Christmas Trees

I had a rather un-festive start to my day, which involved a supermarket shop, cutting my replacement drain cover to size (the last one blew away in the recent storms), and then, just to top it off, I needed to clean the drain pump filter on my washing machine, after it had stopped mid cycle with a drum full of water. Thankfully, after taking an age to empty the machine manually, the problem was quickly rectified and the offending hair tie removed :)  

I've spent a little while tidying and clearing today. I know it won't be long before the clutter begins to accumulate once more, but for now, at least, the house is looking a lot better. The dining table is visible again, which will come in very handy for when I commence the gift wrapping. I feel quite organised this year with my wrapping paper, ribbons and tags etc. all neat and tidy in their own box. Although, I'd be even more organised if I was actually putting them to use!

This afternoon we went out to visit a charity Christmas Tree festival. It is an annual event where you can buy tokens, which you then donate to your chosen charities as you view the trees. It is always lovely to see the displays and it raises some much needed funds for worthy causes. 

I will leave you with some pictures of my favourites. 

J. X

Deck the Halls

 

I am very aware my eating habits have left a lot to be desired lately.  Meals have generally been rushed, thrown together and not as healthy as I would like. With this in mind, and with no need to hurry out of the door first thing, I began my day slowly, with a large bowl of delicious warming porridge, complete with a generous dollop of blackberry and elderberry compote stirred through. It was delicious. I really should take the time to make this on weekday mornings as well, as there are still plenty of berries in the freezer. 

I spent much of the morning catching up with housework I'd missed during the week. I quickly washed the dishes, which I'm ashamed to say had been left over from the night before, and yet another mountain of ironing was dealt with. In between putting even more loads of laundry in the washing machine, the houseplants were watered and the pine needles swept from the porch. I also completed the thankless task of cleaning the bathrooms.

Mundane chores accomplished, I had set aside the afternoon for making my wreath. I've done this for several years now and I really enjoy the process. You might remember I collected some fallen branches and pine cones a couple of weeks ago, and since then I've been waiting for an opportunity to transform them into something I would be happy to display on the door. I made a quick dash into the garden in the pouring rain to gather some fresh holly and ivy before laying it all out across the living room floor. Yes, it was messy, but I didn't care, it was much too cold to have done this outside, I learned that lesson last year :)

I began by attaching the pine branches to the base hoop using some floristry wire, then wrapped around the ivy, weaving it in and out. The pine cones were added next, leaving the sprigs of Holly until the very last - it is so spikey! The finishing touch was some festive coloured ribbon tied in a bow. As you can see, I've gone for a traditional look this year and I'm quietly pleased with the result.

So much, in fact, that I used the leftover branches to create a small table centrepiece. 

I just realised I never did post a picture of our little tree. So here it is, in all it's perfectly imperfect glory. 

J. X

Christmas Lights

 

I won't be long out of bed. Waking up at 4am has made for a long day and now I'm feeling tired. I'm not complaining, however, as there is a general feeling of anticipation and excitement creeping in at work. I've also very nearly completed my Christmas shopping.

As is always the way in this house, Friday night is pizza night. I make no apologies for this, as it is my one night off from cooking at the end of a busy working week. Usually I would also put my feet up and have a well earned rest but instead, this evening we wrapped up warmly and took a trip out to see the Christmas lights. It was bitterly cold outside and the gritters had already been out earlier in the evening. I expect the roads will be sketchy in the morning.

First we drove out to a local charity display which takes place every year, raising money for a good cause. So many different decorations and clearly a lot of time and effort had gone into the arrangements. My favourites were some little model houses. They were so cute, I could have happily moved right in.

Then from there we drove on into the town, stopping off several times along the way to drop off some Christmas cards for friends. The lights there looked so beautiful, especially the main tree, which was actually a replacement, the original one having been damaged in the recent storms.

Over the weekend I intend to make a start on wrapping my presents. I have the remainder of my cards to write, some of which will need to be hand delivered, and then I need to strain my spiced  blackberry vodka, which I had almost forgotten about. There is plenty to keep me occupied, and who knows, I might even bake some mince pies. 

J. X

Found Them!

I hardly stopped yesterday.  A last minute rearrangement of plans in school meant that Lily ended up staying with me for the morning, therefore, any plans of my finishing the Christmas shopping were well and truly scuppered. The errands I could still get on with, we did together. Before we set off I prepared dinner in the slow cooker. It's always good to know there is something prepared for when I finish work. 

Some jeans got returned - a little too snug for me - oops! We took a parcel to the post office, then finally we went shopping for our new tree decoration. On returning home, I received a lovely and most unexpected surprise. My amazing friend, who I've known for many years now and who is aware of my difficulties in getting a full night's sleep, sent me the nicest little care package. It contained some spiced apple, vanilla and camomile tea, some chocolates (always welcome), also some lavender pillow spray, bubble bath and oil. What a thoughtful gift. The chocolates have already disappeared :) and I tried the pillow spray last night. It hasn't made any difference so far, but it does smell lovely. I messaged her immediately to express my gratitude.

With Lily then dropped off at school, I dashed straight from work to meet some more friends for coffee, then it was back to work again until 6 o'clock. By this time I was feeling pretty tired and wasn't really in the mood to start thinking about the tree, but I had promised, and Lily was determined to decorate it on the 8th.

Fortunately, once the lights were hung and I began to unwrap all the decorations, it wasn't long at all before the tree was finished and we could stand back and admire our handiwork, complete with the dried orange slices. 

And you can probably guess what I discovered right at the bottom of the decorations box...

J. X