Christmas Cheer from My Favourite God.

Christmas Day in the Shire has been mild, damp and breezy. The walk was pleasant and I managed to remain amenable to the couple who wished me a merry Christmas when I passed them in Mill Lane (it always happens when I go for a walk on Christmas Day.) I decided that gushing would be dishonest, but they did get a slightly lukewarm ‘same to you’ in return. Ah, but then the good old God of Small Things stepped in to ensure that my Christmas should not be entirely devoid of cheer.

There are two horses temporarily domiciled in a field at the bottom of my lane. One is a grey hunter of about 16 hands, the other a neat little bay of about 15.1. They often watch me with some curiosity when I walk past and they always get a word and a wave in return. Today was different; today they trotted over to the field boundary hedge and stretched their heads so far across it that I was able to touch their noses. Making physical contact with animals is a singular treat to me, so I did have a merry Christmas of sorts after all.