The Stockings were Hung by the Chimney with Care

The house is quiet. There's a mince pie, a small glass of brandy and a carrot plated up on the coffee table, and I'm hoping Lily will soon be fast asleep. I won't be long out of bed myself, as I expect it will be an early start for me in the morning.

I've had a busy, but very relaxed day, a Christmas Eve to remember for all the right reasons. 

This morning we  enjoyed a climb up Catbells, one of the lower Lakeland fells which overlooks Derwentwater and is a popular walk with people visiting Keswick. A beautiful but bitterly cold morning, we took our time on the ascent, pausing regularly to appreciate the views. It was lovely (and very festive) to see the snow on the surrounding higher fells, and we needed to tread carefully to avoid the patches of ice on the path. Well, I did at least. Lily couldn't resist the feeling of it crunching beneath her boots.

It was only a short walk, so it wasn't long before we were heading home, full of excitement to begin our Christmas celebrations. After warming up with a large mug of coffee, I put my bread to bake in the oven and Lily added the finishing touches to our gingerbread house. 

This evening we've enjoyed the (still warm) bread with some delicious baked camembert and cranberry sauce and I finally opened the tin of Quality Street - I didn't trust myself to open it any earlier :) I might have also enjoyed a festive tipple or two.

Tomorrow, I expect, will be full of fun and laughter, a last opportunity for the family to be together for a while. I hope however you are spending it this year, that you manage to have yourself a happy, healthy and joyful Christmas.

J. X

Almost Ready for Christmas

 

The weather this morning was horrible. Wet, windy and about as un-festive as you can get. Fortunately, I didn't have anywhere I needed to go. Most of my Christmas preparations are done now, so I've spent the majority of my day in the kitchen, baking even more cinnamon shortbread, icing the gingerbread house and mixing together the dough for the no-knead bread, to be enjoyed with  some baked camembert tomorrow evening.

I'm considering our gingerbread house a success. I always use this recipe here. It's a very simple make, which means there's more fun to be had in decorating it. That said, ours has minimal icing and sweets, just the way Lily prefers it. I added cinnamon and cloves to my mix as well, which enhances the flavour. And another thing I would say is that the recipe makes far too much dough than you will need, but I've put the excess in the freezer to bake cookies with at a later date. Our gingerbread house is iced now but it needs a good dusting with icing sugar, which I've promised Lily she can do tomorrow, so I'll post a picture of the finished house then. 

This evening we've been playing some games, including  Prickly Pile up. A Christmas present for Lily a couple of years ago, it is now a firm favourite and one of those which I'm sure we will enjoy playing for many years to come. 

We have some plans for tomorrow which are dependent on the weather, but first there are presents to wrap. I'm just waiting on a certain little someone to fall asleep. I'm not sure I can remember a time when I felt so relaxed on the run up to Christmas. I'm sure there is a lesson in there somewhere. 

J. X

Snowflakes and Christmas Lights

 

In sharp contrast to yesterday, this morning dawned bright and clear. There had been a light frost overnight. The grass sparkled and the water had frozen on the bird feeder. Unusually for me, on such a beautiful day, I was in no hurry to leave the house. A gentle morning pottering indoors was more enticing and resulted in the last of the fairy lights being hung across the kitchen, the muddle of boots getting cleared from the hallway and many, many tiny pieces of paper scattered all across the table.

The mess was worth it, however. Seventeen paper snowflakes and four sore fingers later, one 'fairly' impressed little girl, and and the dining room window is now finally decorated. I say fairly impressed, as Lily was hoping to contribute more than she did but, unfortunately, the thickness of the folded paper meant the cutting out was a little too difficult for her. She did, however, enjoy very carefully unfolding the paper triangles to reveal the finished snowflakes. These were not always a complete surprise to me, as to make things easier, I'd printed off some templates I had found online. You can probably tell which ones from the above photograph.

This evening we took a trip into town. Once again, it was good to see people out and about, shopping safely, enjoying drinks outside cafes. 

Having already completed my Christmas shopping it was lovely to just walk through the streets and admire the displays. So many beautiful lights.

I'm almost ready for Christmas now. I've still some presents to wrap and I'm looking forward baking our gingerbread house tomorrow. 

J.X

Winter Solstice

It was another early start for me this morning. Mog was my alarm, deciding she needed me as a companion to begin the day with. I can't understand why she chooses to do this sometimes, other than to simply annoy me. Outside appeared grey and gloomy, and I was glad of the warm glow from the lights on the Christmas tree.

It was a gentle start to my day, however. A quiet house, several mugs of coffee and a good blog catch up. I always appreciate the opportunity to read uninterrupted.

After lunch we went out for our Midwinter walk. The sky a pewter grey and the still damp air somehow seemed appropriate for the shortest day of the year. We needed to wear our wellies again, the ground gets so muddy beneath the trees. 

We walked up the hill and through the field where we'd gathered blackberries at the end of the summer. It seems such a long time ago now and yet no time at all. The ever changing seasons marking the passing of time with reassuring constancy.

Winter is upon us. A time to retreat, light candles and hunker down at home, as we begin our gradual return towards light and warmth.  

Solstice blessings.

J. X