A Very Berry Christmas

 

I was awake early this morning and immediately I felt a slight sense of panic. I was feeling exhausted, a little bit shivery, and my neck and shoulders ached. You can probably imagine what I was thinking. Thankfully, it was just a few moments later, that I realised my tiredness was probably because it was still only 5.30am. I was shivering because the heating doesn't come on until 6, and my neck and shoulders were aching as a consequence of my mildly aggressive use of the hacksaw yesterday. Suffice to say I was feeling  lot more 'with it' by the time I had finished my coffee, and the aching lessened as the day went on. 

Today's 'festive' has been the making of more blackberry and elderberry compote, and finally straining the spiced blackberry vodka that has been quietly resting at the back of the kitchen cupboard for the last three months - I had almost forgotten about it! It seems such a long time ago now that Lily and I went foraging for those fruits, way back in the middle of September, but the vodka, especially, is always worth the wait. The length of the steeping process works out perfectly for Christmas enjoyment, and the added cinnamon and cloves help give it a delicious festive flavour.

It was 'such a pity', therefore, that I didn't have enough bottles. I ended up needing to pour myself a small glassful. Well, I really wouldn't want to waste any :)

I've finished decorating for Christmas now. I just need to cut some more holly for the dining room, but I will leave that until next week, so that it stays fresh. Oh, and I've finally made a start on my gift wrapping!

J. X

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