Mince Pie and a Merry Christmas

My weekly art class has finished for this year. I have had very mixed results with my painting and am never really satisfied with what I produce. Nevertheless I painted this mince pie to share with you!

I am going to be very busy in the run up to Christmas so don't know if I will be posting again before then. In the meantime I would like to thank all of you that drop by and leave a comment or just drop by anonymously.

I have felt such warmth and love from my fellow bloggers this past year or so. You have enriched my life immensely. So, for the time being, I wish you all the joys of the festive season and for wonderful things to come your way. HAPPY CHRISTMAS and sending love to you all. x

A Cosy Christmas Glow

As much as I like modern I am a traditional girl at heart.

I like my living room to look cosy and inviting.

The decorations are a work in progress. I have put them up earlier this year so I have more time to enjoy them and tweak where necessary.

The lit nativity scene is made from porcelain houses and comes out on display every year.

A cosy Christmas glow to awaken the festive spirit.

The Christmas Fairy

What adorns the top of your Christmas tree? For some it is the star and for others an angel but for me it has to be a fairy. When I was a child, my sister and I had a fairy each. My sister had a plastic fairy doll that looked like a baby with huge glittered Micky Mouse style ears. My doll was a little more refined with her plastic sculpted hair and 1950's style dress!

Each year our dolls took it in turn to be top of the tree and each year there were arguments of whose turn it was! If your fairy didn't make the top of the tree that year then it was placed a little further down the tree. Every so often our dolls would acquire new costumes usually fashioned from white crepe paper and a touch of glitter!

I have had the fairy above for a few years now. She is a modern porcelain fairy and has poseable arms and legs. I think she is just as a tree top fairy should be. She is tiny and delicate and really looks like she could fly up to the tree and pose on the top. When I was small I imagined that at night the fairys would unhook themselves from the branches and fly Tinkerbell style around the room. Oh to be that child again.

Frosty Lemony Cake for Christmas

Look at the lemony sugary crust on top of the cake.

Do you think it resembles frost?

A frosty topped cake for a frosty day.

A beautiful, light as a fairy, cake.

A very moreish cake that twinkles in the light.

An enticing, magical looking cake. Not just for Christmas but an all year round cake. It deserves a more befitting name than lemon Drizzle cake!

I found it on Nigella's website. (The link is not working!) I will be returning.

I received my first Christmas presents last week. They flew all the way from Italy!

Thank you Michela. They were they best sweets I have ever had! x

Easing Gently into Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_W7p35SzuI



Click on the link above for a gentle nostalgic entryway into the festive season!

Things I am Thankful for no.6

I have really enjoyed taking part in Ginny's 'Things to be Thankful for in November.' It has made me focus on the 'things' that are important to me. The things that really matter.

Apart from my family, friends and health the thing that I am thankful for most of all is my freedom. Freedom to read, write and express myself as I want to without restrictions. Freedom to sing and dance and paint and laugh. Freedom to walk where I want, when I want. Freedom to light a candle or bake a cake, put on make up, have a bath, keep a pet, wear what I want, plant a tree, eat how I choose to and be at one with nature in a beautiful part of the world.


Freedom. Freedom. Such a lovely word. Never to be taken for granted.



Edited: The photo above was taken locally in the late spring. The view outside at the moment is far from the serene seen above. Roll on Spring!!!

Hope and Gifts from a Friend

I have been feeling a bit jaded and beaten down recently. The sky has been relentlessly grey and overcast and there has been little light. I went to bed last night and the wind was howling and I was scared that any minute the tree outside would coming crashing down onto the house.

This morning was a different story. The sky was blue with a few fluffy clouds and the air was calm and fresh.

I noticed that the berries were plentiful on my Pyracantha. A good source of food for the birds in the coming months. I started to feel more positive and hopeful. I thought I would share this quote about hope with you. 'Hope is like a bird that senses the dawn and carefully starts to sing while it is still dark' - Anonymous.

On to lighter things now! The lovely Lyn from Everydaylife sent me my Pay it Forward package (PIF) last week and what a treat it was to receive! Lots of beautifully wrapped packages full of handmade goods. Thank you so much Lyn. It must have taken you a lot of time and effort to put together. I don't want to give too much away as to what I got in case the other PIF recipients haven't received theirs yet. I will probably send my PIF packages out sometime in January.

Gizmo was eager to see what was in the packages too!

He sniffed out a Christmas catnip mouse just for him!

Here he is guarding his new toy.

And here the poor mouse is under attack! It makes a change from him attacking me!!!