The running of the deer

We sleep until half past eight waking to a cloudy, but dry, Christmas Day, the deer are feeding in the field as I let Normy into the garden. when he comes back indoors, we listen to the Christmas Service on radio four while I make breakfast, the usual, but excellent, full English. After a shower, I walk Norman down the lane as far as the farm, the only other living souls abroad, are other dog walkers, it is a mild day and it comes on to rain again as we make our way home. So much for deep and crisp and even, more soggy, wet and damp. After drying Normy, I load him into the car and set off to Filey, where my sister Jacqueline and my brothers, Andrew and Chris are staying for the holiday with their families. The roads are wonderfully deserted, with only the occasional car, transporting someone somewhere for Christmas Lunch. We arrive at "The Bay" in Filey, a holiday village constructed on an old Butlin's Holiday site, around eleven thirty and are met by Andrew, my unmarried brother, who is staying with Jackie, her husband Gino and their two grown up girls, Rachel and Rebecca, plus Alex, Rebecca's boyfriend. They have just finished preparing lunch, the Turkey cooking on a low heat in the oven, all the girls fall in love with Normy and he falls in love with the smell of roasting meat. After the ritual cup of strong tea, we all make our way to the pub, "The John Paul Jones", named after the eponymous captain of the American Frigate, "The Bonhomme Richard", who fought and won the only naval engagement of the American war of independence in British waters, off Flamborough Head, a few miles away. There are quite a few dogs in the pub, but they are all on their best behaviour, after a short while, my other brother, Chris joins us and we spend a happy hour together before Norman and I have to leave and then drive back to Beverley. I am due at Sarah's for Christmas Dinner for half past three. After feeding Normy when we get back, shortly before three, I pick up the presents for Sarah and my grandchildren, before making my way to North Bar, where I am greeted by Louis, who is eager to show me all the toys Santa has brought him. These are a mixture of super hero figures and their vehicles and a tablet computer. I was turned forty before I had a computer that didn't belong to work, Louis now has one and he won't be six until June! My granddaughter, Alice also has a computer, an Apple Mac Air, Clement, the oldest has been given money, to help him with University, but he also has a miniature helicopter and we have a lot of fun, flying it around the living room, the miniature throttle and joystick take quite a while to master, so the little chopper has a few prangs, much to the delight of Louis. Sarah's boyfriend, Richard, is cooking lunch and the oven is on go slow, but it isn't a problem, as we eat our starters first, and then have the main course half an hour later. Lunch is excellent, Smoked salmon and prawns to start, with a nice Sauvignon blanc and roast rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings for mains, with an excellent Medoc, that I found yesterday. We are all too stuffed afterwards to bother with dessert, a choice of lemon cheesecake or Christmas pud and just flop in our chairs and watch "Lord of the Rings", on channel four, until it is time for Louis to go to bed, and time for me to return to Tickton and feed Norman, with a doggy bag of beef and Yorkshire puddings, courtesy of Sarah. But first we dress Louis in the football outfit that Santa Claus left at my house, everything fits, including the boots, and after a quick kick about in the hall, off he goes to bed, a very happy little boy. Tomorrow Clement and I are taking him to his first professional football match, Hull City v Leicester City, at the KC stadium. I hope he enjoys it, but I am taking a warm blanket, biscuits and hot chocolate in case he feels the cold. There is so much food in the doggy bag for Normy that I can only give him half of it, the rest is saved for tomorrow. he eats it with relish and then, as soon as he has finished, lets me know that he wants to go out by running to the door, wagging his tail and barking at me. We walk round the village under an almost three quarter moon, the rain has stopped, at least for a while and it is still very mild. The forecast says the wet, westerly airstream, will persist into the New Year, so no sign of much relief from the floods that are plaguing so many people this Christmas. When we return home, I make a pot of tea and then drink several mugs of it while tackling killer sudoku puzzles. It seems paradoxical, but I feel too tired to read, but can concentrate easily on logic puzzles. Perhaps because logic makes no demands on the imagination or the emotions. To bed for ten.