Crimbo

Good thing I have the house decorated--I had two friends over for wine and nibbles on Thursday and I had 16 people over for coffee and treats after our weekly walk at Stormont. Here is the table laid for my two friends; I didn't have time to take a photo when 16 people were descending on me.

The stairway:

The front hall.

The upstairs lounge:

The light isn't very good in these photos but you get the general idea. After the Stormont crowd left and the washing up was done, I took the bus into Belfast and did a lot of Christmas shopping, mostly at St. George's Market.

Sunday I walked Paddy at Giant's Ring, played 14 holes of golf, and walked Paddy again. These two trees are on the border of a formal terraced garden; Malone House barely visible in the distance.  

Giant's Ring, with a passage tomb in the middle.

The National Trust owns the forest I walked through and has installed loungers for forest bathing.  

Here's the inscription.

Dec. 11-12