Mitsue comes to visit in a gorgeous kimono

What a lovely surprise when our Sunday lunch guests arrived.

June and Kenneth with Mitsue from Japan, and Mitsue wearing her beautiful National dress.
Here she is on arrival in her stylish outdoor clothes.

Beef casserole, roast potatoes with sprouts, cabbage and kidney beans followed by fresh dates mixed into the end of a Victoria Sponge cake which had been soaked in sweet sherry. Topped with vanilla ice cream. Candles on the table and a bottle or two of red wine plus liqueurs to follow.

Everyone seemed to like.

.

Mitsue had a good look at our Christmas tree and I explained that most of the trinkets on it have been bought or made over the years, from the now very tatty angel on the top that Jennifer made almost 30 years ago at Chagford playgroup to the solid Xmas tree 3 inches high that we bought at Lechlade when we had completed our navigation of the River Thames in our narrowboat from Lime House basin through the city and up it as far as you can travel. We walked into town to buy a celebratory bottle of bubbly and there was a shop entirely dedicated to Christmas decorations. Well that was it wasn't it ? Perfect excuse to buy yet another trimming for the tree.

The angel looks good for a few years yet and I won't be throwing her out - ever!

Click on the photos if you wish to see them full size, which in actual fact is about a fifth of the size that I took them.

I'm typing this on January 6th, so after lunch we plan to take all the decorations down, it being Twelfth Night. The ivy that is draped up the staircase and on the tops of pictures makes brilliant kindling for the fire when it has had so long indoors to dry out.

I gave Mitsue the blog details so that she can take a look when she gets back to Japan. We get to see her twice a year when she comes over to visit June and Kenneth at the Mythic Garden, and each year she has something on show in the garden's annual exhibition. This year she is working on some masks with a Japanese friend who lives in Moretonhampstead, and I am looking forward to the results.

This is me on the left.I think I will reduce the photo and add it to my home page on www.dartmooraccommodation.co.uk Nancy has shared the top spot with me for long enough.
I just want to say Goodbye to anyone reading in Japanese ....
so :-

さようなら :-'Sayonara' means 'Good bye' in a formal way.
でわまた :- 'Dewa mata' means 'See you again' in slightly formal way.
またあいましょ :- 'Mata aai masho' means 'Let us meet again' in a informal way.