A new list

The weeks fly by normally but I know the next six weeks will be travelling ultra quick!  I enjoy the Christmas preparations but I usually hit chritmas day running and feel I have missed out on many pre Christmas events.   

This morning whilst surfing Pinterest I saw a "100 things to do this winter"list. Now like many of you I LOVE lists. The list was really good (can't find it now lol) but there was a lot of things on there that I would not want to do, so I decided to make up my own list of '100 things to do before Christmas'.  Now I know I shall most likely not achieve the whole list as there is only 46 days left until Christmas Eve ( yep sorry to break that news but only 46 days until Santa arrives), but I shall see what I can do and hopefully by the time Christmas as arrives I will have crossed some off and enjoyed the build up to the weekend and collected a whole bunch of new memories. 

So here is my list so far, as you will notice my list hasn't reached 100 yet, which does make it more achievable but it means I can add to it as I think of more things to put on it.  Some of the items are very obvious and would be done anyway but they still need to be done :) (a slight cheat I guess ;) 

MY LIST

100 Things to do before Christmas

1.    Go to a Christmas craft fair,

2.    Put some pet food in the charity box,

3.    Buy some pressies and take to the local present bank,

4.    Cothele House to see the Christmas Garland,

5.    Choose advent calendars,

6.    Decorate the tree,

7.    Make Christmas cake,

8.    Decide on menu for Christmas Day,

9.    Decide on Christmas Eve activity,

10.   Christmas pressie shopping,

11.   Wrap presents,

12.   Pick Amanda up from uni,

13.  Christmas meal X 2,

14.  Flowers to family graves,

15.   Finish poncho,

16.   Visit Trebah gardens,

17.   Heligan Christmas event,

18.  Watch the Minions film,

19.  Go to a carol service,

20.  Make some hand made gifts,

21.   Watch Love Actually,

22.  Start a new tradition,

23.  Photograph some Christmas lights,

24.  Late night shopping,

25.  Treat myself to the odd hot chocolate,

26.  Go for a walk on Christmas Day,

27.  Watch the Boxing Day swim, (ok after Christmas for this one!),

28.  Bake some biscuits,

29.  Write to Sue,

30.  Write to Joy,

31.   Have a manicure,

32.   Have a pedicure,

33.   Have a tarot card reading,

34.   Have breakfast at Griggs,

35.   Use up some odd balls of wool,

36.   Meet up with one of my cousins,

37.   Get in touch with someone who I have lost contact with,

38.   Learn how to create a playlist,

39.   Create a Christmas play list,

40.  Wish some strangers Merry Christmas,

41.   Make a Christmas wreath,

42.   Buy a new diary,

43.   Buy secret Santa gifts X 2,

44.   Make some mulled cider,

45    Make Christmas pies,

46.   Read 'The Night Before Christmas',

47.   Go and see the Christmas Reindeer in Truro,

48.   Go and see Father Christmas,

49.    Wear a Christmas hat at work,

50.   Photograph a frosty morning - if we had any, not popular in neck of the woods lol.

51.   Buy Christmas cards,

52.   Write cards,

53.   Post cards,

Advent 22 + 23

Yesterday the day seemed to be spent in town doing last minute shopping with the girls - enjoyable I have to say,  as it wasn't that busy but exhausting, so an hour or two of knitting followed to recover lol.

 

Today it is absolutely horrid outside, wind rain and dark, have had lights on in the house most of the time which is not like me.  I am on call today til 8pm - rather glad to be honest - so long as I don't get called out - lol.

 

Finally, all the pressies are wrapped and ready for Santa to deliver tomorrow evening.

 

As you may know Amanda came home from uni on the 15th Dec and spent last week at the vet's where she will be doing her work experience after Christmas. 
Since November she has been trying to get herself a job for the weekends or/and evenings.  Both girls have always had a weekend job since they were 14yr and both admit they find it odd not to be working - let alone not having some of their own money to spend.  We are both very proud of them for their work ethics. Bernadette got herself a job two weeks into her first year at uni and still has it and thoroughly enjoys it. Well it wasn't looking hopeful for Amanda - wrong time of year in one respect, until Saturday morning she had phone call from a local country store M A Griggs asking her if she was still looking for a job, so off she goes for an interview at 1pm and started 8am this morning!!!  So she is back to working seven days a week!!!  Mon - Fri at the vets (unpaid) and Sat and Sun paid :)  - as you can imagine she is one very happy teddy.

 

 

8.30am Sat morning found Mick and I in Asda!!! as I felt the need to get this food shop out of the way and I did not want to be near any shops later on!!  Mick doesn't normally come with me but offered on this occasion and I actually accepted his offer - not like me at all lol.  Whilst dashing around the store like a lunatic trying to get out as quick as possible, I suddenly found myself actually looking around at the goods for sale the toys, the food, the drink etc etc and then looking at peoples trolleys and what they were buying - hands up we were not much different with the extra things in there, but I suddenly felt the whole thing to be rather grotesque, the amount of money that was being spent and all for one day!!!!!  Has Christmas really become all about how much we can spend on gifts, food and drink???  Over the last few years, I have cut down on the food we consume over Christmas purely because we don't need it, we don't need to graze on food all day long, especially when there are so many who won't be having much if anything at all. Do children really need all the gifts they have these days, do parents buy so much for their children because they didn't have much as children and want theirs to have everything,  or is it because they don't want their child to be the one without a certain item, or because they want their child to be the one who has that certain item!!!!  Has the world really gone crazy???  I am trying to decide if it is because I am getting older or is the world becoming a consumer orientated world, or has it always been and I am now only realising it??  Life seemed so much easier and happier when we had less.  What would today's children think if they only received a couple of presents - homemade ones at that??  I admit I am bad at Christmas as I love giving presents to people and especially at Christmas time so I am guilty of the thing I am moaning about, I totally over indulge Mick and the girls - but only if the money is there, I wouldn't dream of going into debt for it.

 

Advent - Day 22

 

Advent - Day 23

 

 

Advent Day and Lucky Snapping

Oops have got a little behind again all due to not enough hours in the day for me right now lol.  It has been a manic week with running here there and everywhere but hopefully things will start to slow down now, the last of the presents are wrapped, all the decorations are up now (well those that are going up), the bulk of the shopping is done and cake has just come out of the oven!!  So I have that  almost there feeling creepy over me.

 

Bernadette got home early Friday morning 2am to be precise and yes I had to pick her up from St Austell and then be up again at 6am!!!  I think I functioned yesterday lol.  Great to have a house full again :)

 

 

Advent Day 19

 

 Taken by Bernadette a few years back on a ski-ing trip with the school, I think the penguin was her groups mascot!

 

 

 



Advent Day 20 and Lucky Snapping

 

Last night saw the second of one of our few family traditions not sure how it started or how long we have been doing it, but we always start Christmas off with a viewing of The Muppets Christmas Carol!!!  I am not a Muppet fan but I have to say this movie is so funny with the comments made throughout, well worth a watch if you have not seen it and of course Michael Caine is very good as Scrooge.

Advent Day 21

 

                                            Also taken a few years back here in Tregony

 

 

Linking this post with Lucky Snapping and KC's Court

How it was taken.

A couple of weeks ago Eileen asked me how I created this photo

 

 

 I took it back in Sept 2010 for some Christmas cards I was making that year.  I used some black fleece laid on the table to create a back drop for the candle, drew the curtains to block out as much light as possible (it was taken at 1.30pm).  Camera (canon 50d used)  on tripod with the following settings -  Macro mode, 1/60 shutter speed, f4, evaluative metering, ISO 400, manual focusing and a focal length of 28mm, with the build in flash used.  I played around with slower shutter speeds but then the flame becomes more blurred and I didn't want that effect hence I settled for the 1/60. 

Why not have a go yourself at setting up a shot, you don't have to go for a black background that was just my choice.  The image proved very popular with customers as a Christmas card - I'm pleased to say :) 

Christmas Flowers

On Christmas Eve my lovely husband came home from work and presented me with these beautiful flowers - which I thought I would share with you in their full glory.

I have had a very enjoyable afternoon photographing them with the intention of using the images for the next camera club open competition which is a triptych photo, ( a panel of three photos, either made up from one image or three different images with a theme but they have to work together to create one image - it you get my drift).  So I have spent this evening trying to learn how to create a triptych in photoshop and although I haven't perfected it I have an understanding of how to do it now. I shall show you the results tomorrow.

Christmas week

Why is it that as soon as we break up for the holidays I get ill. Having resisted all the bugs that have been going around at work all term they hit me as soon as we finish, so I spend my holiday being ill. Hey ho, thankfully I haven't been as ill as some I know so I am grateful for that and shall stop moaning. Hope everyone has had a great Christmas weekend and no doubt eaten and drank too much - I have certainly over indulged big time since Christmas Eve - thankgoodness my appetite hasn't been affected. The day before Christmas Eve we had our annual trip to KFC in Penzance, after we had been to see the lights in Mousehole. 

Mousehole put on a wonderful display of Christmas Lights every year and people travel miles to see them.  The lights are turned on around the 18th Dec but on the 19th Dec they are turned off for an hour to remember those that lost their lives in the Penlee Lifeboat disaster which was based in Mousehole at the time and affected so many who lived there.  For more info http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/Mousehole/penlee_lifeboat.htm

I managed to take some rubbish photos - which is what I seem to be doing on a regular basis at the mo - may have been something to do with the freezing cold, or the knowledge that the family were waiting patiently for me physically shaking as they were so cold, (even Mick was cold - so it must have been cold),  or maybe it is just me at the mo.  Anyway here are a couple.

The lights that go around the harbour.

Like the colour of the sky in this one.

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

It's nearly Christmas..

Yet another busy week at work with the children's Christmas show and  Christmas party including a visit from the man himself - Father Christmas.   I do believe we have sent the children home suitably excited about Christmas and full of energy and mischief - which is more than can be said for the staff!!  It has also been a week of Christmas do's for me, each has been very enjoyable with good food and good company - what more could one ask for ???  Oh another one tomorrow night!! 

The theme for this week's photo challenge was Christmas lights, which should not have been difficult as our village is looking stunning as always this time of year - but needless to say I have not yet been out with the camera, too many nights out socialising (a rareity I hasten to add) and the rather cold  freezing weather has put me off - so far, but I will get some this week - a promise to myself. So instead of venturing out I settled for the Christmas tree.  Louise was braver than me she has ventured out - well almost!!

Admittedly they aren't Christmas lights as such, but they reflect Christmas past and present to me, the first photo of the baubles shows one that use to be on our tree when I was a little girl.  The second photo is of one that we have bought for the girls over the years.  We use to buy them a new one each every year, that has only just stopped this last two years!  The last photo is of the fairy that mum put on the tree every year and now every year when I open the box and see her there it takes me back to my childhood christmases.  Originally she had a lovely lacy dress but that has been replaced a number of times over the years - I mean we are talking over 50 years old here (she was around before me!!)  After all Christmas is a time to remember.  I'm sure my friend Kathi will appreciate this post as she is the nostalgia queen.

Christmas Preparations...

.... have definitely been the order of the week.  They all started last Sunday evening with the lantern parade and the turning on of Tregony Christmas lights - which I have to say are looking stunning again this year.  Christmas cards are written, the tree and decorations are up, mince pies made and half eaten already and the Christmas cd's have been blasting out all weekend.  The first of four Christmas do's has been attended and thoroughly enjoyed.  Tomorrow is the children Christmas Show to their parents - a very stressful day for staff - will the children perform or will they freeze!!! Either way we will all be very proud of them as will everyone who comes to watch them.

On to this week's photo challenge. We chose short dof and here are my offerings and you can see Louise's here .

I chose the images of presents because I have signed up to do the Journal Your Christmas and I wanted to include the wrapping of presents early for delivery to family & friends who we won't see on Christmas Day.   

I won this littl chap on the raffle at camera club this week.  So cute he was just begging to have his photo taken.  So I incorporated him into the challenge this week with the smarties tube that was sitting in the cupboard.  Guess some folk would say I need to get out more????

Cupcakes .. mmmm

I asked one of our mums at work who is a wonderful cake maker to make me some christmas cupcakes and this is what she came up with.

My intention was to photograph them for Christmas cards - but the photos haven't turned out quite as I envisaged!! So we are eating them instead and they are gorgeous so all is not lost.

This should make you laugh, I ordered a new lens on Sunday and it still hasn't arrived, I rang up yesterday after work to ask where is it and was told you should of had it on Wed!  So he made a phone call and rung back and said it will be with you by 6pm tonight (last night) ...... nothing.  This morning Mick presents me with a parcel saying there you go, so really excited I rip it open to be faced with a bag of brown cement dye!!!!!!!    Still no lens and I so wanted to take it to St Ives with me today and to make it worse the company are not answering their phone now ...  grrrr .... but I'm cool about it .... NOT!

Another large slide show this time a sample of the cards I sell. Hope you enjoy.

OK this is meant to be a small slide show that sits on the side of the blog not a great big post, when I work out how to move it I will. In the meantime it is pictures of some of the christmas cards I have done.