Monday 29 December 2008

Cold Outside!

Today was the third day I hung washing out, blue sky, sunshine and bitterly cold, but it all lightened and my bathroom, where I air it all, smells gorgeous and fresh!



The ground is all covered in frost.



The pond has been frozen at this end for awhile.



The winter onions seem to be doing well.



The Hellabores are just popping their heads through, whether they will flower this year or not I don't know as I was rather ruthless cutting them back.



The tree ferns hardly seem bothered by the cold weather



All seems fine in the greenhouse, no disasters yet!



The cordyline seems to get ever bigger, I think this would look good at the front of the house actually.



The bamboo seems happy on the patio.
Right nipping back inside now to thaw out, till next time, TTFN

Sunday 28 December 2008

So Its Over!

For another year!
I'm sad as Christmas seems to go quicker and quicker each year. Gone are the days of shops shutting on Christmas Eve and nothing opening till 27th December. Family time seems to be fading away as we move away from our homes towns in search of work.
I come from a close knit family, with my dad being a seafarer, mum was left to raise me and my sister for long periods of time (9 - 13 months) alone. Her mum and dad lived a 40 minute drive away , her brother about 10 mins, but mum had a good circle of friends, who would step in and help at a moments notice.
My nana and grandpa took it in turns to stay with either us or my Uncle at Christmas time. We always had Christmas morning and dinner in our own homes then Christmas Day evening we went to my uncles, I loved this, yet I found out this year that my sister found it boring!
Boxing Day was our day, we always had a 'drinks and nibbles' party at lunch time, mum would invite all her good friends and neighbours and of course the family as well and this usually started at 12ish by about 3pm all the friends and neighbours would have gone but family stayed till the evening, again I loved this.
Now it gets harder and harder as we are scattered across England at 3 extreme points, East Sussex, Wiltshire and Cheshire. I never see my cousins who are in Spain and North Wales.
So although the time together is short, I realise that time marches on and it gets harder to get us all together, I cherish the time we manage to do it.
Seeing my Great Neice again always brings a smile to my face







Just look at those curls, she is the spitting image of her mother when she was our bridesmaid and just as cheeky too!

Wednesday 24 December 2008

Christmas Eve

The final piece in my Advent Calender



I may not have time to post over the next few days so I wish you all
A very Merry Christmas

I will raise my glass to absent friends at 12.00 GMT on 25th December 2008 so please join me.

Tuesday 23 December 2008

Christmas Eve, Eve!

Only one more person to add to my advent calender!



The ham is in soak after a bit of a disaster.



It slipped out of my hand as I was putting in the pan so I ended up with a tidal wave of water all over the kitchen! At least I didn't drop the ham!!!

Monday 22 December 2008

Christmas Tree

Decorate the tree with lots of baubles
Falalalalaa la la la laa

Next we add the Christmas lights
Falalalalaa la la la laa

Then we turn of all the other lights
Falalalalaa la la la laa

Then we try and take a picture
Falalalaa la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa



Now we go and have a sherry, Falalala la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Sunday 21 December 2008

More Christmas Baking!!

Little chocolate cakes, a slab cake to cut up



2 dozen mince pies and another dozen in the oven!

A Chocolate cake.



I haven't quite worked out how we will fit it in the car along with us, a large ham, presents, clothes, booze and the first Christmas cake etc etc????????

Saturday 20 December 2008

Christmas Cake No 2

Finished



One more to go!

Friday 19 December 2008

Christmas Cards

are finished! Phew!
Made the last posting day by the skin of my teeth.

I can't give too much away as some of the recipients read my blog!!!
It involves a bit of this



some of these



and some of these



and even though I say so myself, I think they look pretty good!

I have even thought about what I could do for next year, which involves wire, knitting needles and small beads. A work in progress but you get my drift!


Thursday 18 December 2008

Advent Calender

I would just like to share with you the best ever advent calender I have had. I love advent calenders, infact I love Christmas and everything to do with it!

This was bought for me by my daughters when we went to the Worcester Victorian Christmas Fayre.



Its a stained glass advent card. You have to open a door each side and let the light shine through!

I Love It!!!

Wednesday 17 December 2008

Finished Cake

I thought I would get on and finish one of the cakes. I had seen something which I quite liked so decided to go along with a Rustic look!
Yesterday I dried some oranges in the Rayburn having sprinkled them with icing sugar first.I then assembled all the ingredients........



I can assure you the Vodka was not for drinking, it is what you use to spread over the marzipan to sterilize and stick the fondant icing. If you use water it eats away at the icing.



I have rolled out the icing and put the vodka on the marzipan.



Smoothed out the icing ready for decoration.



I frosted some Rosemary with egg white and caster sugar



Then finished it off with the dried Orange slices and some sticks of cinnamon. All I need now are 3 slim gold coloured candles about 4 inches high to finish it, sadly I haven't found any locally.



I am pleased with the result!

Tuesday 16 December 2008

Christmas Cake!

When we went out to South Africa to spend Christmas with hubbies sister a number of years ago and she kicked us out and we had to fly home early. My girls where so badly affected by this, as they had never witnessed anyone treating family like their Aunty treated their Dad, that I decided we should have a 2nd Christmas and invited all the family. We did it at the end of January, put up all the Christmas decorations which my neighbours thought was hysterical. We had a such a lovely time and the family still talk of it now, so I have decided to have a 2nd Christmas this year.
I already have a Turkey Crown in the freezer and the other bits and pieces are easily obtained, the only thing I don't have is crackers. You can't have Christmas dinner without crackers can you??
So to get me underway I started to marzipan one of the Cakes (I still have 3)one to take up with us, one for home and one for hubbies birthday!

When I opened the box that the cake had been kept in it smelt divine, mmmmmmmmmm,



rolled out the marzipan, having melted some apricot jam and spread that on the cake, so it will stick



placed it over



and finished off.



I used to make and decorate cakes for friends, weddings and christnings, I'll show you some pics one day!
No one is keen on marzipan in our family and I think they would quite like me to leave it off. But I am very particular about this. You will see that my cakes are quite deep. I like a deep cake and make the mixture for a 9 inch round tin and bake it in an 8 inch round! Using marzipan gives you a better finish for the fondant icing, as you will see.

My decoration this year is going to be very different from any I have done before. I just hope it works

Monday 15 December 2008

Christmas Spirit?



As you get older I wonder, do you lose your Christmas Spirit?



We as a family, me and mine and my sister and hers are all putting ourselves to alot of trouble this year, so we can spend Christmas with my mum. It is costing us alot more than it usually would, as we have long travelling costs to include. I am buying more presents as we have extra people to buy for etc etc.

Sadly for me I will not be cooking the Christmas dinner, something I thoroughly enjoy. I plan for months, buying magazines trying out new recipies, just so we can have the bestest Christmas ever. This year we will be going out for our Christmas dinner, as no one apart from me has room to seat 15.



So my sister and I get together (more expense) to write up a list for food we will eat whilst staying up north. I send this list along with the money to my mum, who phones me this morning, screaming down the phone, about I don't know where I am to put all this food, how can I empty my freezer, do you really need all this etc. etc. etc. she goes on so much about it, that although I was reluctant to do this, I had been coming round to the idea, but now I'm thinking I might get flu!

Saturday 13 December 2008

Floods

What I am about to show you is unprecedented!



20 years we have lived here and the stream and I do mean stream has risen and fallen with in its banks but never done this!



I had to go out and take pics.The stream normally runs under the bridge here, between the post in the middle of the pic and the large tree trunk on the left so as you can see quite small.



It was cold and wet and rising..



the football floating past comes from the farm about half a mile up the road!




I let the farmer know about his bulls. but this guy hates us so much he will probably think I am winding him up.

My neighbours garden to the right of the lane



and the bottom of my good friends and neighbours to the left of the lane



there compost bins where awash! Their chickens are alot further up the garden which is very sodden.

This is the view from my bedroom window.


Friday 12 December 2008

String, paper, wire, beads and glue!

I am in a very flittery, fluttery mood at the moment and should be concentrating on finishing off my homemade Christmas Cards, but I can't settle to them. So after the snowflake making yesterday I had a go at a garland of course apart from the stars I altered everything else. To be honest the photo does not do it justice and I should really put them on the tree but as that is still outside and its raining and bearing in mind the stars are paper, I didn't want a paper maiche!



then I did something with string and buttons.



which again looks nothing on it own, but then put it on a tree




and its totally different. Anyway I enjoyed myself!