Its Christmas Eve, I have taken out the live Christmas tree in the shop as it would not have survived in there for another ten days, it is outside and had a good drink, so I hope it recovers. I have hoovered the shop and the stock room and done two late experience day vouchers as presents, which I will post late tonight and they have something to print out on email for the day.

I have tidied the house, lit the fire in the sitting room and the library (my office) there is food on the table in the dining room and candle lights outside for people to see the way in. I am having a small thank you and celebration with neighbours and friends, which I did last year and it was fun, so we are having another go this evening. The dogs are confused, all this action and as yet no one here!! I guess people will arrive soon. Its so very different from last year when it was freezing cold with ice and snow everywhere. Now it is positively mild.

Mollie is doing well with the people who are trying her out, at least I think she is. I do miss having her here, it’s a hole without a horse! However it does mean I don’t feel guilty if I don’t ride, which I doubt I would have had time today.

All the chest freezers have gone and can you believe it as soon as the last one went the new freezer went wrong. However the company sent someone from Gloucester and he managed to fix it – although it took a couple of days. But now it is running OK again thank goodness.

Very sadly we lost our old breeding Verreaux’s Eagle female, she was 32 years old, so I guess that is a reasonable age. However by sheer chance a friend has lost his male out of the pair and so the female is going to come here, I hope they like one another.

The last Owl evening of the year went well, we had a lovely clear crisp night, the guided tours were good, the hog roast excellent and the birds flew very well, they were delighted to be fed huge amounts at the end of the evening as they do not have to fly again until January 3^rd next year!

My drinks party went well I hope, I enjoyed it anyway, most of the people invited - came, and most of the food went, to the disappointment of the dogs, who behaved very well. The house looked lovely and the mulled wine went down  easily! Everyone had left by about 9.00pm and as I can’t bear the thought of clearing up the next day, I had washed up, cleared, polished the dining table, hoovered everywhere and generally got the place back to normal all by 10.00pm, just a little too organised I think, but there you go.

Christmas is round the corner, it’s a wonderful time of the year, so a Merry Christmas to all and I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Mozart’s Story.

Its now Christmas day, the house is quiet, it is trying to rain, I have just got back from midnight mass at the local church, there was no organist, which was a shame. Christmas is here........