December Will Be Magic Again

I'm trying to talk myself into this title.

December has not been without its stresses, so a little recap of the good bits.

We visited Bob at Much Wenlock Christmas Fayre, kickstarted by alfresco mulled wine.  Outside only because we had my Mom in tow and with one of Bob's girls feeling below par, we needed to avoid exposure to seasonal bugs.

Making the most of our park and ride facility, we walked into the village, taking a shortcut through a field.  Luckily we knew the way!

The weather was, for once, seasonably cold, with sky the colour of pewter, forewarning snow.  Christmas is often a time when absences are more keenly felt and so it was when I spotted the vicar (far right) who gave such a wonderful eulogy for my friend Caroline, only a few months prior.

We passed a very Dickensian former sweet shop - now a 3 bed holiday cottage.

The market is always well attended with plenty of local produce and  artisan stalls.  One immediately captured my attention and after coveting a certain item, I'm secretly hoping to find it under the tree on Christmas morning.

The market spilled over into the churchyard and as the light faded, the brass bands struck up and the hustle and bustle of Much Wenlock's biggest annual event increased a notch beneath the broad boughs of trees laden with twinkling lights.

The lights from within gave the Grade I listed Holy Trinity Church's stained glass an ethereal glow.  Whilst the church dates back to the 12th century, its spectacular glass mostly dates from the 19th century, set into much older frames within mainly 16th century stonework.

The churchyard, being centrally located, is flanked on one side by the Guildhall, constructed in the aftermath of the dissolution of the monasteries and completed in two phases, the south end (the court room) in 1540 and the north end (the council chamber) in 1557.  The building was converted in 1869 with the prison at the north end dismantled and arcading of the central section to allow markets to be held.  Here it is in action.  I wonder just how many people have passed through this building over the centuries?

Back in the streets, the atmosphere was magical and the smells of wood smoke and roasted chestnuts permeated the air.

This museum piece of an RSPCA donation box caught my attention.  Don't forget they need our help too now, more than ever, as careless owners continue to abandon their impulsively acquired lockdown companions.  

William Brookes, the great under-achiever, lived here.  English surgeon, magistrate, botanist and educationalist especially known for founding the Wenlock Olympian Games, inspiring the modern Olympic Games, Brookes certainly made his mark!

Heading back to our car, we passed this beautiful doorway.  A good door is always worth sharing.  

The festivities continued at NT's Wightwick Manor, the Victorian manor house furnished in stunning Arts and Crafts style.

Those of you who don't embrace Christmas might want to avert your gaze momentarily.

Once inside, the kitsch factor was absent, replaced by the Victorian Christmas splendour one would expect, including A Christmas Carol installation greeting us in the property's hallway.

We wafted through, from room to room, absorbing the origins of what we now think of as Christmas - the trees with presents beneath... 

....Christmas greetings cards and paper decorations...

....and candle lit elaborate table dressing.

I could have lingered in this room for an hour, enjoying the low light accents.  The man in the background could so easily have gone unnoticed.

More low light in the atmospheric corridors.

Naturally, the servants' quarters were devoid of decoration with domestic drudgery being the order of the day.  Yes that is an Aspidistra leaf sticking out of the sink.

Vix, have you had your crochet hooks out again?

Back outside, I took a few photos in now plummeting temperatures, including the impressive window frame carvings.

Even the birds were working the Wightwick aesthetic - a magpie in flight.

Help!  I'm trapped inside a Christmas bauble; an unintentional selfie.

 The family will eat well this Christmas.  Look at the size of the puddings!

Arriving mid afternoon has its advantages.  We saw the lamp light and the very few people.

We also managed to squeeze in the De Morgan Foundation collection of paintings and ceramics.  My favourites included these P&O commissioned panels for use in the first and second class public rooms, William's peacock blue ceramics...

....and Evelyn's mastery of the canvas was breathtaking.  Venus and Cupid, painted by Evelyn when she was in her early twenties.

Venus and Cupid, 1878

Moonbeams dipping into the sea, oil on canvas, c 1916

I found the story behind this interesting, being slightly obsessed with light myself.  Evelyn was fascinated by electrical lights and how these changed the way the world appeared.  In the above painting, she used prismatic colour over nude female forms to experiment with the effects of light on skin.  There are also theories that the women could represent new telegraph lines which were being installed under the sea at the time.

There is another version of this painting at the NT Cornish property Lanhydrock.

We had a brief look inside the shop, where De Morgan Christmas baubles were on sale at £23.00 (beautiful, but I resisted), before heading back to the relative warmth of the car.

As anticipated, although a little early for the UK, the big freeze began.  On our favourite walk from home, we discovered that the canal had frozen in parts...

....beautifully illustrating Autumn's transition into Winter, the Autumn leaves littering the icy surface layer.

We were also rewarded with some beautiful sunsets as we neared home.

Last light, as glimpsed through the wood behind our house.

But the weather hadn't finished with us yet.  Before the week was out, we had a covering of snow and this time it stuck around.  According to the old wives' tale, if snow lingers, it usually means that more is on the way.  Here it is, captured on our walk over Enville, past the cricket club...

...down to the pond....

...and up onto the hills.

In fact, the snow lingered for over a week and greeted our old friend Jon, who messaged out of the blue to say that he was over from Canada and doing a Christmas catch-up road trip from his sister's house in Yorkshire to Heathrow in order to pick up his wife and kids, who were arriving a few days later.  Jon stayed the night and as a result of  travel disruption in Dallas for Lori and the children, was able to stay a little longer than anticipated the next day, so we headed to Kinver Edge for a festive walk and showed him the delights of the Rock Houses.  Considering Canada is now Jon's adopted home (snow tyres go on in October and stay on until April), even he commented on the cold - that very particular kind of damp cold that seeps into aching joints.

So there you have it, baubles, Christmas trees, snow and ice; all very festive.   But for us, it's the unexpected delights and enduring friendships that really count.

Have a wonderful Christmas!