Christmas Eve

There's been very little rain and certainly no snow since we've been in London, but some resourceful people at a nearby construction site didn't let the lack of snow stop them from spreading some winter cheer:

And although we did most of our grocery shopping yesterday, there were a few things we still needed to get before the stores closed down for Christmas and Boxing Day, so it was back to Sainsbury's for us. We thought it would be busy, but completely forgot about the concept of perishables being marked down before a two-day store closure, and were shocked at the end-of-the-world crowds and mentality we encountered, especially in the produce section. The markdowns were substantial though, and I soon found myself stocking up on some fruit and vegetables at some very very reasonable prices.

The blackberries may not be as yummy as the ones that Bob and I used to pick along the Stanley Park seawall (you can't beat berries that are still warm from the sun), but they'll make a nice accompaniment to the special Christmas pudding (chocolate, of course, to satisfy Bob's chocolate tooth) that we're having with our Christmas dinner tomorrow. After bringing home our shopping, we decided to head out for a Christmas Eve walk...if we were in Vancouver, we would be heading to the Hoffman open house for good company and their splendid food spread, but I suppose since they went out of town this Christmas, at least we didn't miss anything! When we were almost home, we came across a very strange sight for Christmas Eve:

This tree didn't get to have Christmas! The garbage wasn't in front of a flower shop; it was just outside a residence. Maybe the people went away for Christmas and didn't want to leave the tree drying out while there were away? Regardless, it was a bit sad.

But to balance that sad sight, here's a pic of the tree we got a few days ago...the smallest tree I've ever had, but a cutie and a happy addition to our flat.

Happy Christmas Eve!