In a two-year-old tradition, the Clepto Kitties decorated their 'Catmus' tree and created a 'Kittivity' of their toy mice, birds, fish and other creatures.

Yes, it is pretty devoid of taste, but it is fun.  Here the lion lies down with the spider, the turkeys greet the new-born mouse-child, fish swim in a blanket sea, and a choir of angelic mice announce good news of peace o earth, and good will to all mousies, birdies, fishies, other animals and humans.

A little bit of sillyness is surely part of what this season is about - it doesn't come much more silly than a deity born in obscurity and almost killed before his story began.

The humble swede/turnip/rutabaga before it was peeled, cooked, sliced and reassembled into a 'rutabaga torte' with creme fraiche and parmesan.  Something very simple, very ordinary, made special.  That probably sums up Advent and Christmas.

Looking forward to a yummy festive dinner with young adults this evening.

Three quarters of the way there! And today we are invited to think about the virtue of waiting, or perhaps more accurately, the perils of impatience and instant gratificaiton.  I was midly amused, as I am reading this book in digital form, that the writer used ebooks as an example of this lived impatience - there is surely some irony that they are happy to sell (and preusmably receive royalites for) a book in this format, whilst using it as an example of impatience.

If you are still reading these thoughts, and have strayed with it this far, you clearly do have patience - patience to wait to see what will appear here, and when; patience to stick at it even when some days it doesn't engage you much; patience to journey for forty days rather than the customary 24/5 (or even 22 in its shortest form) version.  Thank you for sticking at it - we are nearly there, only ten days left to go now... we can do it!

The prayer:

Ever-living God, God who is not restrained by time, grant me greater patience that I might wait on you - both in contemplation and stillness, but also to wait for your coming at the end of time.  Like the farmer waits patiently for the crops, may I wait patiently for you.  Amen.