill-fitting clothes, and cravings for weird foods that were probably completely out of season and unavailable. She put up with ugly puffy ankles and a bump that got in the way whichever way you turned when trying to get to sleep.

 I became a mother in a hospital that had been opened in 1870 to serve the local workhouse for the poor, and remained so until 1930.

 Although much updated inside, the exterior still had that dark forbidding look of high brick walls with little windows that glared back as if daring you to feel any sense of pleasure at entering therein. Husbands were considered to be of no consequence whatever and were grudgingly permitted to visit each evening for one hour and one hour only, not a minute more. While in labor, the expectant mother was confined to bed in a tiny room and left to consider her state until the interesting event was imminent.

Out of this appeared the miracle that is motherhood. One tiny squealing little bundle of fists and feet captures the heart and renders all that has passed inconsequential. How else but by a miracle would I have willingly and happily repeated the process only two years later.

And so, In December and January, on the anniversaries of my sons' births, I not only present them with gifts, but I also give thanks for having myself been blest with the gift of motherhood.

Valentine's Day is traditionally associated with romantic partners, but I also like to think of it as an opportunity to think about the many kinds of love, and how they enrich our lives on so many different levels. May you be as blest as I have been.

Love to you all,

Vivienne

Sunday, February 6th 2011

Hello Everyone,

Well, I and my suitcase have returned home but my brain still seems to be on vacation. Hopefully it will be fully functioning by Tuesday when Roger and I are scheduled to be the note takers. Our speaker will be Claude Tellier who will be telling us all about his recent trip to Cambodia to see how things are going with the Water Project to bring fresh water to some of the villages there. For myself, I find it especially interesting to hear of the imaginative ways in which some of our own club members are using their skills to benefit others.

Ang Village family well. Concrete cylinders are made in the village to line hand-dug wells that reach groundwater at about 30 ft. This design is simple, long-lasting, holds up during the dry season, and serves several families.

As discussed last week by Hub, if there is sufficiently bad weather that the schools are closed, our lunch also will be cancelled. If the schools merely have a delayed opening, lunch will proceed as usual, with the board meeting to follow. In the sad event that we do not meet, I plan to spend the time baking for Love Notes and then freezing the dish until Sunday morning. Believe me, I shall be so nervous on Sunday morning that no one in their right mind would consider eating any food that I might prepare that day in the kitchen!

Love Notes is just around the corner – the last minute tasks are going ahead at full speed – our newer members might like to know that we have an informal agreement that members are encouraged to wear something red for the occasion. Not everyone does, and that is perfectly fine – but if it is a good color for you, then do go ahead and  flaunt it! I have to confess that I have decided that for the first time I shall refrain from wearing red – just the usual 'woman' thing about not having a single suitable thing to wear!

It will be lovely to see you all again in Tuesday – vacations are terrific but it is also good to return to one's own home – and dog…..

Bye for now,

Vivienne.

Sunday, January 23rd 2011

Hello Everyone,

I'll begin with the essentials:

Lunch this week will feature our very own Hub – wit and charmer par excellence – I am so sorry that I shall miss him! The speaker will be equally charming and (dare I say it?) even prettier – being Sabine Holub, the wife of the university chancellor. If you have not had the chance to meet her, I can tell you that you are in for a treat.

Musings are rather thin on the ground this week as my thoughts have been equally divided between preparing for our trip this evening to the Caribbean and ensuring that I have attended to all the necessary tasks in order to keep Chestnut's life and the household ticking along as usual.

We did, however take a long walk yesterday morning at Amethyst Brook, on Main Street/Pelham Road. I do believe that this may be the prettiest walking area in town, with its combination of open fields, stands of evergreens, murmuring brook  and hilly trails with the occasional vista. Yesterday in the snow the gentle path meandering alongside the stream was as beautiful as any you would find in Europe and I was yet again reminded of how lucky we are to live here. Amethyst has a regular clientele of dogs and their walkers who recognize each other and exchange greetings. We tend to remember the names of the dogs rather than their owners and have been know to greet someone at an event or in one of the town stores as "Hello, Jeep's person, how nice to see you, how are you?"

I remember that some years ago I was staying in my Aunt's flat in London to look after her black lab while she was away. I would take him for his daily walk just around the corner in Hyde Park and he would be greeted by gentlemen in bowler hats with "Hello Ben, old chap, how are you today?" I was merely an appendage at the end of his leash and merited nothing more than a tip of the hat!

That's the British for you, of course, with their very own set of priorities. Some friends were looking at photos we had taken in Scotland and were puzzled by a road sign that read 'BEWARE OF SQUIRRELS' with a depiction of a rather cross looking squirrel to accompany it. The intention was to alert traffic that increasingly rare red squirrels were in the area and care should be taken not to run them over. I suppose that the cross squirrel was a warning as to the possible consequences of upsetting an injured squirrel's relations, who might appear en masse to seek retribution.


  You have been warned!

Enough of that nonsense – I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday 8th just in time for Love Notes the following Sunday.

Best,

Vivienne