The clouds have parted

Since I write my blog mostly for my own benefit, I try to record and honest and truthful account of things.  I’m not out to impress anyone nor to promote products either which makes it easier, too.  Perhaps the most challenging thing is to respect people’s privacy and I take great care not to share anything that’s not mine to share.

But occasionally, I leave things out.  Sometimes, there are things which I don’t really want to share for whatever reason and there’s been a bit of an elephant in the room here in the last two weeks which definitely falls into that category.  Thankfully, this morning, Jumbo got to his feet and shuffled out, much to the relief of everyone here.

So, not only have the clouds parted, there’s light at the end of what has been quite a long tunnel and Edward will be able to join us for his birthday jolly after all.  For a while, it really did look as though his parents would be celebrating his 29th on a different continent without him and that the birthday boy’s booked (and paid for) flights and hotel room would be wasted.

Thankfully, later this week, all three of us will be off for a few days and are now able to really look forward to the company of these chaps.  Hoooray!!

To doing a little light shopping, perhaps?  Mmm….

Maybe visiting the tailor?  (Maybe a birthday present to be considered?)

But most of all, to enjoying a few days together in one of our all-time favourite cities. 

To say we are relieved would be an understatement.  But as is often the case in such situations, we hadn’t realised how much the possibility of leaving Edward back home had loomed so large over our Christmas celebrations until he telephoned with the good news. 

Time to get the guidebook out!

Christmas Journal 2013

I have emerged from the bomb site that is the journalling corner of my studio with a completed “masterpiece” at last.  I’m always keen to get it finished and move on, because once Christmas is over, I’ve had enough of it.  In addition, I find that I need to keep up with it if it is to stay “real”, because I forget all the small details after just a couple of days and it is those small details which make it special.

You might remember that I put the “bones” together in late October.  How efficient was that?!  Anyway, I’d seen a good idea for a kind of pocket construction and I thought I’d give it a go.

It’s quite chunky but that’s because there are spacers in the form of pony beads in between each page/pocket.  I thought this might be a good idea because my journals always end up bursting at the seams!

So, on the 1 December, I pulled one of the pockets out and created my first page.  Each day, I made some kind of design on the pocket, sometimes using Shimelle’s prompt as a focus, but often simply using something I’d come across which seemed to fit.  I used a 6x4 card for most of the actual journalling, usually printing out a full size photograph for the reverse side.  I attached a tab to each card and slotted it into the pocket.  I was also trying to keep this journal a bit different from the more everyday record I keep in my Project Life album not to mention what I record here on my blog.  I mean, how many times do I need to write, photograph or document the same old stuff?!

At this stage, I didn’t want to be messing up my spiffy covers so simply kept the finished pockets together with a pair of book rings.

Each day, I included a “playing card” design I’d made in Photoshop with the date on it and at least one gold star.  Otherwise, every pocket was different.

Today, having finished the last page, I began to put them together in the binding, carefully keeping everything in order – until I dropped the lot, that is!

Oh well, try again.  Only to find that, once in the binder, there were too many beads and the spine wasn’t wide enough.  How strange.  I thought I’d measured that bit.

All the pages came out again, as I removed a couple of beads at the front and the back of the pockets.  It was as well I was home alone, because I was getting pretty irritated by this stage!

This time, it fitted perfectly.  Phew.

Not only that, but the pages opened nicely, the pockets all worked well and the beads didn’t get in the way at all.

I’d worried a bit in case the plastic pockets I’d used to contain a few receipts and other ephemera were too wide, but this didn’t seem to matter.

And though I hadn’t worked out the tabs at all, they seemed to jolly along well together, too.

I couldn’t resist taking out this particular card out, “just to check”    We enjoyed watching North and South with Mary whilst she was here and were glad to find that Richard Armitage hasn’t lost his good looks in the intervening years.

So here it is, my Christmas Journal 2013, done.

I cut the binding tape long enough so that it can be used to tie the book closed too.  I’m not happy with the “2013” numbers though, so will probably redo those in a while.  I think I’ll rubber stamp it in black, to fit with the design.

I’ll repeat it on the spine too, I think.

Ta Dah!

The far side

Here we are.  Boxing Day and all is well.  We had a really lovely day yesterday, our stockings were filled with good things and it was unanimously agreed that the turkey really was the best ever, even if we opted out of our clever new oven’s special settings in favour of a simple “170C" for as long as Delia said.

The miserable darkness of the day before had blown over and on Christmas morning, I marvelled at the glorious weather; the beautiful blue sky and sunshine.  My sore throat had developed into a full blown, sneezing and wheezing cold but with two such capable cooks taking charge in the kitchen, all my m-i-l Bettine and I had to do was to sit at the table, to watch them work and congratulate ourselves on two Mothers’ jobs well done.

We’d already delved into our stockings and opened one or two presents, fuelled by a glass or two of very good Prosecco (thanks, Lynn!)  My sweet dh had braved the patronising manner of the perfumery saleswoman to replenish my occasional No 5 jag (Rive Gauche is the scent which those who know me well associate with me, but from time to time, we need a change, right?)  But it was the son and heir who hit the spot with a bottle of a rather delicious gin he’d found and yes, we did pass the bottle around for a quick taste each!  Thankfully, the bag of frozen blueberries were on hand to garnish the pre-lunch G&Ts – medicinal, in my case, of course.

The rest of the day went by in the blink of an eye.  We opened the remaining presents and were delighted by each surprise as it was revealed.  The kitchen was cleared, the washing up done and in no time at all, peace and order was restored.  We were nearly as relaxed as the Father Christmas from New Zealand on Fiona and Wayne’s gift tag!

Oh dear, perhaps after all of these years, my dh has acquired some of my bad habits too?  I guess new shoes do pinch, rather?

So, Christmas night and Lynn’s huge red candle still burned as brightly as it has done for the past few evenings whilst the seemingly bottomless supplies of goodies continued to tempt us.  As we watched Downton Abbey, there was a more practical alternative to a G&T close to hand.

Today, the sneezes have given way to the chesty cough, so it will be a Benylin fuelled afternoon nap today, I suspect.  Meanwhile, the sounds from the kitchen are the same sighs of frustration as I heard when the last new laptop with Windows 8 was set up.  Hopefully the ham which is bubbling away on the stove will boost Edward’s willpower and determination to win through in the end, but the challenges of a new computer are many.

 

I have plenty of reading material to keep me happy for quite some time and a good balance of inspiration, entertainment, and sheer charm too.

Oh, and Olaf, the new bear on the block is on hand to show me to my favourite reading spot, too.

Was the word “cute” mentioned?

Christmas Eve

It’s done.  The turkey is in the fridge, everything we need for the next few days (and probably a lot more besides) is now here and we are ready.

Fortunately, we checked online last evening to find out when we could collect our order and discovered that the store was opening at 7am – an hour earlier than previous years.  So, we bundled ourselves up and braved the remains of last night’s storm, intending to avoid the ridiculousness that is a supermarket at Christmas time. 

We drove through flood and considerable debris on the road and though we’d heard the wind buffeting about during the night, we’d not realised quite how much rain had fallen too.  I envied Edward, still tucked up warm and snug in bed!

Even at 6.55am, the queue had formed and was waiting patiently for the doors to open.  Thankfully this year, everyone was on good form and when a small cheer went up from those at the front, we inched forward, not forgetting our good manners.

Once inside, all was efficiently dealt with and one wondered what all the fuss had been about.

I mean, was it really necessary to have ordered the bird at all?  There were plenty of supplies still there and a good choice, too.  But of course, we are control freaks and wouln’t dream of leaving such things to chance.  I did, however, wonder about getting all of this done a day earlier next year.

By 7.15am we were done.  There was no rush and surprisingly there had been no crowds to negotiate.

Perhaps they were just arriving?  But, satisfied that we’d got everything we needed – and more – we made our way home again where, far from tucked up cosy and warm and enjoying a lie-in, someone was actually hard at work in the studio. 

Edward was sitting at his father’s computer, working on the project which has been the focus of the last few months.  

Bacon butties all round, don’t you think?!

Settling in for the next couple of days and looking forward to a peaceful time at home, may I wish you a very Happy Christmas.  I hope Father Christmas is generous and that you are not on his naughty list!

How many sleeps?

The days have grown shorter and we’re about to turn the corner into lighter, brighter times.  In the meantime, we’ve spent our time out and about with Mary and in between ticking things off lists, have enjoyed a satisfying mix of planned spontaneity.

We met in London on Tuesday, sitting at a table of globetrotting friends in the crypt of St Martins in the Fields.  As I walked across Trafalgar Square, I was reminded of an early date with my Hero who suggested we meet by a lion without knowing of “my thing” about birds.  I held my breath as I went to meet him – any excitement and anticipation was way overshadowed by fear and trembling provoked by the pigeons!  ~Thankfully, there are fewer pigeons around these days and anyway, enough children were letting off steam in between gallery visits to scare off all but the bravest of birds.  I stopped by the Christmas tree as I walked, though, because one small group gathered by the tree with their teacher and were quietly singing “Silent Night”.  If anything is guaranteed to bring a lump to the throat at this time of year, it’s exactly that.  Christmas, eh?

A wee bit further, I stopped again to take a look at the flowers left in memory of Nelson Mandela.  It’s a funny thing we do, isn’t it?  Looking at some lavish – and surely very costly – bouquets of flowers there, I couldn’t help thinking that the money could have been put to better use in his memory.  But hey ho, each to their own.

Later in the day, feeling weary from walking here, there and everywhere, Mary and I were glad to sit and watch some familiar faces in Selfridges.  Giffords Circus were there, doing a short but very funny show.  It was two heavy pairs of feet which boarded the train home on Tuesday night, I can tell you!

After a busy day in the studio at home on Wednesday, (the results of which will be revealed in due course) we met friends for lunch at The Wild Rabbit on Thursday.  Well, we had to call in at Daylesford on the way and found ourselves in a kind of "pre-lunch meeting” because they’d had similar thoughts to us and were there too.  My venison with seasonally presented cranberries was delicious.

Everybody else was sharing pork loins, so they had to take my word for it.  The portions here are generous and the presentation delightful.  It’s fast becoming a favourite and perhaps it’s a good thing that it’s not any closer to us or we’d be here rather more often than is good for our waistlines.

After such a delicious lunch, the only problem was who would eat the last madeleine.

There was more food waiting for us at home, too, because our sweet Aussie mate John had sent us a hamper of yummy things to eat from Tasmania.  I couldn’t resist doing a bit of staging for the photograph though on reflection, those spiced cookies are a little dominant and could have been better placed!

With rain forecast yesterday, we decided to start in Tetbury, thinking that perhaps our friend Lynn might like to join us for coffee.  But she’d already been into town and was back at home.  Her offer to put the kettle on was too good to turn down and we spent a very jolly morning with Mr Moose looking on (don’t you love her sense of humour?!) 

With lunchtime fast approaching, we thought we’d try another place we’d heard good things about, so took Lynn away from her Friday morning cleaning and polishing and whisked her away into the pub.  Well, sometimes the best laid plans can be bettered, don’t you find?

We braved both Farmers Market and Waitrose early this morning but soon retreated home via a lovely new(ish) shop which goes by the name of Bobble.  With all gathered in as the wind begins to blow and the rain starts to fall, we are warm and busy in the studio this afternoon.

It’s the best way to spend a cool Yule, don’t you agree?