Pale · Cast

On Christmas Eve we went to the Red Lion in Lacock to see the Ragged Heroes Mummers. They are an impressive troupe, Old Father Christmas heralding their arrival, green-faced, suitably accoutred in obscuring fronds of ivy. Wonderful costumes for the mummery - coloured strips of cloth, a clacking horse skull in a leather bridle, a young boy with his children on his back, the sword-brandishing Saracen. Brave St George slew both the Saracen and Napoleon - and then called out to the audience for a 'maiden' to kiss them both and restore them to life. Now, I saw the Ragged Heroes at Yatton Keynell many years ago, an outdoor performance in a muddy yard and I was then plucked from the audience to perform the honours so I thought I would be safe this time. But no! Lo and behold, blushing furiously, I was, once again, called on to be maiden and ordered to kiss ('on the lips!!') the fallen - thereby restoring them to life.
Christmas was lovely - the girls woke us at a very civilised 8am for round-the-tree present opening. I took the dog for a long, quiet walk and then we headed for my parents' home in rural Northamptonshire where we spent the day and night with my parents, brother and sister, their respective spouses and children and dogs.
Some lovely presents came my way too - including some rose perfume, the enchanting album White Chalk by PJ Harvey (try it! ghostly, gothy, English folky, quirky...) The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails, and a couple of books, including Alan Bennett's Talking Heads.
Today I was back to work - picking up on my magic gardens / funeral violin gothic fantasy, which I haven't touched for months and needs to be finished by the end of March.