Ilkeston - Our Christmas
w/e 28 December 2014
All this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490

CHRISTMAS EVE The Market Place features a number of times in "Our Christmas". Markets were held most days in the week before Christmas including Christmas Eve when several traders turned up. We walked through the market on our way to Earls (formerly Peter James) Hair & Beauty in the morning.

It has become something of a tradition in the last decade to visit the hairdressers as they get into the festive spirit by donning fancy dress. This year's circus theme risked me being asked "You don't let those clowns cut your hair, do you?" but I've never had cause for complaint.

Christmas is an exciting time for children and there was some excitement for adults too when I walked through the town centre a little later. Part of Bath Street was cordoned off and police and fire fighters were in attendance. Apparently part of a window frame on the third floor of the former Argos store was in danger of falling onto the shoppers in the street below.

A little further down Bath Street, Ilkeston Brass were entertaining the shoppers with a selection of Christmas carols and songs outside the Albion Centre.

Traffic at both sides of the town centre was almost at a standstill as seen here (left and right) near both ends of Chalons Way and it was hardly any different in the supermarkets for pedestrians. There were long queues at all the tills as shoppers waited to pay for their last minute bargains at this shop in the Albion Centre. I was just pleased I didn't have to queue and that I wasn't driving either.

Back at home we had a baking session for part of the afternoon making mince pies, some with pastry tops, some with icing, jam tarts and sausage rolls. Together with a Christmas cake made and iced earlier, that should see us through for a while. As darkness fell I learned that the International Space Station (or was it Santa Claus?) was due to pass overhead and I took several long exposure, hand held shots. This enlarged and enhanced bonus image was the best result and the camera shake could account for the wobbly line in the sky. Have to admit though the red dot at the front could have been a reindeer's nose and it may well have been Santa Claus heading back home to restock.

Just over an hour later the man in question (left) did make a return to Ilkeston and was in attendance at the Mayor of Erewash's Annual Christmas Eve Carol Service on the Market Place. Accompanied by musicians from the Salvation Army (right) those present outside the Town Hall enjoyed Bible readings and prayers and joined in with a selection of Christmas carols.

CHRISTMAS DAY We were back on the Market Place (left) the following morning when it was much quieter with very few people about at all in front of the Town Hall (right). Those that were, headed for St Mary's Church for a short service of Holy Communion and Carols around the Crib. One young lady joined the other characters to look in the stable now complete with the baby Jesus this Christmas morn.

BOXING DAY It's customary to have a family day on Christmas Day and to go for a walk on Boxing Day but contrary as usual, after church in the morning and a light lunch, we took the dog for a long walk before settling down to watch the Queen's speech on TV. Boxing Day was our family day with a roast turkey dinner - complete with sprouts! We were still serving up when this image was captured. (Diets start next week!)

It's not often that we get together with all three grandsons at the same time so after our meal we posed for this image of the three generations. Not long after they had left to make their ways home, the snow started to fall and by Saturday the town centre was covered with the white stuff. So ending where we started these images of the Market Place conclude "Our Christmas". Now for the New Year!

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