Monday 26 December 2016

Christmas Day Fork Handles


Good grief - now George Michael. 5 days to go - can the fates squeeze a few more in?

Overheard at Christmas dinner:

Hay's Dad: "Well, when I went over to Barbara's relatives I  felt so out of place - they were all youngsters. I  asked if they had a pair of scissors. When they asked why I said so I could cut some slashes in my trouser knees."

I have been  very dissatisfied with our Christmas tree this year and I put it down to LED lights. They comprise pinpricks of light that seem incapable of illuminating the tree itself - the tree just sits in the background as a dark entity and nothing of it, or the decorations on it, basks in any reflective glow - there simply is no warm glow. I'm banning LED lights next year and replacing them with the old fashioned ones (if I can find any) where, if one bulb goes, it takes you an hour to find which one has failed. They at least cast a light. Anyone else with LED tree lights having the same issue?

Disappointed with the Christmas TV schedule to the point of wanting to refuse to buy a TV licence next year. With the exception of a programme on Alan Bennett and his film, The Lady in the Van, there was absolutely bugger all worth watching over the last two days - it's as if the TV station staff have gone on holiday and dredged the barrel for the most boring and banal crap to be played till they come back. In the 70s and 80s the Christmas schedule was the highlight of the year; now it's the low-light. We even resorted to watching Mrs Queen at one stage (her mention of that harridan, Mother Teresa, who reveled in the suffering of her charges, seemed a bit strange and did her no favours).

I have this little Dutch Christmas decoration - a candle-powered angel chime. The candles drive a fan, which in turn make small cherubs strike two bells. Had it donkey's years and am rather attached to it. The problem is that it depends on four candles of a type that are difficult to purchase here in the UK, so I use four tea lights, but they're not tall enough to get the heat near to the fan. It does work, but at about 1/3rd of the speed required, although that does reduce the chime from "annoying" to "a faintly pleasant tinkle".



2 comments:

Roger said...

We covered to led last year and noticed the same issue. We wouldn't have used them again this year but we didn't put our tree up until the weekend before Christmas and the shops were already taking decorations off the shelves.

potty said...

A candle powered angel chime had a star role on the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture shown this evening.