Twixtmas

Does anyone know what day of the week it is, let alone what date? Every day over the holiday period seems to blend into the next, when the most difficult decision to make is what book to read or what cheese to eat.

I've been spoiled for choice with reading material- both festive books and Christmas gifts thanks to family and friends.

And I did very well with beautiful writing gifts too, thanks to my thoughtful godson.

Speaking of cheese, we were spoiled for choice with a gorgeous cheese platter when we got back for our annual Christmas theatre treat. 'The Shop at the Top of the Town' at the Theatre at the Mill didn't disappoint. And neither did the cheese platter. You'd have thought that by now we'd all be fed up looking at cheese, but clearly not, as it soon disappeared.

Let's hope that by the time all the cheese in the fridge has gone (which won't be too long) I'll be ready to get back to some writing.

Not all writing groups are like this...

At the weekend our writing group gathered for our Christmas get-together. As much as we look forward to our monthly meetings, our annual summer retreat and our Christmas party are the highlights in the year.

I made some writing fuel (cranberry and orange muffins) to help get our creative juices flowing before the party started.

As well as catching up on our writing news, we did a couple of writing exercises and shared them in the group. Then the party started.

I feel very blessed to have been part of this writing group for so long. We encourage each other and have become friends along the way. And not only do we have very talented writers in the group, we also have very creative people who paint and make their own Christmas cards,

 and draw, sing, play music, act, cook and bake.

Everyone brought something for the dinner. Our starter was a gorgeous goats cheese salad,

followed by three bird roast, ham, roasties, a seasonal red cabbage salad, sprouts, cranberry sauce, chutney and gravy.

We finished with tiramisu and berries for dessert. Our Christmas party was a lovely way to bring our writing year to a close. Here's to another good year with our very special writing group.