Winter sun

We've had precious little winter sun. It shone briefly yesterday, slanting through the shutters and lighting up odd objects in the rooms. I'm not complaining about the weather because compared to elsewhere we have got off very lightly. It is cold enough for us to stay indoors but nothing worse than that. The plants in the conservatory do NOT look happy!

It's nice to have the usual bits and pieces back in place. They all hold memories.

Here on the mantlepiece is a soapstone of my father's, a jigsaw from a holiday in Venice, a cloth auricula which was a present from a daughter and a tiny tin box of a sleeping cat from when the girls were very small. (I have told you that I'm a hoarder.)

These little Russian dolls are left over from the Christmas decorations. They looked so at home on top of the piano that I've kept them there. Himself brought them back from Russia many years ago and they are in need of a new head of hair. (I could say the same for Himself but won't be so rude!)

What a world.

Floods, freezing, fires, fighting, bullies in powerful positions, sometimes it feels just too depressing. I hope that you all, dear bloggers, are safe and well and enjoying the small pleasures and acts of kindness that are still all about us even though the world does appear to be going crazy. A friend brought me white roses when she came to our New Year's Day lunch. I love white roses, they give me great pleasure. We are hunkering down, watching on the news film of the north of the country, my home county, under a blanket of snow. There are snow flurries here but nothing is settling, my grandson will be very disappointed! I'll be going through my seed box any day now and planning what to grow on the allotment - that should keep me happy!

The sugar rush is over!

The decorations have been taken down and packed away for another year. "Didn't know we had so many," said Himself. He was looking at over half a century of accumulated bits and bobs. They fit into three plastic boxes that are stored in the space under the staircase. Storage space is one of the good things about our present house, it makes life much easier for a hoarder like me!

We've had the Christmas tree for three years and it is doing well. I watered it daily while it was in the house and it didn't drop a needle. I'm hoping it will last as long as our previous one which we kept for over twenty years!

It is sited for now partially under the veranda so that the frost doesn't prove to be too much of a shock.

All the indulgent food has been eaten and it is back to just the two of us eating in a sensible manner in the kitchen.

But I'm craving some chocolate!

Happy New Year!

January 1st 2025. The sugar mouse is eaten the Christmas cake's gone too and of the other bits and bats I've made a veggie stew. The mulled wine's warming on the hob our visitors are due. I'm wishing health and happiness to one and all of you.

More decorating!

I've done the shop, up and out early this morning, beating the crowds, so it wasn't bad at all. I am feeling quite organised, apart from buying a huge bundle of parsley that turned out to be coriander when I got home. I've even set the table! To have enough room for everyone to sit involves putting two tables together. I have never in all the various places where we've lived managed to have one generous table that seats everyone. It has been on my wish list. The fault is my own because I'm not prepared to lose my grandmother's walnut table, my parents' table and the little kitchen one that we've had all our married life. So, no space for a big one! Instead we drag in a bit of garden furniture and 'make do.'

I've added some more dangly bits from the light fitting. More is more at Christmas!

Even the slightest bit of sunshine is welcome at this time of year.

Decorating

I've made a start at the Christmas decorations inside the house. The decorated branch that I put outside has taken quite a beating from high winds and rain, some of the ornaments are broken. There is plenty of kindling to collect from fallen wood and I had a bit of a hunt to retrieve the lids of my water butts that had been blown away by strong gusts of wind in the night. It's weather for staying inside so I pulled out the stored boxes of Christmas decorations and set to work. Not all the decorations will be used, the tree has a fair bit of growing to do to catch up with the one we left at our previous home.

The same decorations appear every year, lots of hearts and assorted angels and apples, old, handmade and much loved pieces.

I've bought two new ornaments this year, a leopard, because I like him and he reminds me of Simon Armitage's lovely haiku in the book, 'Blossomise.' The book was a present from my friend, Sarah, so it will also remind me of her.

My other new ornament is a white felt dove of peace. The world is very much in need of that.

The nativity has set up shop on the kitchen dresser as there are no deep window cills in the house to make use of.

Baby Jesus not yet in the crib.

In the dining room the piano is ready.(It took a while because I got waylaid looking in the box of sheet music.)

More to do tomorrow.

Housebound

I was housebound at the weekend, heeding the advice to stay indoors while the storm raged outside. No one was coming to the house and I wasn't going out, time for wearing warm and comfortable old clothes. My Nicole Farhi trousers are so old that the backside has worn out. Does it stop me wearing them? It does not. I've patched up the holes because these trousers are so good to slouch about in. The fabric is wool and alpaca. I've got a number of Farhi clothes in a state of collapse, not because the fabric is poor but because it is delicate and I've worn these items a great many times. I understand that she is no longer a designer, having moved her creativity into sculpture. I don't have a problem with patched clothes but I'm aware that some women would put clothes in this state straight into the bin!

I usually make my own cards but had bought some Christmas cards at the museum when we went to see Father Christmas.

I'm amused to read on the back that the artist was a member of the Women's International Art Club. I was put forward as a member when I was an art student. The club was founded in 1900 and had a membership of no more than 150 artists.It was a wonderful opportunity to exhibit my work in various countries and I duly paid my annual membership fee by standing order. After a while I realised that no exhibitions had been planned for quite some time. When I enquired I discovered that the club had been dissolved in 1976! I never got my money back and imagined the collector of fees living it up on the Riviera!

Bad weather is a good excuse for a bit of lounging about on the sofa.