Christmas 2

 

 

We had a very quiet Christmas day which was lovely.

Our friend Brenda came to stay and we watched the TV programs we wanted to.

I slept through the queens speech and one or two other programmes as well.

This is the real meaning of Christmas.



Roland made the stable when we first got married

and the little figures were from well before I met him.

I did think of replacing them at one time

 but they have become a family heirloom

 

The tree decorations have also become heirlooms

The little bell was made by Jen when she was at Nursery

The bird was mum and dads

The glass house and bauble were made by Claire when she was small with her nana

The white bauble and the multi-coloured bauble were Rolands

The stocking was knitted on the knitting machine when I had one.

The butterfly was given to me by Shaun and Fiona.

So every year lots of fond memories come out of the decoration box.

Lynnes Christmas

I hadn't realised I hadn't posted this blog

These are photos taken on the day of Saoirses Christening.

 Christopher and Alistair stayed with us on Saturday

I love this expression.

Roly, Louise, Oliver and Saoirse in Church

At the reception after

Christmas nostalgia

These photos are scanned from prints so aren't very good.

but they are typical of Christmases we used to have.

We used to spend Christmas nearly every year with my mum and dad

from when my children where small until they grew up and some had children of their own.

We spent the day there having Dinner midday

After dinner it was parcel opening time then games.

Pass the parcel, the chocolate game and pin the tail on the donkey among many.

The house was full of conversation and laughter.

 

In the top left hand corner is dad with his pint of lager and probably with his hearing aids turned off, having a break. He absolutely loved having the children round

 

In the bottom left hand corner is Mum and Rolands mum having a conversation

 

The centre photo is the tea time buffet that was laid about 5 o'clock.

 

The bottom right photo is Claire and Jenny making the parcel for pass the parcel.



Sunday Reflections

We've had a wonderful weekend. Lots of photos but I'm only posting one or two.

 

It was Mandi and Marcs' wedding on Saturday.Marc is Rolands' nephew  and Stuart invited to go down to Derby on the Friday and stay with them until the Sunday.

 

We got to Stuarts house about lunch time and after having something to eat we went to a woodland where a Beech tree has been planted for Rolands' sister Christine and and an Ash for Rolands and Christines mother.

 

Rolands' mum died  years ago on 23 December 2005 after a 6 months stay in hospital

Christine came here from Derby every week of that six months to see her.

In March Rolands' younger sister discovered she had cancer. We managed to see her once before she died on the 22nd April 2006.

 



The next day we went to Mandi and Marcs wedding and we had a really great time.

Everything went well all day.

Stuart and Alison(Stuarts' partner) with Mandi and Marc

 

Staying with us at Stuarts house were Louise and John, Stuarts cousins

and Craig and Jackie, Stuarts newly found niece (that is another story)

Here we all are having breakfast out on Sunday morning

before leaving for home

Just look at the view from where we ate.

 it was even better than the photo

 

Thursday Reflections

Today I don't know where my energy went but it has up and gone.

So I haven't done much.

I've been getting ready to go away tomorrow for a wedding in Derby.

The wedding isn't until Saturday but Stuart, Rolands brother in law and father of the groom has things planned for us, a visit to Rolands sisters grave and an evening meal tomorrow, Marcs wedding on Saturday and a breakfast on Sunday morning. I do hope my energy appears tomorrow.

I also have made a card for a very special person and really enjoyed myself doing that.

 

I'm not sure if I can blog before Sunday but I will have lots of photos then.



Wednesday Reflection

Well the tree is up the earliest I have ever put it up.

I usually don't put it up until the weekend before Christmas but with Annes prompt and the fact so much is happening over the next two weeks Roland and I put it up last night. 

 

I was awake to see the sun rise this morning

 Unfortunately the curtains are reflecting in the glass on these two photo



Tuesday - Lets Reflect.

It is Annes week this week and she has given us a very appropriate challenge.

For this last month, we have once again something special because December is such a special month. December is a month of celebrations, be you religious or not, a month to spoil children a bit (or a lot), a month in which we might reflect and think about other people in the world who aren't as lucky as we are to have a roof on their head and food on their table, a month in which people try to forget their differences, a month in which we try and go that little extra mile to make our loves ones know how much we love them, spend a bit more money than we should, eat of bit more than we should.

December is all about sharing.  For some of us, December might be a bit more difficult, because of the loss of loved ones, but the biggest wish of these loved ones surely would be to be remembered but at the same time see us happy, so we should honor them by enjoying this beautiful time.

Our word for this week starts with a G, but it is in fact a group of words :
                             
Go for it

May be you can take some pictures if you already started decorating your house, or bought a couple of presents, may be you just want to blog about what Christmas means to you, may be Christmas is specially a big deal for you this year, may be you will be celebrating Christmas on a different day in your country, whatever your situation, tell us your plans and share your excitement

My photos today are my preparations so far for Christmas.

Stamps and cards ready to write

 More trees ready to make

 The tree and decorations out of the loft

 Some of the cards ready to post

I don't usually get the tree down until the week before Christmas but Annes challenge has encouraged me to get it down early. NO SPIDERS, ANNE

Sunday Quote

I've just realised I hadn't published this post on Sunday so I'm doing it now

I've got a great deal of catching up to do as I found blogging on the tablet and using different servers very difficult so I didn't learn much about that.
We had a wonderful time in Edinburgh. We were wined and dined and walked our feet off.

 

 

The whisky experience

We had a talk about the different Whiskeys and where they came from

then shown around this room of the owners collection.

One of the whiskey we tasted cost £99 a bottle.

 Entertainment on Saturday night

 Some of the views of Edinburgh

Thursday View

The last month of my views for the year. Thank you Jenny for setting this challenge.
My views have been from various places but in the main I have tried to take them of the garden.

 

It is still untidy after the building work and will probably stay that way until the Spring

 These views of the park were taken yesterday

What a difference to today.

We haven't been too bad here but I know that the gales have been awful for many people especially on the East Coast.

Jenny, over in Northumberland says it hasn't been too bad there but she had to drive around a fallen tree on the way to work and it was snowing.

 

The kitchen window view hasn't changed much.

I still not caught up with people from last week on Lucky Scrapping. It was lovely to see so many contributions, that was a great challenge Lynne.
I'm busy as usual trying to get Christmas letters written at the last minute. you'd think I'd learn by now but Christmas catches me by surprise every year.

Friday quote

Today I'm on a huge learning curve. I'm at Jens and don't have my laptop.  I brought the tablet instead and as I haven't used it for a while I'm struggling to write this blog. Off to Edinburgh this afternoon on the train so that will be interesting.
Didn't manage to blog yesterday as we were travelling up here.  It was great to see the boys when we arrived and we were talked to death. After tea we watched the Lorax. The boys love the video and watch it again and again.  It was the first time for Roland and I and we enjoyed it with them.

But I don't seem to be able to download the photos I took.

These are taken with Rolands camera.

 

Sunset on the way to Jens house

 The field is full of swans

 

Nana and Alistair watching the Lorax

Wednesday quote

 

Today Lynnes challenge made me think about how people of any age who share the same interests can have a good time.

Our Craft groups Christmas get together.

We won't be meeting December

I also learned that people can be so generous

The group decided that next year we will make things to sell at a Craft Fair next December

for funds using their own materials.

Tuesday Quote

I've been sewing today and I've decided to make a tote bag - something easy.

 

What I have learned today

That to die cut some old cracker covers

you need to have the card upside down or the die doesn't cut through the plastic coating.

 

I've cut these out for Jennys boys as we are visiting on Thursday and I saved the cracker covers from their crackers last year to make them something.

I know Christopher will remember what I said.



November quote

It's Lynnes' week this week and this is what she has said:

                             I have 2 quotes for you about LEARNING
           
                  “ Anyone who keeps learning stays young” Henry Ford

                  “You cannot open a book without learning something” Confucius

This week tell us each day one thing you have learnt during the day, hopefully with a photo.

 Make your blog brief as we are all getting busy with the run up to Christmas. 

 

Today I've learned 2 things.

The first check the calendar as we arrived 1/2 hour late for our dentist appointment.

The second how to make a paper Christmas tree.

 

I got the design from Split coast stampers

by Beate Johns

I need a bit more practice before I am satisfied.

Sunday Nostalgia

Looking back over the years I've experienced quite a few different bonfire nights. When I was a child and when my children where little we always had a firework display at home.
These were always supervised by my father who absolutely loved setting off the fireworks. He kept them in a tin so they wouldn't be set off accidentally. We always had a feast, jacket potatoes (if we had a bonfire they were cooked in the embers wrapped in foil), sausages, beans etc and of course the inevitable bonfire toffee made at home.
As time went on we went to more organised displays as well mainly organised by the scouts and the church.

I have mixed feeling about November, I love the clear skies and the moon and the sunny days but I hate the damp overcast ones. These days I hate the time about Halloween and November 5th as loud banging fireworks are set off for weeks, mainly in the park behind us and poor Stella gets really distressed. We tend to find puddles in corners If I forget to spray Felliway to soothe her.

Like Anne, I hate the changing of the clock, it takes me ages these days for my body to get used to the change of time. I just can't see the point these days, it was started in WW2 so people could take advantage of daylight during the blackout.
I have heard various reasons for keeping it, one being it is safer for children going to school and another being it was better for the farmers in Shetlands and the north of Scotland, not being too dark for them getting the cows milked. Perhaps if Scotland goes independent we can keep British Summer time all year round.

I've haven't any photos of bonfire nights and haven't been out this weekend to take any.
Today is overcast so I couldn't get any lovely photos today of the sun on the lovely Autumn leaves.
Is it my imagination or have the leaves clung on to the trees a lot longer this year?

Saturday Nostalgia

 

Three photo of example of the weather this week

Our little Sian in her rain clothes even though it's not raining.

 

My feet in the leaves outside Blackburn Cathedral

on a lovely crisp day

 Hail stones on the  velux windows
earlier in the week

 

Finally nothing to do with the weather and November

 

The state of our bath and bathroom at the moment

It will be lovely when everything is tidy again.

 

 



Nostalgia Wednesday

I've always found November a strange month

Almost Winter but Autumn not over, either very wet or really cold.

For some reason I've always found the moon especially beautiful at this time of year.

This photo was taken by Roland.

 He slowed the shutter speed down then he blew it up on the computer. Isn't it lovely? 

He also took this one earlier

Do you think it looks like a hand?

No limits Sunday

This week has been really enjoyable, Sewing Tuesday, Knitting Wednesday then a meeting on Thursday where the group discussed where we had got too, what we could offer each other and where to go next.

Friday we went to Carlisle and stayed in a Premier Inn so we could get to the gluten free food fair being held there on Saturday. Our friends, Jen and Dougie came down from Gretna to have meal with us and we had a great time catching up.

 

Our ME/CFS Meeting

 

 

These are my photos of no limits

not a very good photo of the moon but it does make me think of the universe beyond.

 Some views on the way home from Carlisle on Saturday

The countyside seems to go on forever.

 By the time I got my camera out the hang glider that you can hardly see in the centre of the photo had landed so he did have a limit (The parachute is blue.)

No Limits Saturday

Annes challenge this week is No Limits. and she described an expedition she and Dennis went on. I thought it was really fantastic - what they did and how they did it.
I know Anne has worked in different parts of the world as well and I really admire her for that.

Compared to Anne my "no limits" are quite mundane and basically just getting on with life.
Shaun was almost 3 and Catherine was a few months old when I started my teachers training. I think that was my first major challenge in life.
The next challenge was me having to divorce my first husband when I had 3 children and a baby on the way. I didn't think I'd ever come out on the other side of that. Bringing up 4 children on my own was the next challenge, that lasted 8 years. Then I met Roland deciding to marry him was not a challenge really but it did mean my life would change and at the time I wasn't sure how it would work out but I had no doubts.
The next major challenge came in my late 40's when I developed ME. It was a real challenge to get to the stage I am in my illness because one has to work hard to ease the symptoms as there is no medication to cure it, and there are some days when getting out of bed is a challenge in itself. I also developed Coeliac disease at the same time - another challenge to eliminate gluten from my diet.

The nearest thing Roland and I have done to Annes challenge was us climbing Blencathra in the Lake district. We climbed along a ridge to reach the summit. It was scarey with the drop each side of this really narrow ridge but the sense of achievememt when we reached the other side was wonderful.
We used to do a great deal of fell walking in the "Lakes"

Photos tomorrow.

November View 2

Last post for this week.

I just love these skies

This evenings views

from the front of the house



 

 And from the back

 

My Silver choir of Angels

 All the little Angels together

I didn't get as many done as I would have liked but I haven't time now to do any more.

 

A very bad photo of the cards I made on Thursday