A Winter Songfeast....

Being back in the UK is certainly very bad for me when it comes to writing blogposts.   Contrary to the saying, distance from Small Worlds does not seem to make the heart grow fonder, and although I armed myself with several sets of photos so that I could write posts even when hundreds of miles away, sadly it doesn't seem to work like that.

So my apologies for the silence since September.   Small Worlds is in fact not completely forgotten when I am back in England because I spend many hours trawling charity shops (goodwill stores for those across the ocean) looking for both miniature items, and things that I can "repurpose".   There are hardly any such shops in the Czech Republic so I have to make the most of my opportunities when here.   Well, that's my excuse for the number of bags and boxes that are rapidly filling up our tiny cottage, and I am sticking to it!

But even while I am in England there is something new to see in Small Worlds - and I have photos to prove it!  Although I realised when I looked at them that there is no making at all involved in it.   No repurposing either.  Just a seasonal scene......


Advent Sunday has just passed, St Nicholas Day is imminent, and so too is the annual Winter Songfeast. What better subject therefore than a troop of carol singers?


These delightful little dolls have been in my possession for longer than I care to remember.   I suspect I bought them in the post- Christmas sale at our local garden centre, Van Hages, a source of very many of our Christmas decorations over the years.

In their time they have played many parts - customers in a Christmas shop, relaxing in a Small Worlds Lada scene two years ago, 







and last year out in full force carolling away to the residents of the Victorian Walmer house whilst they in their turn celebrated a merry Christmas.

This year they have gathered around the village Christmas tree and, since there is a lot of snow already, those who don't feel like singing can simply enjoy themselves. 

Oh dear - that sounds as if I think that singing is not an enjoyable activity, which in the week of the annual Winter Songfeast is the last thing that I mean! On Saturday 5th December I shall be together with many friends in Cuffley, Herts, singing "a succulent selection of songs to celebrate the season, bringing warmth and harmony to the darkening year" led by Andrea Small who many of you will know as an avid -and not always entirely helpful, since her suggestions are often more than challenging - commentator on this blog.  There is still time to come along and join us - click on Andrea's name to find out how.






No snow here in Hertfordshire at the moment, but more than enough in Small Worlds to build some snowmen.   It looks as if the yellow-hatted one is actually singing along! 

Taking her ease in the horse-drawn sleigh, there is a new addition to the group...

...one of four little dolls given to me by Jana who does sterling work as the translator of the information labels on all the houses in Small Worlds.   Taking visitors round would have been much harder for me in the early days without her faithful rendering of my words into Czech - I could just pick up a label and read it off!  The same goes for my young helper, Veronika, who sometimes has recourse to the English version.





No Christmas scene would be complete without a crib (probably hard to find a much smaller one than this!).







Or, of course, Father Christmas...

Visitors to Small Worlds on Saturday 12th December, when it will be open from 8.30 to 12.30 to coincide with the Christmas Farmers' Market, will be able to enjoy the scene in person.   I am grateful to another Jana who, together with Veronika, has manned the museum for the past two Farmers' Markets and may be there again on the 12th.   If not her, then her niece Pavla.....my thanks to all of them.

I shall be back with one more post before Christmas but in the meantime I leave you with just a few more photos of fun in the snow and all good wishes for a peaceful Advent season to everyone.   

Oh and a postscript to say that Butterfly has been playing with a Small World too today - go and take a peek through the square window.....