Decorations!

The tree was finally decorated yesterday afternoon. It sat for a while in a half-way state, with nothing but lights, well, lights and one robin decoration, which I really like. I am always tempted to leave it just like that. In a pleasing state of simplicity. 

However, the grandchildren turned up and covered it in angels, baubles wooden Santas and the usual sort of Christmas tree stuff. Some people have beautifully themed trees. My sister's tree is almost always totally colour-coordinated. I, on the other hand, have never managed that. Like my flower bed in the spring, it has a kind of wild charm. Well, that's the theory anyway. What it hasn't got is tinsel - disgusting stuff- or chocolate decorations. The latter will probably have to be bought. I am feeling pressure from the grandchildren building up! 

After the grandchildren had departed yesterday, I spent an inordinate amount of time writing Christmas cards. Each year I toy with the idea of sending out an email or Facebook Christmas greeting to all my friends but somehow it lacks something of the Christmas spirit. And, besides, I truly loathe the e-cards that some people send for birthdays. So I simply sat down with my address book and wrote cards. 

This morning I walked into the village to post them before heading into Manchester to shop. (There are people who expect gifts at Christmas time, after all!) My idea was to go to the post office and then wait for the bus at the stop outside that establishment. When I reached the crossroads, however, I noticed a police "accident" sign across the road into the village and lots of police in hi-visibility jackets milling around. No one stopped me walking up the road, so clearly there was nothing too gruesome to be seen. 

As I got closer to the centre I could see it: a huge lorry completely blocked the junction of the main road through the village and the road coming down the hill. There was no way any vehicle was getting past it. 

Obviously, the lorry driver had come down the hill and tried to turn left to go through the village. My theory is that he was following satnav and ignored the weight limit signs, which should have been right up at the top of the hill. He might just about have managed a right turn although that too would have been difficult. As it was, he was well and truly stuck. 

Someone told me that he was unable to reverse because he did not have enough weight at the back of his truck to give him the necessary traction. They were sending for cranes. Goodness knows how the cranes would get themselves into the right position. I suppose that two would be needed, one approaching through the village from the other end and one coming down the hill. Quite a masterpiece of communication would be needed to coordinate it all. 

I was not hanging around to see it, however. I had a bus to catch and if that bus was not going to be able to get into the village to do its usual turn-around, it would miss out the village completely and head straight towards Oldham. Consequently, I had to get back to the crossroads sharpish in order to be there when the bus arrived. I assume that a successful rescue took place because when I returned later in the day the police notices were gone and the village appeared to be fully open once more. 

When I first saw the truck this morning, a policewoman with an odd sense of humour told me that they planned to put fairy lights on it and leave it there for the Christmas period. That would be the kind of Christmas decoration that the Wake Up Delph Committee had not been planning for.