'Less Than A Month!'

I am working hard to try and get prepared and organised for Christmas in good time this year after a couple of 'debacles' the last two years. When you fail to sort things out before the word 'December' hits the calendar you are on a very slippery slope! By GUM the time flies away from you at that point and as you become too stressed to enjoy anything you miss out on the magic of the run up to Christmas and how that can make you feel...

When you are organised, have written all your cards, sent all the overseas ones, written all of the letters to go inside them AND have sorted and wrapped up all of your presents though you can just relax and soak up the festive atmosphere. The  Christmas lights have now been switched on in Battle and there is no better a place to go - especially when its getting dark to feel the 'Disney' kind of vibe that Christmas evokes. The sight of Battle Abbey all lit up and of the tiny Christmas trees that usually hang out from above shop fronts around the Market Square is amazing and as there are also plenty of public benches to sit on in the square you can simply relax, be merry and think of favourite memories or of 'the things to come' this year.

I am soon to be 'off on my travels' back to Grassington and the Dickensian Festival there. It should be fun but I reckon this year its going to be much colder and probably damper up in Yorkshire than last year. I'm going to try and fit in all of the things I missed last year (including a trip to the little museum there) AND make the time to go and have a pint in the quaint little Pub there. Hopefully, the trip will live up to my expectations but its always a risk 'going back' to somewhere in consecutive years because if its not so good the second time you kind of spoil your overall memories of the place, you know?

I had a 'traditional taste' of High Street shopping yesterday in Hastings. It brought home to me just why most of us shop online these days because, try as hard as I might to support the High Street, I could not find the item I wanted to buy anywhere in Hastings. Every shop I went to that I thought would have it did not and in the end that is what you are up against. Time is of 'the essence' to most people these days what with 'flexible' working hours and so the average person needs to be able to find what they want quickly. Mind you, It did bring back lots of happy memories of shopping back in the 1980's when we would all be seen carrying a plethora of carrier bag fulls of stuff in town on a Saturday or at Christmas time. I used to love looking at people struggling with all their bags and  wonder who they were buying the stuff for? The snag with all kinds of shopping is that the more a person looks  - the more they buy and usually for themselves! (lol) We all know what WE want but struggle to find presents and so for every £1 you spend on someone else you are likely to spend twice that on yourself! (lol)

I did get some LOVELY Christmassy enamel badges (you can see a few of them here) though from one of the St Michael's Hospice charity shops. All of the money raised goes to help the hospice and so I couldn't resist - especially as the designs are so cute and festive. In my situation I shouldn't really be 'handing out money' but Christmas is all about 'good will to all men' (I do feel sorry for women on this occasion!) and the hospice do such fantastic work.

Finally, I managed to get a glimpse of the fabulous old Steam Train that visited Hastings Station yesterday afternoon at around 3pm. While the weather was rotten and it was raining looking down on the train from the bridge in Linton Rd was a lovely, nostalgic and emotive experience. There was quite a crowd with me, which was nice to see, and we all 'oohed and aahed' when 'the old girl' fired up and pulled away in clouds of steam towards us and we heard that (once) familiar chugging sound as she picked up speed. It was only a Steam Train but it brought back so many wonderful memories for me of my Nan and Grandad, Fish N' Chip suppers and sitting on the bridge watching the trains in their old Austin A40. Whenever a Steam Train came in or went out of Hastings Station I used to delight in getting enveloped in the smoke as it went under the bridge and would then rush over to the other side of the road to watch it gradually disappear into the tunnel. I did most of that yesterday (couldn't get really into the smoke due to the crowd) and so for me that train yesterday was like catching a glimpse of the Polar Express...

You can see a video of the Steam Train on my Youtube channel, Maybrick44. Sadly, we are not allowed to include links here anymore but if you type in 'Steam Returns To Hastings' and Maybrick44 into your browsers you should find it o.k.

Love Tony xx

'The Lights At Westfield'

I had a lovely afternoon at the G.R.O.W. (Grass Roots Open Writers) Christmas meal. Beginning with a visit to a pub in Ninfield for a carvery Christmas lunch once the light started to go it was time to make our way to the 'Capital City of Christmas' - Westfield to see the Christmas lights this year.

I don't think there are quite as many homes in the village this year that have taken part in the annual event to raise money for St Michael's Hospice but it is a tad earlier than I usually go so maybe that is why?

This said, there are PLENTY of amazingly festive sights to see in the village and many of the 'regulars' have gone out of their way to 'up the ante' even more and produce some new displays. I'm not going to show you all of them here because I want to encourage you to go to 'make the pilgrimage' to Westfield to see the sights yourselves but I have uploaded a few of the best pics I took here in order to 'get your juices flowing'!

I shall be back in Westfield for my other writing club's Christmas Dinner (Shorelink Writers) on the 19th so it will be interesting to see if more of the houses are lit up by then or not?

The villagers do such a good job of promoting Christmas and of advertising the Christmas spirit that just walking about the village in December is an uplifting and re-assuring experience! I fear that the whole idea of Christmas is in decline these days (hence this blog!) and so I love it when I am anywhere where it is obvious that this is not the case...

One of home owners has come up with a really great Santa projection show as well! If you stand outside and watch you get to see Santa moving about seemingly inside their house! He looks as if he is delivering presents and even peers out the window to wave at you!

Especially fun for the kids, I found watching it almost transported me back in time to when my eyes would go all big and wide at the thought of seeing Santa Claus dropping off my sack of presents at the end of my bed on Christmas night...

I hope the villagers do well with their collection this year. I did not see as many collecting buckets or places to drop donations into as last year though but like I said it is still a little before the prime Christmas season. Go on! Get yourself and you family and friends out to Westfield and re-kindle your inner children!

'Presents Being Awkward and Westfield'

I have had quite a bit of bad luck this year in my annual search for 'just the right present for just the right person'! I pride myself on trying to discover/think of something each person wants or would love WITHOUT letting them know in advance or asking them for ideas... I had THREE 'secret weapons of joy' lined up this year for three people and have had my plans scuppered on all of them this time either because they have already bought the item for themselves, there has been a delay of some sort or I ended up buying something that has now turned out not to be suitable for some reason ( like someone buying a new TV and they now cannot plug in their old DVD player to it!) This is all very disappointing not to mention costly as I now have two or three presents with no-one to give them to! Oh well, never mind, I LOVE trying to beat the odds and get someone a great present and when I do manage it the reward of seeing them so happy AND surprised is worth all the money in the world!

I'm DEFINITELY now getting the Christmas spirit at last. Been wearing my festive jumpers and generally thinking Christmas - all of which is making me feel brighter in spite of the horrid weather.
I went out to see the Christmas lights at Westfield the other day as well (as you can see) which has probably helped get me in the mood. SO nice to see a whole community pulling together to raise money for charity like that. This year they are raising money for St Michael's Hospice, which, is a fantastic cause so I hope they will do well. Gave a little bit myself while I was there. it wasn't a lot but I think if everyone who visited gave £1 the Hospice would receive a HUGE amount in the New Year!

Do give a little to the Westfield Communities cause if you go along and see the village for yourself. It only takes a tiny amount from each of us to make a real difference. In fact, making a small difference to any aspect of your local community can start off a HUGE chain reaction in time. 

As the 'Clean Up Man' I know that better than most!