Let the

festivities begin!

Singing aloud sing Stille Nacht

The Red Hat Ladies Christmas T@3 (served late,  @4, in the end) was on Saturday afternoon.

A smaller version of Singing Aloud kicked off the celebrations with four carols -
The Angel Gabriel
Stille Nacht
Ding Dong Merrily
White Christmas

Patsy reads 'Miss Thompson goes shopping'

This was followed by some communal singing and a couple of monologues. Unfortunately for the narrators, a drum circle started playing outside the window and almost drowned them out.

Patsy battled gamely through the noise of the drums, re-telling the Martin Armstrong's
story of 'Miss Thompson goes shopping'.  It tells of a shopping trip in the days before supermarkets, detailing the characterful shops and shop-keepers and an irresistible impulse buy. A wonderful poem.

Favoutie Things - Red Hat style.

More songs followed, including one 'wot Maggie wrote the words' to the tune of 'Favourite things' - suitably Red Hat Ladies at their worst finest. All  hope of having an early tea was fading with the departing drummers. It was 4pm before the plates of food forn the buffet started to appear and I was getting twitchy. MWNN was picking me up at 4.30 and there was every chance that I'd miss 'Secret Santa'. I was also ravenous, havng had an early lunch in preparation for and early tea.


Red Hat Queen, Pam, came to my rescue as this year we were all given a Cristmas card with a number. Secret Santa gift no 32 was swiftly produced just in time, after I'd eaten a few sandwiches, quiche, pork pie and druk a glass of 0% alcohol pink fizz. Mince pies were thrust into my bag and I made my way across the darkening street to where MWNN was waiting beside the now-empty Farmers' Market stalls.

Now I'm in the mood for some real Pink Fizz - is it time yet?