Sunday 7. December 2025
Holsworthy, Devon
With December progressing, my birthday and Christmas approaching, I have had a very social week. This makes a huge change to this time last year when I didn’t have a friendship group at all.
I am writing this almost a week later, but that doesn’t matter!
Last Thursday I met up with the other Cirencester Radio volunteers and presenters, and we went to The Fleece for a lovely Christmas meal together. There were 11 of us in total. I had 2 courses – a starter of carrot & ginger soup with a bread roll, followed by roast Turkey. I enjoyed it – it was very good.
With 2025 turning in to 2026, that marks 20 years of community radio in Cirencester; We first launched as Corinium Radio back in 2006! As one of the original Corinium Radio founder volunteers, I’m looking forward to marking this milestone, and in the next few weeks I will be getting in touch with Corinium Radio volunteers from the past, to put together an anniversary programme which will be broadcast in May…Watch this space!
Friday was another meal out – this time with other Greek speaker, learners and Greece enthusiasts from around the Gloucestershire area. We went to Greek On the Docks in Gloucester for a very tasty Greek meal. I had 3 courses for this meal – starting with Φέτα Φόρνου (baked feta) and pita bread, then γιουβέτσι (beef giouvetsi – essentially, beef in a tomato sauce cooked in a clay pot with orzo pasta and cheese). For pudding I had a caramel creme slice – which was more of a block (or brick) than a slice – but light and very tasty. I do love Greek food! 🇬🇷 💖
On Saturday, a night in was needed….but to celebrate my birthday I had 2 close friends round for dinner. Hannah and Calum are people I’ve only known a few months, from the autism group I go to every week in Cheltenham. I’ve made some really good friends in that group and we’ve all supported each other through a difficult year. The cards they got me meant so much to me!
After picking them up from Cheltenham on Saturday afternoon, we returned to my house where I made home made pizzas, sat in the sitting room (with Sooty curled up by my feet), watched a bit of TV, listened to some music (somehow we ended up listening to songs about cheese because I put lots of cheese on my pizza)….and of course, enjoyed eating the pizzas, once they had been made.
On Sunday morning, I locked the house, got in the car, and followed the same route Mum & Dad had taken the night before, to get to Holsworthy in Devon, where we’d stay until Tuesday. We had a lovely self-catering cottage (barn conversion) on a farm just outside the village – on the main road going towards Bude. Outside the cottage there are fishing lakes (for Dad) and the family also run Holsworthy Golf Club.
Arriving shortly before lunchtime, we drove to the Golf Club and had a very good Sunday carvery. I had a slice of beef, chicken and pork – with roast potatoes, stuffing, gravy….and I enjoyed it. This was followed by a lemon posset with ice cream for pudding (also very tasty).
Some photos of our cottage are above – Very comfortable bed, I slept very well – hot tub in the garden which was really cool (I’ve not been in a hot tub before….kind of makes me think of Scandinavia in the Winter!)… lovely big comfortable sofa in the living room with a big TV, and a proper kitchen and dining room too.
Monday 8th December was my birthday – my next blog post will have some photos of the day trip and walk we did near St. Austell on that day.
FH.
