Christmas - for all
I am grateful to the lady from New Hedges who has sent me the following: Some say the only way of not giving offence to people of other faiths, and no faith, is by making Christmas non-religious, and obviously changing its name - a celebration of The Winter Lights, Winterscape, and all sorts of other names except CHRISTMAS. Leaders of other major faiths, commenting on the actions of some authorities who wish to abandon the title Christmas, have said in clear and strong statements, that they do not find the celebration of Christmas at all offensive or undermining of their faith. Indeed, they say quite the opposite, that it is good and proper for Christians to celebrate such a very special festival. Christians are those for whom the Christ of Christmas has significance and we celebrate the time of hope for all human kind. The coming of God, into human history, is as relevant a message now as it was when it happened two millennia ago, and the message then of peace and goodwill is still as much needed now as then. This Christians sincerely believe. The message of Christmas, God with us, is a call to heed the Prince of Peace and the message of Love and renewal, which his coming promises. Peace between nations, between religions, between people of different ethnicity and culture. This is not a tinsel belief. It is at the heart of what the Gospel (Good News) teaches about God. It is the work of the church to state that message, with love, and compassion, to everyone. Christmas is a precious Christian festival, sometimes hidden under all the baubles and jingle bells, but Christians cannot keep Christ out of Christmas, nor can Christians keep Christ's church out of the community of men, women and children, because that is where He chooses to be. He moved in with us, and us means everyone! The message of Christmas is hope for renewal and re-creation of all people, in the image of God as seen in Jesus Christ, because everyone is precious to God, and no one is excluded. Christians, as much as everyone, enjoy the celebrations, but the Mass of Christ means a celebration of Christ, and that is central to Christian beliefs. May the blessing of God be with us, with his world, and may his transforming power make new the hope that comes with the Prince of Peace.
Could Ram-nesia become your tipple?
As many readers of this column will remember the highly potent home-brew that every self-respecting farmer had at Christmas time and harvest, you may recall the mention I made some weeks ago of the real ale that is on offer at the Yerbeston Farm Shop. Last week, I spoke to Penny Samociuk, who enlightened me on some unusual aspects of their enterprise: On their very small holding of just five acres at Llanarth - with an additional 20 acres rented nearby - Stefan and Penny keep a small flock of pedigree Suffolk ewes. This they have done for the past seven years since Yorkshire-born Stefan retired from being employed as an underground sonar surveyor. "We have really come to love our sheep," says Penny, a well-qualified graphic designer, who was born in Africa of Welsh parents. So much do the sheep mean to them that when the couple set themselves up in the brewing business two years ago, they called all their beers with sheep-related names and many have already earned top awards within the licensed trade. With Stefan carrying out the brewing, from recipes which he has found and some that he has adjusted to meet his requirements, and Penny doing the bottling and labeling, Penlon Cottage Beer is now sold across south and west Wales and north as far as Pwllheli - as many as 5,000 bottles each month. But what do you ask for? There are an amazing nine varieties from which to choose. Could it be Ramnesia or perhaps Gimmer's Mischief, Twin Ram, Tipsy Tup or Lamb's Gold if you wanted a beer ranging in strength from 5.6% down to 3.2% - the lowest strength beer available in Britain. Ewe's Frolic is a particularly refreshing lager and then there are also Stock Ram - a dark stout, Chocolate stout or their speciality Heather Honey Ale. Everything is chemical free, produced from the best available malt, yeast and hops and is bottle conditioned from 4-10 weeks. Present outlets are farmers markets, farm shops, delicatessens, local convenience stores, hotels and guest houses but, aiming to build upon their remarkable success in such a short time, the couple have plans to further promote their products and to develop more outlets.
Seasonal ode
On the first day of Christmas my true love said to me, I'm glad we bought a fresh turkey and a proper Christmas tree. On the second day of Christmas much laughter could be heard, As we tucked into the turkey - a most delicious bird. On the third day of Christmas we entertained the people next door, The turkey tasted just as good as it had the day before. Day four relations came to stay, poor gran is looking old, We finished up the Christmas pud and ate the turkey cold. On the fifth day of Christmas outside the snowflakes flurried, But we were nice and warm inside, we had our turkey curried. On the sixth day, I must admit, the Christmas spirit died, The children fought and bickered, we ate turkey rissoles fried. On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love he did wince, When he sat down at the table and was offered turkey mince. Day eight and nerves were getting frayed - the dog had run for shelter I served turkey pancakes with a glass of Alka Seltzer! On day nine our cat left home - by lunchtime Dad was blotto, He said he had to have a drink to face - turkey risotto. By the 10th day the booze had gone - except our home made brew, As if that wasn't bad enough, we suffered turkey stew. On the 11th day of Christmas, the tree was moulting, The mince pies were as hard as rock, and the turkey was revolting. On the 12th day, my true love had a smile upon his lips, The guests had gone, the turkey too - and we dined on fish and chips. -author unknown.
A lesson well earned!
"Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were said to be feeling chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Not surprisingly, it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too."