Advent Day 10

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

 

Linking with Julie

Advent Calender Day 5 & 6

Day 5 -  as well as loving the minions I also love the Moomins :)

Day 6 - Truro's Christmas Tree is looking a little different this year, not sure I like it!

 First time I have managed to see this telephone box in Truro not hidden by taxi's :) the other side of it is an old fashion post box as well.

Had a lovely day, started off with a wet five mile walk then into town to meet up with Bernadette, breakfast then Christmas shopping, now home with sore feet lol but the shopping is well and truly started so very pleased.

Linking up with https://kcscourt.blogspot.co.uk/

Advent Calender - Door 3 & 4

I am running a bit behind here but that is no surprise if I am honest!!

Here is my Door 3 photo - taken last year for my Christmas Tree project.  These trees were in Bodmin Church, each one was decorated by a local business/group, they all looked lovely and so different.

 

Door 4 is a bit of Minions nonsense  I love these little guys lol

 

Linking with Julie

 

Christmas Eve

So here we are the 24th Dec - Christmas Eve and outside it is wet and very windy.  It was the hairdressers for me this morning and drop the last of the Christmas cards off. Amanda has been busy baking quiches whilst B busy studying.  I am now on call til 8pm then three days off :) 

 

 

Have to be honest and say I am not feeling at all Christmassy or festive today, hopefully the festive feeling will hit me shortly.  Hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow and Santa is kind to you all. 

Linking up with KC's Courts

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

Advent Day 18

My all time favourite Christmas Carol

 

Linking with KC's Court

Christmas Nostalgia

Over on Lucky Snapping Kathi has asked us to blog about Christmas traditions and routines that we have.

 

We don't actually have that many that I can think of right now anyway lol  - sure I will think of more as the week goes on.

 

Wreath making is the newest tradition which has grown over the last three years, this being the third year.  As a child we never had a wreath, it was a Christmas item that part of me longed to have - why I have no idea but I just did.  I would watch all the old Christmas films - with their beautiful wreaths on doors and all the wonderful lights and snow all around and actually believe that is what it was like in America!!!  Part of me still believes it was back then!!  (that will be the romantic daydreamer in me coming out lol). Anyway back in the real world - three years ago I was invited to go along with the local WI ladies to a wreath making evening at the local garden centre, it was a lovely evening and I love each wreath I have done. Here is the first, it would appear I had a blip last year and took a break from blogging over Christmas and didn't blog my second one :( can't even find a photo of it at the moment!  Either way here is the third one, I just fell in love with the ribbon so bright and cheerful.

Linking up with Lucky Snapping and KC's court

 

 

Advent Day 15

Mick left here at something like 5.30am to head off to Reading to pick up a new racing bike and then over to Pershore to pick Amanda up to bring her and all her stuff home, not only for Christmas but certainly til after Christmas as she starts her work placement tomorrow in a vets in Truro.  Hopefully they are on the road home now or if not soon will be :)  Then Thurs/Fri will see Bernadette arriving home then my home will be complete again.  Although I am out every night this week I am hoping that once Friday night comes things will slow down and we can have some good quality family time :)

Another Christmas tree from this year's collection, this one is in the printer's shop in St Austell.

Linking with KC's court

 

Advent Day 14

 

Managed to get our tree up this week.

Linking with KC's Court

Advent Day 13

Yesterday I found myslef being a real grump and a bah humbug person, no Christmas cheer or interest in any of the festivities and worse still I had the camera club christmas meal to go to and the thought of being sociable just wasn't on the top of my list of activities for the day.  It was work in the morning - a team meeting full of moaning minnies full of doom and gloom and woe is me's!!!!!  So glad 95% of my job is lone working!!!  Then in the afternoon I had to take my car to Penryn near Falmouth for a recall on the central locking that was going to take an hour so I took myself off for a stroll around Penryn with my little camera,
 

And I found another telephone box

 

 ended up in a cafe having a cuppa, which was very pleasant

 then a nice brisk walk along the main road back to the garage.

 

Mick kicked me out in the evening to go to the meal, in fairness the company was good, the food was OK, nothing special as far as I was concerned and I arrived home just before the clock struck twelve.

Dave having another mince pie with his bowl of clotted cream, much to his wife's disgust lol

  Thankfully I have woken more cheerful this morning with a list of jobs that need sorting before work this afternoon and Amanda's homecoming tomorrow.

Linking with KC's Court

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advent Day 12

Pinched from the internet as my computer is refusing to upload photos :(

Advent

 

 

Day 9 - My Christmas music selection.

A sneak peek at my finished knitting project - it has only taken me 15 months to complete.  I will show the full article after Christmas but for obvious reasons I can't just yet. 

I am now cracking on with the next project, an aran cable scarf for me :) I am happy to say I have recovered from my short lived cold - thank goodness and now feeling more like a human being and ready to start this Christmas lark properly. I have taken a leaf out of someone's book (can't remember whose) and I am putting the decs up bit by bit.  The tree is up but is naked at the moment!!  A little more shopping done yesterday.  Cards (well most of them) in the post. Slowly but surely I will get there.  Hope everyone else is getting there as well. x

 

Linking up with KC's Court

Advent Day 8

 

Another one borrowed from the internet.  

Advent

 

Day 5 - White Christmas, my favourite Christmas film.

Day 6

My dream fire place

 

Thank you for all the well wishes.  xx

Day 4

One from the internet as I am feeling sorry for myself with a cold and wish I had taken this photo!

 

 

 

 

Advent Day 3

One from a few years back, would be nice to have snow again this year!!

 

 

 

Day 2

Day 2 of my Advent Photos

Balloon making Santa in St Austell.

Advent Calender 2013 - Day 1

First day of advent and I am feeling somewhat excited about it all, though sad to see no advent calenders in our house this year as they are with the girls in their respective rooms at uni. (I don't tend to have one myself). All my christmas cards are written and waiting to go in the post.  Presents are starting to be bought, and the decorations are due to come out for a viewing.

I am joining in with Julie at KC's Court and Josie at Josie-Mary her photo advent calendar, a Christmassy photo a day, it can be a new one, an old one, or a borrowed one off the internet. Just post one a day.

My first photo is an old one I am afraid, didn't have chance to take the one I wanted today, a candle.  I thought of an advent candle today but don't have one (you can tell I was not a girl guide - nor a brownie for that matter!!)  so I have decided to burn a plain one we have for five minutes each day in the evening. The one being burnt is like this but white, who knows I might even get around to marking the days on it before we get to the 25th lol.

Well if any of you read yesterday's post you will no doubt be keen to hear how the 'Hot Yoga' went!  Well ............... it was really good, I survived the hour and a half.  At the start the guy running the class said the aim for the first session is to just manage to actually stay in the room for the whole class!!!  Brownie points to me as I did and I managed to do ok attempt most of the exercises, I did start to flag in the last twenty minutes or so.  At the end he said I did well and looked like I was enjoying myself!!!  Hmm guess he was right as I have signed up to go again on Tues morning.
 

So the final thing I have learnt this week is when attending a hot yoga class take two towels with you, one for the actual class and one for the shower, as the towel you put on your mat throughout the session is so sodden with sweat by the end of the class it is not very pleasant to use to dry oneself on after a shower!!!! Plus I couldn't believe that out of approx 20 of us sweating buckets only two of us had a shower!!!!! eek!! Still each to their own I guess hmm!!

 

Linking up with Lucky Snapping and KC's Court