Smelly Christmas and a New Year and

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.....

It is nearly Christmas.

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.

What happened after.

Here is hoping you all had a wonderful Festive time in whichever way you do it.

 Minerva McGonagall received her present a bit late. Yesterday. 

For some strange reason our Argos does not hold the same stock as our near neighbour, Peterhead, so had to travel the 10 miles from there to here, which we didnt want to, and strangely they didnt drive anywhere on Christmas Eve, or Day, and then took their time yesterday.

Though I doubt she knew that.  As soon as it was unwrapped and laid on the floor she was in. Curled up and purring very loudly. The cardboard box she had taken over was swiftly removed and now houses the tv the DP removed from the kitchen wall.  

Should explain that this house, when we moved into it had tvs in every room apart from the bathrooms.  

Now I dont know about you but I can only view one screen at a time, and when I go to bed I go to sleep, not to watch t.v. And when in the kitchen, I and the DP have other things on our minds than Jeremy Kyle or whoever during the day. 

 So when the dear friend recently departed, TO A NEW JOB , gave us a magnificent wine rack we both said , 
"Kitchen t.v. - remove."  

When we eventually work out the safest way to remove the electrics and aerials I will show you it.  But now the t.v. is in the cardboard box waiting to be freecycled.  And Min has her cosy cave.

Sith got booted out of his favourite chair for the present opening but didnt seem fussed.

As you can see the steroids have done their job and he is back to being a b-i-g cat.  Being weaned off the steroids now.  And blood tests coming back fine so whatever was wrong with him, although very expensive to neutralise, has gone. Well, fingers crossed.

The Dawn Patroller and I have had a good Christmas.  Just the two of us.  Not sure why we didnt have our ritual of Christmas Eve with friends.  We have shared this for years and years.  But perhaps as well as along with the lovely pressies from Santa et al, I recognised my old friend pleurisy had come to call.

So battling that, thanking my gp for giving me antibiotics always in my drawer, ibuprofen and paracetemol, and yes, at certain times, red wine (sadly not on prescription) I am slowly considering a shower tomorrow and actually getting clothes on I can go outside in.

My main present was this.

 

 

 Which quite frankly scared me to death.  I have been moaning for some time at the poor quality photos I take of my paintings and nagging the DP to do the photographing for me with his state of the art camera.

Well here I am full of painkillers, trying to focus, let alone focus a camera with all the different buttons and being told just squeeze then hold, so I will let you judge.

The above was taken with the old camera.

Ok, the picture is now finished as in background done and mounted, but is it a better zingy colour?

Hopefully better after.  As I will be.

 

 

Christmas Prep final.

Christmas has not reeeeeaally started.  The tree is up.  And lit, despite my scissor / secateur effort.

Large parcels are arriving and being unpacked. Placed under said tree.  All our parcels are sent, and cards.

Empty parcels are siezed on and enjoyed.

We have had two Christmas get togethers, one lunch, one dinner and still one to come.

Every evening on go the Christmas Carols, songs, from the sublime choirs to the ridiculous. Slade.....

But for me, this year has a tinge of sadness.  

A very dear friend is away to pastures new.


So I am thinking more of the New Year with all its challenges and changes to come.

Good job there will still be 

Happy Christmas.

n.b. new header depicts the Northern Lights.  A lot of activity out there, keep watching.

Christmas Prep 2.

 As explained before our Christmas Tree was from 

It came in a net.  Not as tall as we are used to and very wide at the bottom once released.

Purchased by the Dawn Patroller.  He sat and looked at it.  

This was after we had decorated it.  

And decided it needed to be taller.  So sat it on a table.  He then decided it still didnt look right.  

So while he was out I trimmed the lower branches.

As it became dark I switched on the lights.

This is not a sponsored post.

I am not allowed to use secateurs ever again.

Christmas Prep.

Yesterday was the Lighthouse Museum's annual wreath making session.  It is the only one where kids are not allowed! 

After having soaked 12 wreaths in my bath overnight and then had to haul the 12 wet and heavy wreaths into my car, out of it, and into the museum.  Plus half a garden of evergreens, masses of ribbons and secateurs, scissors.... I did not want to wrestle with a wreath.

So I stabbed an orange instead.

In the evening it was the staff Christmas Meal.

As always the Dawn Patroller takes me looking like the Wicked Witch of the North......

Today I finished off the Christmas Decorations.  Here are a few, there are more......

 And as my Secret Santa gift was a bottle of the red stuff I fully expect this will be my blurred view of the tree at Christmas. (Forgot to put the anti shake on the camera.)




 

December? Almost missed it.

Well, no, not really.  

 I found these lights, gifted to me but, never used before.  They reflect in the opposite window of the shedudio so I look as if all lit!  (As it took me so long to put them up they will now be a permanent feature.)

More free stuff.

 Plan being the visitors spend a lot in the shop and the cafe!!!  And we get the locals in who are always up for a freebie.  Aren't we all....

Since I last blogged I did succumb to one germ floating about .  Although the chest infection - or exacerbation as they are called (?) - cleared pretty quickly thanks to my dear GP ensuring I have antibiotics ready at home, it still knocks the stuffing out.  Plus each time it takes longer to get back up.  I will not tell you how long it took me to clamber off and on a chair to get them b***** lights up.....

But you dont need much breath or muscle power to paint!

So I was able to fulfil this commission.  

 Although the bat eared one was a worry..................   and on the photos they were sitting on a bed.  Hm. ( Says she who cant turn over in bed due to one cat up the back and one anchoring the legs.)

So bring on the rest of December.  
Secret Santas and all. (Has anyone a fool proof solution to these?)

Oh! Almost forgot.  As some of you will remember we have always prided ourselves on buying a locally grown Christmas Tree.  Well this year we struggled.   Ended up with one from Aldi tho it was apparently grown in Scotland.  Well tis a big country.

Santa on his way.

The Lighthouse Museum's third Primary age child Christmas Card Competition.

We received over a 170 entries.  Above is Chairman of the board's wife selecting a winner.

 

Here it is.

The DP has made the image to fit on cards and I made the cards.  Now on sale in the Gift Shop.

I also had the pleasant task of presenting the prizes to our winner.

 A Family Ticket for the museum, a hoodie with the lighthouse emblem on. a book about lighthouses, a poetry book on lighthouses, and a bag for life to put everything in.  Oh and her card being the official lighthouse card for 2014.


Comes to something when a primary school pupil is as tall as I am.  

 

Girding up ones loins.

Never have really understood that phrase, tho I use it a lot.  Always have a vision of 

 Gandhi. 

So - back to resolutions.

Boxing Hares.

Shedudio is full of 'em. 

  Decided to go with this one.  With alterations and help from some other photographs, so unsure who to give credit to!

The Hare on the ground is thinking, left or right hook?  The one which will be directly above, as opposed to on the left of....

.....is looking, to say the least, disjointed!

Hopefully all will come together.

Meanwhile I am now eyeing up the stuff to come apart.  Like the Christmas Tree.  Well it doesn't actually come apart as its a real one.  We argue every year as to when 12th night is.  I maintain its the 4th January, if you count Christmas Eve as the first night.  

Well do you know what hour Mary gave birth?  

I have all on to remember the time I gave birth, so how are a load of men going to get it right?  Kings -  huh.  Shepherds? Na.  

And did Joseph or any of them wear a watch????

Right, tree down tomorrow.




 

How was it for you?

Santa on his way homeward.

He was excellent as usual.  Visiting Lincoln and my granddaughter.  So we caught up with his leavings via Skype.

The rest of our family were together in Edinburgh.  Three daughters, partners and two grandsons.  Skype again.  No pictures, all we saw of the boys was their backs stuck in to some construction!

The DP and I still enjoyed our Christmas.  Exchanging gifts and listening to the Messiah.  This is one tradition that has now spanned two generations.  My Dad always played it on Christmas Day.  I wonder what he would make of cds and cassettes, as in those days it was long player records or reel to reel tapes. Even when he was in hospital we staggered in with heavy box effort which played the tapes.  Permission sought and granted, though I bet there were a few patients who thought their end had come!

Oh and the glass of sherry around 10 a.m. tho I do seem to remember when the girls were small it was probably a bit earlier......

One of my gifts from the daughters was a 'real artists hat'.  Well they do say if your head is warm the rest of you is, so great for down the shedudio.

The above was made by one of my dearest friends.  Just putting the photo up for you all is bringing a tear to mine eye.  Isnt that just so wonderful?  It is my shed.

The Dawn Patroller really came up trumps.  He got quite a few tops.  I am not alone in trying to get him away from boring old men stuff.  He is one step away from a brown cardigan.  I kid you not.  Also he was given the latest Rebus and Discworld books.  He gets the telescope when we have sorted the heating out.

So back to trumps.

 
 A personalised calendar.  Not only does every month depict one of my paintings but all the birthdays, anniversaries are all highlighted.  Gob smacked.  I also received a car sticker and note book with my paintings on. 

Being as its just the two of us I tootled off to the shedudio in the afternoon leaving him to read a book.

I was not feeling very Christmassy, love to all men etc., as it got dark way too fast and I was on a roll with this painting.

 
  But, hey ho, back up in the warm and smelling lovely cooking smells.

So How was it for You?
 

Almost ready.

As the Dawn Patroller seems to enjoy shopping......  I was not going to argue.  
After all, I use a trolley as one does a zimmer frame.  I have to ask Santa's little helpers to lift down things that 5 foot nothing cannot reach, indeed, I forgot I lost another inch this year, 4 feet 11 inches now.  Then I have to put on the extra stagger and stare helplessly at the trolley and the boot of the car, never fails, someone comes and helps me load up.  So really I am better off keeping away from shopping.

The morning he spent visiting the local shops, butchers and veg suppliers; and being in one of the largest fish ports, a fish shop.  Now you do not zoom into the shop and out again, oh no.  Apparently our butcher gets very stressed with queues.  By the time he had explained all this to the DP the queue was a mile long.

Then this afternoon the DP braved the supermarket.  

Cat Collars.  With bells on. Now affixed to our two cats.  Who shot off after the total indignity of being squashed on the kitchen table while the old collars disintegrated as we removed them and had new ones affixed.  Til I realised I had forgotten to put the magnets on from the old collars.  So after a hectic repeat catching session they decided enough was enough and have gone down the shed.  But at least they can get back in now.

Hmmm.  Mmmmmm.  Just tasting you understand.

The visit to the supermarket , well he was gone for hours.  You know you have settled in a place when you can block the aisles in Tesco chatting away to more than one person you know.  Especially as you only had three items to get.

And thats about it.

One more day.

That I shall spend volunteering at the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses.  In the shop.

And the flipping cafe is shut!  Unfair.  But I am able to nip up the back stairs and get my own Cappucino.

After that its shutdown.

So while the DP was being a retail stocker upper.  For Goodness sake they are all back open again in three days time.  Its Hogmanay when things close down completely.  For a lot longer.

Anyroads I was down the shedudio listening to Pavarotti singing Christmas stuff and making the most of that extra bit of daylight, already!  Thankyou God and Mother Nature.


  
Having been asked if I had an Avocet, which I hadnt, but they are an annual visitor, so do come under Buchan Birds and Beasts. I found a photograph by Ron McCombe , and had a go.


Really tickled by this photo, its a reindeer from Tyneside!

When finished, next years Christmas Card!

Finally.  I have to say how pleased I was to have a comment from Annie (Lady M).  Her blog, www.thedayafteryesterday.co.uk is one of the most hilarious blogs I have ever read.  Well worth a look.  Not sure I should welcome Beth who commented on my wording and didnt recognise that 2 sprouts was 2 too many for the North East of Scotland.  

But as its so near Christmas.  I am sure she will get many, many sprouts.

Happy nearly Christmas.