Major General James Wolfe, aka Tryfan46

A quick walk around Mote Park before Marion and Debs came over at 1.00pm. We were going to Quebec House in Westerham to see their Georgian Christmas event. Quebec House was named in the hounour of James Wolfe, who was famous for beating the French in the Bettle of the Plains of Abrahams in 1792 but loosing his life in the process. The French general Montcalm was also killed in the battle.

A long siege was ended with an audacious attack via a steep cliff face from the St Lawrence River that the French had not considered to be a threat. I remember this story from my earliest days; it featured in one of the Ladybird Books we all had as children.

It was also interesting for Marion, being Canadian, to visit somewhere that shaped the definition of her nation. And being from such a young country she is always blown away by the old buildings and the history of the UK. As for being a Georgian Christmas it was a very low key affair, after all it was the Victorians who started the Christmas festival that we know today. The house had some decoration and Christmas treats were being offered in the kitchen, including mince pies made with real meat, not a fruit mixture.

In the evening we went to the Christmas Carol Service at Holy Cross in Bearsted. I always want to enjoy these services but never quite do. Some of the carols were unusual (which in itself is not a bad thing) but the choir sang too much on their own and some of the music was very dirge like. A Christmas serivce needs to be jolly and pacy for me. And do vicars learn to speak like they do at Theology College?

We did enjoy some mulled cider, Christmas cake and panettone back home though.