Happy Hogmanay!

   With very best wishes to you all for 2010!

                                                                                      

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas to you all and thank you so much for your wonderful comments, your support and friendship throughout 2009 - you're great!

Sitting on the fence

Snow in the East of England has turned the garden into a winter wonderland and scared the living daylights out of the hens!   Oh dear me, they do not like snow.   Well out of their comfort zone, probably not so much the cold (although I don't think Fanny's very keen), but just because it's white.  

             "Who put that there?!"

Last night I felt so sorry for them that I tried to warm up their Eglu with two old stone hot-water bottles, but as usual, something new was a bit too much for this reactionary trio.   Fanny wouldn't go in at all, Madge went in, gingerly,  and Hilda got stuck in the entrance as Madge had turned round to come straight back out again.   So I opened the egg door and removed the bottles, which probably let even more cold air in.   I must learn not to interfere, I must learn not to interfere, I must learn not to interfere.    Nope, it's no good ..... one New Year's resolution I know I just can't keep.

A 'horticultural perambulation'

Hope you were wrapped up warm against the snow!

                     Chrissie

Getting in The Mood

I'm not sure if this really qualifies as an Advent Calendar.  You can already see every date, the pretties are in situ all the time and, worst of all, there's no chocolate involved.   But it comes out every year and holds some precious memories.   My late sister Jacqui gave me the idea and spurred me on by providing the backboard.   Well I say "spurred me on", it was more of an imperious royal command.   The deal was that she would make one too, so I felt compelled not to let the side down.  I fossicked about until I found all the necessary pleasing gewgaws, glued on the red cord, printed off some numbers from a font that looked suitably festive, wheedled out some teeny mother-of-pearl buttons and pearl-headed pins and proudly hung the finished article on a hook in a prominent position.   She would see it as soon as she came in the room.   She kindly cooed and loved it, but added, "Oh I didn't ever get round to doing mine ....".   Sisters, eh?!

Nearly time to bake some big cookies.

Our eyes were a bit bigger than our tummies, when it came to chosing our Christmas tree from the farm by the windmill in the village this year.   Someone else was eyeing it up and I was a bit scared they would buy it before we'd really made our minds up.   But we love the shape and with a little judicious rearrangement of the furniture, and if you breathe in and stand sideways when you go out of the patio door, it's really not at all in the way!

Like the Advent Calendar, lots of our tree decorations have sentimental attachments and will probably be pressed into service year on year until they fall apart.   Our Christmas tree will never be one of those one-colour, minimalist lovelies, with just a few sophisticated silver baubles and crystal drops!

Some of you will know what a misery I was about a recent 'craft fair' experience - well I had my faith restored on Saturday.   I had been asked to take a basket of Christmassy things to display for sale in a lakeside cafe nearby.   I made some fabric decorations, garlands, that kind of thing and put in some felt bangles and those "not cheap" lavender bags.   In between setting out my hamper and eating my yummy rustic sandwich, just about everything had been bought in a mad flurry!   There were lots of lovely compliments, which was both humbling and gratifying.  And truly surprising!

Hope you'll have a great week!

Christmas goody-bags

No surprises being given away here - these were last year's efforts for my neices.  I transfer printed some old Christmas cards, zhoozhed them up with some glitter glue (thank you Anne!) and appliqued them to the goody-bags made from my stash of fabric.   The baubles were old glass ones which I got for 5p each at my favourite op-shop and gathered up with a vintage ribbon bow to complete the festive feel.   I've got some ideas up my sleeve for this year, something a bit more minimalist and modern ......  and pinkpinkpink.   Maybe.  Don't want to spoil the surprise....

Makes-me-Glad Mosaic

1. Détail broderie, 2. Poudre de riz, 3. Old bowls , 4. Montre à Gousset Famille, 5. red and white tree (finished), 6. ..., 7. December bouquet~, 8. Christmas stocking, 9. antonia

I love Flickr.    The rain is lashing against the windows like a scene from Moby Dick, but I'm snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug with my new efficient central-heating system, a nice warm laptop and access to the most fantastic photographs from all over the world.   Hope you like them too.

Today seems like a good day to stay indoors and continue reinstating my workroom, now that the floorboards are back down.   I'm being completely and utterly ruthless about what is welcomed back from exile.  There's a limit to how many hairless paintbrushes I shall need for poking things, for example.  Four should be enough.   Don't you think?


Have a lovely day, whatever you're doing!

Advent calendar

Sorry folks if you think your eyes have gone funny, I'm messing about with different effects on Picasa (which I've just discovered is installed on my laptop)!   The heating engineer is still huffing and puffing installing our new boiler and flushing out all the radiators, so my workroom remains out-of-bounds and I'm trying to amuse myself ...   I'm afraid there's probably more of this to follow in future blogs, so be warned!

Yesterday I went with a couple of friends to Fleetville Vintage Emporium, in St. Albans, which I had read about on VintageRockChick's blog.    Lots of gorgeous vintage clothes which, if I was a slip of a girl, I would have loved to have owned.   We did wrestle our petite mate Anne out of her liberty bodice (it was a cavernous place with NO HEATING  - AAAARGH!) to make her try on a couple of things, but even she wasn't little enough to fit them.   But I did buy a basket, the last thing on earth I'm short of, and Charlotte bought a sweet pressed-glass cake stand.   When we got back I was in serious trouble with the plumbers, who, left to brew their own cuppas, had only been able to find Earl Grey teabags in my cupboard.   When I'm feeling stronger, I'll share with you their views on perfumed tea .....