Getting in the Mood for Christmas: Of Christmas Songs and Island Voices...

With only a few days until Christmas is upon us, I wanted to share with you a good technique to get excited about Christmas. Every year, if my mood is sinking slightly, I find that one of the best ways to pep up my Christmas spirit is listening to a good dose of festive music.

Living on the Isle of Wight makes Christmas quite special.  Not to sound like Yoda, but the community vibe is strong with the Island...and there's always so many exciting events held around December time.

One of these events is Carols at Quarr, which is the annual carol service held inside Quarr Abbey's serene chapel. (For anyone who doesn't live on the Isle of Wight, Quarr Abbey, originally founded in 1132, is a working monastery which is home to a small group of Benedictine monks.) Tranquil gardens surround the architecturally stunning Abbey, which remains opens to members of the public most of the year.

On Sunday, led by Linda Filby-Borrett, the Voices of the Isle of Wight held their annual Christmas concert at Quarr Abbey. The fundraising event reportedly went extremely well and the group raised a whopping £860 in collections! Even better, all proceeds went towards maintaining the beautiful and historical Abbey.

After hearing such wonderful feedback from friends about the concert, I was extremely anxious to hear Voices of the Isle of Wight perform their Christmas showcase. Thankfully, as part of a fundraising initiative, Linda Filby-Borrett had produced a CD containing 23 different Christmas tunes—and featuring both the Voices of the Isle of Wight and the monks of Quarr Abbey.

I received my copy of An Island Christmas this morning and have been listening to the CD on a loop ever since. The music is hauntingly beautiful and sends shivers down my spine every time I listen to the talented choir. In particular, O, Holy Night and In the Bleak Midwinter were favourites, eliciting goosebumps and almost moving me to tears. Special mention should be given to Emily Scotcher, whose stunning voice shone out chillingly during her solo piece In the Bleak Midwinter.

I've always had a soft spot for Gaudete and the Voices of the Isle of Wight definitely did the song justice, raising a smile and stirring fresh feelings of excitement towards Christmas. The sensitive orchestral accompaniment throughout each song perfectly balanced the truly magnificent singing from the choir. I was also impressed with Nancy Borrett, the violinist for Away in a Manger, who delivered an exceptionally beautiful instrumental.

Truly, this sort of music is perfect for those in need of a little Christmas spirit. If anyone reading this blog wants a boost, it's worth purchasing a digital download of some uplifting Christmas hymns—or even attending a local carol concert. 

Christmas is for everyone...and so is happiness. May your Christmas be a joyeous one.

F x

N.B. An Island Christmas CD can be purchased for £12 (including postage) from their website. All proceeds go towards maintaining the Grade I listed church at Quarr Abbey.

Brighstone Christmas Tree Festival

 Every December, for the past nineteen years, Brighstone has held its special Christmas Tree Festival and welcomed guests in from near and far to view the spectular assortment of Christmas trees. Over the course of the past nineteen years, over £90,000 has been raised for various charities because of this superb event—and nothing gets me in the mood for Christmas more than the festivities held around the little village of Brighstone!

With carol concerts, musical ensembles, nativities, bands, festive food and much more, Brighstone Christmas Tree Festival is never short of festive fun. This year, there were over 190 decorated Christmas trees placed around the seven different venues (located in Brighstone and the neighbouring village of Mottistone).

Last Friday, Domi and I wandered across to Brighstone for another one of our random adventures. We were just in time to catch the IW Village Society performing some crackin' Christmas tunes at the Wilberforce Hall. It did not take us long to spot the festive food and drinks stall—nor did it take long for Domi to snag a small slice of stollen for an afternoon snack!




Whilst we were eating, the IW Village Society sang a host of the traditional favourites and encouraged audience participation.

There's something rather warming about singing along to carols with other cheerful members of the public, and it reminds me of how lucky I am to live on the Isle of Wight. Our quaint little diamond-shaped island is so friendly and homely, and I couldn't have asked for a better place to live.



After we had finished belting out carols, Domi and I got a chance to look at some of the beautifully decorated trees. People had gone to such trouble to decorate their trees, so it really was a joy to visit the different venues and look at each painstakingly adorned tree.

Please excuse the picture quality—my mobile phone doesn't take great photos!

There were lots of different trees to view; however, I've just posted up a couple of favourites so that you can get a flavour of the experience. I don't know if you have ever visited similar festivals but I think it's a lovely way of bringing the community together— and I'd definitely recommend the event for anyone visiting the Isle of Wight next year!

Domi next to her favourite Christmas tree in the Wilberforce Hall

I particularly loved the 'Minions' tree, which had been decorated by Brighstone and Shorwell Brownies!

 

 

 

Finally, Domi and I took a walk around the village of Brighstone, admiring all of the pretty Christmas lights outside the houses and shops. Everywhere looked so beautiful and we couldn't help but smile at the magical setting.

I plan to post a few more blog posts in the run-up to Christmas—but, in the mean time, please accept my warmest wishes for the Christmas period. May your Christmas be blessed with lots of happiness and laughter!

F x

Autumnal Walks and Neolithic Stones...

Yesterday, I took a lovely stroll across the countryside with one of my closest friends, Domi. Domi and I have known each other since primary school so there's something very special about our friendship. She's seen me at my worst, comforted me through the sad times, berated me during the silly times, and stuck beside me for all of the fun times. There's never a dull moment with her and we both enjoy being outdoors around nature.

The Isle of Wight has some of the loveliest walks you could imagine. The air is so fresh and you cannot help but feel rejuvenated when you trek through the forests, listening to the sound of copper leaves crunching beneath your boots.

I've always been a country girl and I find walking extremely soothing. On this particular occasion, our aim was to reach the Long Stone in Mottistone, which is on the south-west coast of the Isle of Wight.

The only thing about undertaking walking adventures with me is that I tend to stray off the path sometimes...and this has varying degrees of success. For example Domi was not too thrilled by the fact that—after I'd taken something of a detour from the path—she was faced with no other alternative than to slide down this hill.

The lovely thing about walks around the Isle of Wight is that you can have a panoramic view of forests and bracken one side of you, whilst also having stunning views of the sea on the other side.

Of course, as is the usual way, Domi and I decided to do some outdoor yoga exercises. I have to say, doing yoga in jeans is very unforgiving and I don't recommend it! However, I was able to do a few simple positions.

When we were finished with the yoga, we attempted to do a few jumping photos. Our timing was off - and I can't work out whether my photographer for this was either good or terrible as a result! Either way, Domi and I had a good laugh at our attempts to take some 'cool' photos.

We eventually reached our destination for this particular adventure: Mottistone Long Stone. The walks up to the Long Stone are fantastic and there's something rather mysterious about this Neothilic stone. No one exactly knows what it was for or how it was used—but we do know that it's the oldest stone recorded on the Isle of Wight. The Long Stone sort of reminds me of the Isle of Wight's equivelant to Stone Henge and I think it's quite special that we have something which is 6,000 years old so close our homes.

According to legends, St. Catherine and the Devil once had a contest to see who would have control over the Isle of Wight. The tallest segment of the Long Stone, which stands impressively at over 4 metres high, was said to have been thrown with great stamina by St. Catherine all the way from the eastern Down. In contrast, the Devil's stone, which measured just 2.9 metres high, fell short and he subsequently lost. As a result, the two stones came to rest in their current positions, with St. Catherine's standing regal and proud above the Devil's meagre stone. It is said that this is symbolic of goodness triumphing over evil.

Sadly, the area surrounding the stone has been damaged over the years and it's thought that the stone was moved from its original resting place during the Saxon times.

People believe the stone was used for gatherings during the Saxon period. Apparently, the Saxon word for meeting was 'moot' so many people think that the village of Mottistone's name was actually derived from the term 'meeting stone'.

The Long Stone is said to have been built on a ley line, which apparently means it has special energies surrounding it. Being around a ley line is meant to be uplifting and very positive—so I had a touch of the Long Stone to see if I could feel any energy pulsing from it.

Of course, whilst we out and about around the Long Stone, we also couldn't resist basking in all of the autumnal beauty surrounding us—and having a little fun with all of the fallen leaves!

Thank-you, as ever, to all of the wonderful people who have taken the time to read this post. May your day be as magical as mine was yesterday.