to happy times ahead …

To happy times ahead

robust health

memorable moments

great adventure

and all round success

 

May all your dreams come true …

too much excitement …

 

The wind is still blowing a hooley.

  One of our fence panels is now firewood.

  I am feeling slightly under the weather.

Too much excitement, too many late nights and too much rich food.

We are off to the coast tomorrow for a long weekend.

Hopefully the sea air will be restorative and I will return to my normal self.

Hope you all had a good Christmas.

christmas comes but once a year …

As this will be my last post before Christmas can I just thank each and every one of you for taking the time to  leave comments throughout the year  – I appreciate them all – and thank you for keeping me thoroughly entertained reading your blogs – long may you continue.

Snow is falling,
All around me,
Children playing,
Having fun.
It's the season,
Love and understanding,
Merry Christmas everyone

Just for a bit of fun I thought I would try to write a mini-saga where you have to use as few as fifty words or less to convey a story - here is my effort - a bit schmaltzy I must admit - evoking a Victorian Christmas.

A child sleeps, warm between blankets
dreams of sleighs and jingling bells
Snow falls silently, candles flicker and glowing coals shift.
A grandfather clock strikes the midnight hour
'T'will soon be Christmas morning
Presents unwrapped
Festivities begin. (37 words)



 

looking back … favourite pics for 2013

In no way do I consider myself a photographer ~ but I do love taking photographs ~ hundreds of them throughout the year ~ these are a few of my favourites that didn’t make it to the blog.

Hope you enjoyed the selection – looking forward to taking hundreds more next year. And just because I can  ~ I have added three more.

nearly there …

 

Presents wrapped.  Cards written and posted.  Tree decorated.  Now ~ what’s left to do.  Oh yes ~ the mantle piece.

Husband thinks it looks Victorian – where’s Charles Dickens when you need him?

“I have always thought of Christmastime, when it has come round...as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

looking back … flower posies

 

At this time of year, one of the things I enjoy doing, is looking back over the year’s photographs.  Regular readers will know that I love bringing flowers into the house ~ the selections encapsulate what is growing in the garden at the time of picking ~ these are a few posies that have been gathered over the last year.  A feast for the eyes.

When I see all these photographs together it makes me realise why I love growing flowers so much and the pleasure they bring.

silent saturday …

 

looking for colour in unexpected places …

 

The sun came out ~ but it wasn’t warm ~ I had a little potter in the garden, wore thick socks,  but my feet were like blocks of ice.  When I was young I remember my Mum rubbing my feet to warm them up  after walking in the snow ~ it would have been lovely if she were able to do that for me today.

  So although there are no flowers in the garden, I looked  elsewhere to find a bit of colour.

In the veg garden there are still a few pickings to be had ~ a container of carrots, three different types of kale, chard, a few leeks, purple sprouting broc (not producing yet) lettuce in the greenhouse and stored onions, beetroot and parsnips ~ if the weather does get wintery at least there will be some fresh veg to be had.

So you see winter doesn’t have to be colourless – you just have to look a bit harder.