Reflections

I'd like to wish all my friends here a very Happy and Healthy New Year. 

I've heard the word Twixmas mentioned in blogland several times lately - a word used to describe the kind of limbo we experience between Christmas and New Year. A funny time of year where you can't settle down to anything until after 1st January. My tree and decorations have been put away for another year and so I've been playing around with a new Photo Collage app on my iPad. The results of which I want to share with you now - just a few reflections of the past year.

I've just completed a ten week course on the history of The Tower of London and John took me there a few weeks ago

Another trip to London's East End - more about this later

 Some very special family moments - 

A new boat for Emma and family; My graduation; Emma's 40th; Our Sicilian holiday and our new VW Campervan

 Some of our beautiful walks in surrounding woodlands

Some good times with special family and friends -

With Emma, Harry and Leo on the London Eye; with my two sisters Barbara and Helen at my niece's wedding; old friends Peter, Barbara, Ken and Freda on a Brittany beach; two of whom are brothers Ken and Peter; me with son Jonathan celebrating my Degree at The Ivy;  with friends Ellen and Norman at Rudyard Kipling's home Batemans (a post for the New Year maybe)

And lastly - remembering my late special Uncle Jack.

(quite a dashing young fellow in his day don't you think)

I hope you all have wonderful New Year's Eve celebrations whatever your plans - as for us we've opted to spend a quiet evening at home with even more reflections and maybe a glass of something! or three....

See you next year xx

Merry Christmas Everyone

Christmas is almost here - just a few more days to go and loving all the catch-ups with friends and final preparations ......

Making tree decorations

Lots of baking

Gifts for girlfriends

and a few last minute candle decorations for the mantlepiece and table

I'd like to wish all my dear blogging friends around the world my very best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year. Thank you all so very much for all your lovely posts, your friendship and the wonderful comments you have left me during the last year - they mean so much.

Take care and I'll be back in the New Year.

xxx

Christmas cracker swap

A couple of months ago I entered into a Christmas Cracker swap organised by Tracy at Mad about Bags and my partner was Kimberley at A Creative Chaos  who lives in New Zealand. We exchanged a couple of emails and found out a bit about each other and today my cracker arrived!

All wrapped up in some pretty seasonal fabric

Unwrapped - these were three long strips of fabric - ideal for quilting

Some beautiful ribbon and braid

The felt star was made by Kimberley and now takes pride of place on my tree

 I just love these cute little note cards and envelopes

Look at how tiny they are

A pen and some tubes of glitter

Candy canes and chocolate Santas

(Only three left as Leo spotted them!)

A Kiwi cross-stitch kit

Kimberley tells me this Puteko decoration is one of New Zealand's native birds

A hand knitted dish-cloth

(I've been so wanting one of these as I see them on lots of blogs)

Also in the parcel were a selection of Postcards from New Zealand showing some pretty beauty spots and natural wildlife - a lovely idea and wished I'd thought of that too.

Thank you so much Kimberley I've really enjoyed this swap and hope that any day now your cracker from me will arrive on your doorstep. Many thanks to Tracy for organising this swap - such a fun thing at this time of year.

See you soon x

Life's ups and downs

Hello to all my friends. Just a short post to explain my absence for a while. Not only have I been having problems with Blogger but some personal stuff has been going on too. Hopefully all is beginning to get back to normal but do apologise that I've been unable to leave any comments recently, totally out of my control I'm afraid.

As for me - well I had a nasty fall at the top of an escalator three weeks ago - my fault entirely as I wasn't paying attention as I neared the top and went flying over, and until my daughter pressed the emergency stop, everyone else flew over the top of me too! Anyway the upshot was I broke my thumb - well a chipped bone really and after a trip to A&E have been in a splint since then.

The same weekend I lost my very dear Uncle Jack who had been ill for some time. Although expected it was very hard to accept.

He was my late Mum's brother and meant the world to us all. The funeral was Monday down in Bournemouth a 250 mile round trip. However we decided to spend the night before in an hotel nearby to cut back on travelling time. On our way down we stopped at Winchester - more about that another time.

\

Me with Uncle Jack and Auntie Rosa on their wedding day 65 years ago

To cap it all I've now gone down with a cold which, on its own is not a problem - we all get them - but it's left me with a nasty chest infection. Anyway enough of all that - Christmas is coming!

I have my grandson Leo staying for the weekend and right now I'm sitting in his school hall where they are holding their Christmas Bazaar and he's having a whale of a time on the various stalls trying to win some prizes. And of course a visit to Santa made his day.

Well that's all from me right now and I'll be back very soon. Got to get back to decorate my tree, make some decorations and bake a cake! Apologies for a gloomy post but I guess life's like that - lot of ups but occasionally some downs.

Take care x