Evening sunsets and early morning frost

Yesterday late afternoon, armed with my Canon camera we took a walk along the cobbled streets of Old Leigh - our nearest fishing harbour about ten minutes drive away. It was a gloriously sunny afternoon and always in search of a good sunset we hung around to snap up the panorama.

By the time we got home the sun had gone but it had left some beautiful red skies behind so stopped off at our churchyard at the top of the hill to snap a few more

This morning's walk was bright and crispy under foot and took me across some local common ground. Everything was coated in this beautiful frost - I believe it's called a hoare frost. My camera phone came in useful here

 Mother nature at its best eh?

 See you soon 

P x

Waste not - want not...

Christmas morning I got up quite early, like you do, to switch my oven on in readiness for putting the turkey in to roast. I have never had a problem with my cooker and bearing in mind that my oven takes only five minutes to heat up to temperature (you know what's coming don't you) well it didn't. An hour later it was barely tepid and the thermostat hadn't risen above 50 degrees. It was completely kaput.  I do have a smaller upper oven but do you think the turkey would fit in - no. By this time I could have got into a stew - sorry about the pun - but no I chose to rise above it.  So the turkey, wrapped up in foil and a joint of pork was carted around to my daughter's kitchen by the hubster so that she could roast it for me and bring it along when they all came for lunch later. I was able to roast my potatoes and beef etc in the  small oven so all was not lost and a merry time was had by all. 

However I'm thinking I may have a tad over estimated on the amount of meat and poultry I needed for my Christmas entertaining - well we do don't we! Rather have too much than not enough. That being so, today I'm sorting the leftovers into various portions for different uses.

first there was the turkey and pork to divide up into appropriate sized 

portions for making curries, and sauces for pasta etc.

Five good portions for two  all ready to freeze

then there was the cold roast beef to mince and freeze for making

 cottage pies and Bolognaise sauces.

Lastly there was the turkey stock to make (my mother bless her, would be so proud of me). She had been known to take my turkey carcass home with her after spending Christmas lunch with us, for making her own stock back in the days when I didn't bother.

So now joy of joys I now have a wonderful aroma of turkey wafting around my kitchen which I did not have on Christmas morning and I've got three pints of turkey stock to add to my homemade soups for my trouble

Bye for now - off to put my curry on

P x

Five on Friday

Hello my friends, I hope you're all enjoying the festive season. I wouldn't normally write a post on Boxing Day but I've pre written this in advance so it could go out today.  I'm joining in with fellow bloggers to join Five on Friday posts once a month organised by Amy at Love made my home, taking five minutes from our day to enjoy five things.

So, here is a selection of five themes during the run up to Christmas.

1.  A recent trip to Harrogate and afternoon tea at Bettys - Mmm delicious!

 2. A few crafty moments

3. A lovely trip to London with my sister Barbara and husbands to see a performance of my all time favourite Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

4. A random selection of my favourite books - including some recently bought vintage books, my best ever Christmas read and my new Paper Bliss book - which should keep me absorbed for hours!

5. Some lovely days out with friends and family

Do pop over to see what the other people who are also blogging about Five on Friday this week at the end of this post.

Here's wishing you all a very Happy New Year and I'll see you all again in 2015.


Amy at Love made my home
Katharine at Art-e-facts
Kristie at North of 49
Selma at Eclectic home and life
Marion at My two girls

Christmas cheer

I've been rather neglectful of my blog lately so just dipping in to say I'm still here. I've been trying to read your blogs and leaving comments but time is just running away at the moment. I've been very busy crafting and making gifts for friends and family. I enjoy book-binding and love making journals and albums for myself. I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and those who use it also will know it can be very addictive! So I seem to spend more time looking and drooling over the fabulous books I could make, than I am actually making them. But hey ho I'm enjoying myself.

I am very well prepared for Christmas this year too - everything you could possibly think of has been done - baking

 gifts bought/made and wrapped,

tree and decs up

(and not forgetting to take a break to listen to Mr Buble's Christmas album whilst sipping a favourite tipple!! )

....as well as a freezer full to breaking point with food. The reason being, that we have treated ourselves to a long weekend away with friends to Harrogate in Yorkshire, leaving on Saturday and arriving home during the evening before Christmas Eve! We've never been before and are looking forward to this tremendously as well as visiting York itself. Betty's tea shop is calling too.

If I don't get a chance beforehand I'd like to wish all my lovely blogging friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Blessed 2015. Thank you all for being there throughout the year - giving inspiration, motivation, writing your very appreciated comments and sharing your lives with me.

Before I go I spotted this outside our village post office today - how cute is this

Seasons greetings to you all dear friends.

Patricia xx

Reflections....

As the end of the year is drawing to a close, I thought I'd share 

the Reflections Jar that I created back in January. 

I love the idea of Thanksgiving Day but its not something that we (my family) really celebrate here in the UK.  

I thought it would be a great way of remembering all the little things in life such as random acts of kindness by friends and family....

 ....spontaneous decision making - a picnic, a barbecue, a road trip 

or a walk along the beach

....remembering all the people and places that made me happy - 

my grandchildren, family, friends, holidays

What better way of cheering up a wet, miserable day (as it is today) than taking the jar off the shelf and sifting through all the little notes and reflecting on the memories of the year gone by and remembering how thankful I am.

Bye for now

P x

Advent

As a rule I don't put any decs out or tree up until at least the first weekend in December, a little later if I can get away with it. However as it's the 1st today and I made this lovely Advent Calendar at my blogging friend Sandie's workshop last month, I really needed to put it on show today in my dining room. So here's a little sneak preview.

Each little house is individually cut

and decorated in whichever way we wished

it's all joined together at the back with ribbon

It was such good fun and we let our imagination run away with us

So - as this is the start of Advent and the Christmas Spirit
has crept up on me

maybe I will get those decs out after all!

I dare anyone to touch it - let alone breathe on it - as I had a tad trouble
keeping it upright on my polished sideboard

Have a great week everyone. See you soon.