One ritual I almost forgot.
Pomanders.
Orange and spices.
Cloves into orange. Use a skewer or darning needle to make holes. Mix your spices in a bowl. Cover the orange with the spices.
Add ribbon.
Now the recipe says to put into tissue, cardboard box in warm dark cupboard for 3 - 4 weeks. Well I havent got that long so its on kitchen roll on top of a radiator shelf till the spices dry out and drop off. It will smell heavenly from the word go.
The other tradition I forgot is the Christmas Wreath. I have enough time to do one and all the stuff to do it with. Watch this space.
Each year previously I have organised friends and others into a coffee and mince pie somewhere and go for it. Wreaths and Pomanders. Due to the health problems I havent organised anything. Its a lot more fun doing this in a group than solitarily shoving cloves into an orange . I had 2 to do but gave up on the one although I did listen to a lovely Classic FM prog from Winchester which helped.
Today has been most unseasonal. It has been as warm as a windy day in Summer
Oystercatchers sunbathing.
Gulls following the fishing boat.
Wondering why I am warm.
My thanks to a new follower BethB who has given me a kick up the proverbial and finally get round to being serious about my art. Setting up a shop on my facebook page in the New Year. I frequently get asked about selling my work and do not approach it properly. So thanks again Beth.
The same photographer gave me permission to do other paintings from his photographs. One was a harvest mouse on a dandelion head. Do you have them where you live? I may give that one a go. In fact I think I did.... will have a look through my vast pile of unfinished.....
Not sure how I have managed this but everything appears to be sorted.
Because of health issues I took the easy way out and to the nearest and dearest they got cash. I have no idea what toys all the grandchildren have or as they are so small what they would want or what parents would deem acceptable.
Parents ditto.
Of course since I did that I have been blasted with adverts and thought oh now I should have got that.....
The more distant relatives our sister and brothers will hopefully receive an unbroken pottery gift. And I managed stuff for the Dawn Patroller which he doesnt know about so has something to unwrap from under the tree.
The cards are all made and sent
So here is yours.
Ptarmigan in the Aberdeenshire Mountains painted by me.
From now on in my posts will probably be about the things I have totally forgotten about. But the shops are still open. And Amazon assures me it still has its slaves on the case.
Unless we get snowed in.
Anyone get to see Countryfile on Sunday? It was about the area I live in, Aberdeenshire.
Macduff Marine Aquarium we have visited many times. It is open all year round so somewhere to visit with grand children - or without.
Crovie, pronounced Crivie , has no road to the cottages so everyone has a wheelbarrow. This is used to transport shopping from the car parked at the bottom of the road to the village. This transport mode was not mentioned at all !
Gardenstown is another village further up the coast from us. Bryan Angus, fellow artist, lives there . He and his partner run the Creative Retreat and have courses in Art.
It was a great programme with lots of other interesting stuff. We recorded it but those of you who know how to use catch up things - do it.
Our cat, Cait Sith, really enjoyed it. Here he is with the Dawn Patroller. Then he had to get closer.
Cait Sith is possibly a Kellas cat.
His double (stuffed and in a glass case) we saw at Aberdeen University Zoology department. Very large black cat Sith was a few centimetres shorter from nose to tail. The Kellas cat is thought to be a cross from a Scottish wildcat which is currently subject of a lot of hoo ha of protection, and a feral cat. Feral cats and any loose domestic ones are being neutered.....
Today I walked my .59 of a mile before lunch instead of after. Daylight is very short now and I really wanted to paint. Never seen so many Oyster Catchers having fun as the tide came in.
My granddaughter wants a painting of a cheetah. Sadly not found in Aberdeenshire, except on my drawing board.
Very cold today after the few days of unseasonal warmth. Whatever the weather our surfers and kayakers are in the sea.
The low sun sheds its light and does its own art work far better than I can. This group of Oyster catchers made me smile.
The pools where the Oyster Catchers gathered.
More of Nature's art work with the gull gang.
Christmas here has come rather early. The Dawn Patroller has had his camera lenses and already been out playing with them. On the domestic front I finally ditched the bedroom curtains which were teal in colour, and I still dont know what possessed me. They had a lining which was blackout. Necessary in the summer when it dont get dark. But the thickness of the lining led to the curtains forever removing themselves from the curtain pole. So I received my present early too. Gold curtains which match the rest of the rooms decor. (Why did I go for teal mutter mutter.)
All gold. Rather fitting for the season.
Bring it on. And more walking weather tomorrow.
I just found my comments. Well your comments. THANK YOU. I was on the point of packing blogging in. Nobody loved me..........
Why oh why do they do this? If it aint broke dont fix it.
xxxx
Today we went to visit our friends at the Mill of Nethermill. www.nethermillholidays..co.uk
This is 5 star self catering accommodation and as retired b&b providers we were blown away. 5 stars were well deserved.
We actually went to purchase some Pottery for Christmas presents. As there is also a Pottery. Millshore Pottery and Collectables.
Who wouldnt! What we actually purchased remains a secret.
Sadly the weather today was gloomy.
We saw very little daylight at all.
Better tomorrow hopefully.
Much better now.
Back to charging up the Esplanade.
And up and down the Path of Doom. I call it this as it took me a long time to actually get to the end which is where the sand dunes start and no through road for my chariot. It measures .59 of a mile there and back from where I park my car. Every bit of fence I know intimately as I leant over and struggled to get control of my breathing again.
There has been some fantastic weather recently. Temperatures into double figures, very little wind and sunshine. Okay not much in the above pic but what a beautiful sky.
Oyster Catchers
Redshanks.
Plenty of material for my paintings!
Although not enough daylight for doing much painting. I do have a daylight bulb in the shedudio, but it is not the same as the real thing.
3.30 p.m. Sunset.
So quite a struggle to .....
crack on and the cheetah looks more like a monkey...
The Dawn Patroller was out doing what he likes to do, and does well, taking photos. He met a fellow bird watcher and photographer and they got talking. Turned out this chap had less lung function than me, had COPD, but was quite obviously fitter. All down to this.
Vaping. I have struggled for many years to pack in smoking. Tried everything including some drug which was guaranteed by the NHS to work and sent me doolally. Obviously as I have COPD I probably was doolally smoking. Well I stopped - 3 weeks ago. Now I vape. The difference is - I feel as if I have got my life back.
Best Christmas Present ever.
