December

Prizes for Jay

On Friday 1 December the Allens Hill competition centre held their annual prize giving, accompanied by a buffet supper at the local pub in Pinvin. This year there were runaway winners in the two main classes, so Jay was not expecting more than a T-shirt as one of the runners-up.

However, she again won the prize for cross country champion – a pink fleece, embroidered ‘Champion 2006’. She also got a runners-up T-shirt (in the senior rider category) and Clyde’s reward was a new blue numnah. Oh, and we all enjoyed the supper. Once again, well done Juliet and Clyde!

On the way to Pinvin, we stopped in Broadway, where it was late night Christmas shopping. The village was packed. The main attraction was Father Christmas giving rides in his horse and trap.

It was the second week of the month before we decorated at home this year. We bought a traditional Christmas tree for the main room. Less traditional, though we’ve had him for nearly ten years now, Douglas Fir, the talking Christmas tree, terrorises the hall. Teresa prepared her Christmas cake some time ago, and iced it later. It has turned out well, and tastes good too.

Tree Douglas Cake

Christmas One Day Event

On Saturday 9 December, Jay and Clyde went to the Christmas One Day Event at Allens Hill. This comprised dressage, show jumping and cross country disciplines. It’s a long day for horse and rider (not to mention groom and driver): Jay was down at the stables soon after seven in the morning and not back home until about four in the afternoon. Clyde got to wear his Christmas antlers again.

Jay and Clyde preparing to compete (click to enlarge).

It was a close competition: after the dressage Clyde was equal first, and both leading horses went clear in the show jumping, leaving them still level. In the cross country, they both again went clear with no time penalty. In this case the winner is the horse closest to the specified time, and Clyde just missed out by being half a second faster than his rival. For coming second, he won a large cuddly reindeer to match his hat.

Fizzy

On Wednesday 6 December, we collected ‘Fizzy’ – a Fiat Seicento, which we hope will help Jay to learn to drive, and will avoid any awkward clashes when we have another driver in the family.

We spotted one of these at both the dealers we had been looking at. Jay was attracted immediately, but Roger at first rejected it (‘too small for my big feet’). But, after our first deal fell through, we returned to it, and all agreed it fitted the bill.

Fizzy was 5 years old, but low mileage, and, as far as Jay is concerned, ‘small is beautiful’.

Jay driving Fizzy home for the first time

Later the same day Roger had his troublesome tooth extracted, the subsequent discomfort disappearing just in time for Christmas.

Oxford Offer For Jay

On Tuesday 19 Jay received an offer of a place at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, to read Biology, starting in October 2007, subject to A level results.

The previous week (11 – 12 December) we had taken her to Oxford for interviews. Lady Margaret Hall was her first choice. Until recently it was a ladies’ college, and we thought its parkland setting just north of the science departments would suit her. She was also interviewed at Somerville. We were on tenterhooks all week. She felt the interviews had gone well, but, of course, you can never tell.

Imagine our delight and relief to return from shopping one day the following week to find a reassuringly large envelope lying in the porch – and the shrieks of joy on opening it. One of her earlier offers (Bath, Warwick and York) would now become an ‘insurance offer’, welcome as they were at the time.

Talbot Hall, LMH

Shopping In Oxford

After Jay’s interviews in Oxford, Teresa visited for the third successive day to meet up with Helen for some pre-Christmas shopping.

Christmas

Christmas then followed apace, with a couple of get-togethers with the neighbours; Helen returning home for a break - a full week this year; our traditional meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; and, just to complete the set, the central heating leak, back again on cue on Christmas Eve.

As usual, Teresa had worked hard on making sure the presents included something to please everyone, and there seemed to be more than ever. But pride of place has to go to the identical lap-tops for the girls. Teresa had ordered them early, so, by the time Christmas came round, she had configured them with all the most useful software they could wish for and were ready to go straight on-line. And she had added speakers so they could double as CD and DVD players.

Some of the events are recorded in pictures in our Christmas Gallery.

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