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.

Pruning

I pruned the corkscrew hazel tree this week, it was starting to get in the way of the pathway to our front door. What a curious plant it is, the branches twisting and curling all over the place.I was loath to chop the cuttings up and discard them. Instead I pulled away the few remaining leaves and used the branches as a place to hang some decorations. All the small catkins had formed and I shall miss seeing them in the spring, but the pruning was necessary, as was removal of some straight suckers at the base.

One of my oranges, still green, had fallen from the tree in the conservatory so it was sliced up to be used as a decoration. (War baby, nothing wasted!) Battering winds and rain are due so I doubt these decorations will last for long.

Most of the deciduous leaves are now on the ground, just the odd splash of colour hangs on here and there.

The garden looks messy and unkempt but I still like to be out there when the weather permits, even if it's only for a brief walk around. There is always something to see; buds are forming on the camellia bushes, what a lovely promise of things to come.

But really it's the weather for being inside. Another branch of twisted hazel decorates the kitchen.

The orange slices echo the colour of the maple tree outside.

The Christmas tree is still outside, the serious decorating doesn't start in our house until much nearer Christmas Day.

December

Miserable, grey, damp weather, but it's December and we've got things to do! We are off to the museum and art gallery in town because we have a very important meeting arranged. We are taking the seven year old (a believer - how long will it last?) to meet Father Christmas. We park nearby. There's always something interesting to see when you are seven years old!

Somebody was on the zipwire coming down from the end of the pier.

The goats were busy keeping the vegetation on the cliffside under control.

The museum is all decked out for Christmas, decorations everywhere. The place is well decorated, Victorian style, all year round but looks especially nice at this time of year.

A lovely old-fashioned sleigh.

Then through this doorway.

We were told that Father Christmas was visiting with his wife. Wow, what a treat, this is exciting!

Sunshine

Woke this morning and the sun was shining, no wind blowing, no rain. Forgetting other plans, we went down through the tropical gardens to walk on the beach.

It was lovely!