festive – T E Shepherd https://shepline.com author | illustrator | digital designer Mon, 23 Dec 2019 20:55:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.6 https://shepline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/cropped-shepline-white-on-green-square_512-32x32.jpg festive – T E Shepherd https://shepline.com 32 32 Crackers can be be a wasteful indulgence of plastic and tat, but eschewing the expensive shop bought ones doesn’t mean going without. Some @whogivesacraptp toilet rolls, paper wrappings, hats, wooden toys, and bad jokes later, and… #christmas???? #crackers???? #festive #sustainable #noplastic https://shepline.com/2019/12/23/crackers-can-be-be-a-wasteful-indulgence-of-plastic-and-tat-but-eschewing-the-expensive-shop-bought-ones-doesnt-mean-going-without-some-whogivesacraptp-toilet-rolls-paper-wrappings-hats-wooden/ https://shepline.com/2019/12/23/crackers-can-be-be-a-wasteful-indulgence-of-plastic-and-tat-but-eschewing-the-expensive-shop-bought-ones-doesnt-mean-going-without-some-whogivesacraptp-toilet-rolls-paper-wrappings-hats-wooden/#respond Mon, 23 Dec 2019 20:46:43 +0000 http://shepline.com/2019/12/23/crackers-can-be-be-a-wasteful-indulgence-of-plastic-and-tat-but-eschewing-the-expensive-shop-bought-ones-doesnt-mean-going-without-some-whogivesacraptp-toilet-rolls-paper-wrappings-hats-wooden/ Crackers can be be a wasteful indulgence of plastic and tat, but eschewing the expensive shop bought ones doesn't mean going without. Some @whogivesacraptp toilet rolls, paper wrappings, hats, wooden toys, and bad jokes later, and... #christmas???? #crackers???? #festive #sustainable #noplastic

Crackers can be be a wasteful indulgence of plastic and tat, but eschewing the expensive shop bought ones doesn't mean going without. Some @whogivesacraptp toilet rolls, paper wrappings, hats, wooden toys, and bad jokes later, and... #christmas???? #crackers???? #festive #sustainable #noplastic

Crackers can be be a wasteful indulgence of plastic and tat, but eschewing the expensive shop bought ones doesn’t mean going without. Some @whogivesacraptp toilet rolls, paper wrappings, hats, wooden toys, and bad jokes later, and…
#christmas???? #crackers???? #festive #sustainable #noplastic

]]> https://shepline.com/2019/12/23/crackers-can-be-be-a-wasteful-indulgence-of-plastic-and-tat-but-eschewing-the-expensive-shop-bought-ones-doesnt-mean-going-without-some-whogivesacraptp-toilet-rolls-paper-wrappings-hats-wooden/feed/ 0 The Bod looking festive with it’s twinkling tree… #Oxford #Christmas #festive https://shepline.com/2018/11/30/the-bod-looking-festive-with-its-twinkling-tree-oxford-christmas-festive/ https://shepline.com/2018/11/30/the-bod-looking-festive-with-its-twinkling-tree-oxford-christmas-festive/#respond Fri, 30 Nov 2018 16:04:21 +0000 http://shepline.com/2018/11/30/the-bod-looking-festive-with-its-twinkling-tree-oxford-christmas-festive/ The Bod looking festive with it's twinkling tree... #Oxford #Christmas #festive

The Bod looking festive with it’s twinkling tree… #Oxford #Christmas #festive

]]> https://shepline.com/2018/11/30/the-bod-looking-festive-with-its-twinkling-tree-oxford-christmas-festive/feed/ 0 Happy Christmas Eve to you all from the Family Shepherd! #Christmas???? #festive https://shepline.com/2017/12/24/happy-christmas-eve-to-you-all-from-the-family-shepherd-christmas%f0%9f%8e%84-festive/ https://shepline.com/2017/12/24/happy-christmas-eve-to-you-all-from-the-family-shepherd-christmas%f0%9f%8e%84-festive/#respond Sun, 24 Dec 2017 17:15:55 +0000 http://shepline.com/2017/12/24/happy-christmas-eve-to-you-all-from-the-family-shepherd-christmas%f0%9f%8e%84-festive/ Happy Christmas Eve to you all from the Family Shepherd! #Christmas???? #festive

Happy Christmas Eve to you all from the Family Shepherd! #Christmas???? #festive

]]> https://shepline.com/2017/12/24/happy-christmas-eve-to-you-all-from-the-family-shepherd-christmas%f0%9f%8e%84-festive/feed/ 0 Another year, another preposterous #Christmas???? scene… #cake #festive #joy https://shepline.com/2017/12/21/another-year-another-preposterous-christmas%f0%9f%8e%84-scene-cake-festive-joy/ https://shepline.com/2017/12/21/another-year-another-preposterous-christmas%f0%9f%8e%84-scene-cake-festive-joy/#respond Thu, 21 Dec 2017 15:55:08 +0000 http://shepline.com/2017/12/21/another-year-another-preposterous-christmas%f0%9f%8e%84-scene-cake-festive-joy/ Another year, another preposterous #Christmas???? scene... #cake #festive #joy

Another year, another preposterous #Christmas???? scene… #cake #festive #joy

]]> https://shepline.com/2017/12/21/another-year-another-preposterous-christmas%f0%9f%8e%84-scene-cake-festive-joy/feed/ 0 On the ninth day of advent: twinkling lights and festive joy https://shepline.com/2013/12/09/on-the-ninth-day-of-advent-twinkling-lights-and-festive-joy/ https://shepline.com/2013/12/09/on-the-ninth-day-of-advent-twinkling-lights-and-festive-joy/#respond Mon, 09 Dec 2013 20:12:25 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=5858 A bit more of a quiet day today. Well, that is until this afternoon. Whilst I can’t stand the repeated traipsing round the shops, doing panic-stricken Christmas shopping to get all the presents bought, favouring instead to do much by either a) the internet and the comfort of my own home, or b) something by my own fair hand, I do like to not miss out on the experience of the High Street in December and all those festive lights. Last year Emma and I had a lovely afternoon out in Oxford seeing the lights and this year we decided to do it again.

So we headed into Oxford and visited our favourite shops, and looked in all the nice windows, and picked up a few last things we needed. I had thought there was a Christmas market too in Broad Street, but clearly that had packed up and moved off. What there was in Broad Street but the big, ol’ Coca Cola lorry and Santa Claus and snow falling from the sky (somehow)…

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]]> https://shepline.com/2013/12/09/on-the-ninth-day-of-advent-twinkling-lights-and-festive-joy/feed/ 0 On the eighth day of advent: Christmas concerts and American-themed Diners https://shepline.com/2013/12/08/on-the-eighth-day-of-advent-christmas-concerts-and-american-themed-diners/ https://shepline.com/2013/12/08/on-the-eighth-day-of-advent-christmas-concerts-and-american-themed-diners/#respond Sun, 08 Dec 2013 22:38:28 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=5851 A bit of a productive day today, cleaning out the animals and such, but I did get some good reading time in there too – that is – when I wasn’t staring at the most gorgeous of sunsets…

BicesterSunset_20131208_166After the sunset, we headed out into Bicester to watch Lucy in Bicester Concert Band’s Christmas concert in St Edburg’s Church. It was a joint one with a local school choir, and was fun, and good, and Christmassy…

BicesterConcertBand_20131208_171…and then, because by then it was 8 o’clock and none of us had had anything to eat, we decided to go for a bite to eat with Lucy and Luke at the newly opened Dean’s Diner – an American 50s-style restaurant – that has just opened up in the town centre.

We had milkshakes, burgers and fries. Not really on-diet, but very nice, and it was nice to see Lucy and Luke again.

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]]> https://shepline.com/2013/12/08/on-the-eighth-day-of-advent-christmas-concerts-and-american-themed-diners/feed/ 0 On the twenty-first day of advent: the shortest day https://shepline.com/2012/12/21/on-the-twenty-first-day-of-advent-the-shortest-day-2/ https://shepline.com/2012/12/21/on-the-twenty-first-day-of-advent-the-shortest-day-2/#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2012 22:36:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=2367 After the bleak wintriness of yesterday today was one of those crispier, nicer days that make you fall in love with winter. After a quiet morning pottering, and base-icing the Christmas cake, Emma and I headed into Oxford in the late afternoon for a spot of festive Christmas shopping. It was one of those relaxed occasions where I have done all the main shopping, but there’s just a few little things I wanted to get if I saw them, but the main objective was to be around the twinkling festive lights in the dark and the cold and just feel Christmas. I got this from the very beginning, seeing the lights through Summertown (one day I really must visit Barefoot Books), and then no sooner that we had arrived in Oxford but the lights of Boswell’s tempted us invitingly, and there were carol singers in Cornmarket Street and a fire juggler…

The Pylones Boutique is always inviting with its array of bright colours and I found a few stocking fillers in there. The Oxford Covered Market is always a good place to wander round. Turkeys really don’t vote for Christmas…

The Last Bookshop has relocated from Jericho into the centre of Oxford with every book just £2 – perfect for stimulating stockings! And then we were lured by inexpensive, antique glass baubles in our favourite card shop – Arcadia in St Michael’s Street – with a window display to die for.

By then we were beginning to get hungry so we dropped into Wagamama for a meal that may have been a traditional Japanese breakfast but was nonetheless very yummy.

A perfect way to end a perfect Christmassy-festive day. Must make a tradition of this!

]]> https://shepline.com/2012/12/21/on-the-twenty-first-day-of-advent-the-shortest-day-2/feed/ 1 On the eighth day of advent: Let Christmas begin https://shepline.com/2012/12/08/on-the-eighth-day-of-advent-let-christmas-begin/ https://shepline.com/2012/12/08/on-the-eighth-day-of-advent-let-christmas-begin/#respond Sat, 08 Dec 2012 21:42:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=2347 Traditionally it is the weekend closest to my mum’s birthday (25 November) and Stir-up Sunday that launches my preparations for Christmas. It’s not until I play my first carols though that I truly feel Christmas. Today Emma and I headed down to Abingdon on Thames for two sessions in the market square amongst the Christmas Market. When we arrive, some of the band are already playing a last minute, third, session, and it is the perfect accompaniment to some impromptu Christmas shopping.

We have new carol books this year, which some of us have never seen before in our lives. What’s more many of the carols are in 6 flats! Six flats?! It seems the carol books are Salvation Army ones. That explains it then, Salvation Army carols would be written foremostly for brass, and thus the crap key signature for anyone in of a woodwind persuasion.

Following the morning of carols and Christmas markets (including a yummy stone cooked chicken salad on a bed of coleslaw for lunch), we returned home – Emma to a sleep, having only had 1½ hours sleep the night before, whilst I put the Christmas lights up outside and found a home for the large bale of hay we have acquired from Fringford Feeds…

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