General News
3 December, 2025
A Mum's World: Carols by candlelight
It’s time to dust off your deck chairs people – Carols by Candlelight is here again to ‘Ignite the Spirit of Christmas’ across the region.
This Sunday evening at the Sawyer Park Soundshell, I will be emcee alongside Greg McKinnon.
Unlike Greg, unless I have completely misjudged the man, I will be wearing enough heavy elastic underwear to slingshot me right off the stage if I happen to bend the wrong way.
Look out for low flying post-menopausal women landing on you if you’re in the front row!
While the organising committee, performers, sound, lighting and decorating teams have been working hard for months to prepare, all I’ve had to do is find a dress to wear, and that’s been quite challenging enough for me thank you very much.
There’s plenty of gorgeous dresses around, it’s just that they have to go around me, and there’s more interesting lumps and bumps to navigate these days.
I need fabric, pleats, tucks and seams in all the right places. Frankly, all hope now lays in my big elastic pants – if I can get them on without doing myself an injury.
I’m happy to be cut out of them at the end of the night if necessary and I will have a daughter or two on hand welding scissors should the need arise.
Obviously, I hope everyone in the whole wide world can come along to the event because it is so uplifting.
Where would we be without Christmas?
A lot less hopeful, that’s where. Certainly, for a night outside, that’s beyond everyone’s normal routine, most small children will get tired and possibly teary as it gets late, but they can go home after Santa leaves the building and the rest of us love to see the little ones being so gorgeous.
Everyone else needs to bring a warm coat because it will get cooler when the sun goes down.
If you can, bring some coins for The Outback Mind Foundation and your appetite to support the food vans.
Mainly though, bring yourself and your loved ones because there’s plenty of soft grass to sit on.
Our local talent is gob-smackingly good, so please don’t miss out.
“Tis the Season to be Jolly”, and the season for the corellas to move into our back paddock, so I’m up at the crack of dawn listening to them squawk – I don’t think there is a kinder way to describe their raucous noise.
Up with the birds means lots of extra time for Christmas baking – well that’s my excuse anyway, feel free to borrow it.
Yes, that is a mud cake you can smell baking in my oven. Not very Christmassy I hear you say?
It will be when I serve it with berries and cream and stick a bit of holly on top – da da!
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed Spirit dries up the bones!” That’s from Proverbs chapter 17, verse 22 and good advice for anyone who cares about their health.
Read More: Horsham