2024 Is Upon Us

I'd like to wish you all a very happy new year full of vim and verve. A new year chock to the brim with joy. New beginnings and fresh undertakings. Thank you for pressing the follow button so I can see who is listening to my musings and ramblings, that includes my latest follower Jules, a warm welcome to you. May we all continue to engage, entertain and support all of our wonderful blogging chums. I shall raise a glass to my blogging community folk tonight. Cheers.

Champagne !!!!!

Well I never, it appears that 'research' has shown Champers is good for us. Now that is good news. A few glasses a week can ward off dementia and heart disease. The article I read which is in The Saga Magazine says that hospitals even used to prescribe it in the early 20th century, for various ailments including vomiting, imagine that? The aid to memory loss is all down to Champagne's unique phenolic compounds that enhance memory by modulating signals in the brain's memory centres and preserves proteins which diminish with age and which are crucial for memory storage. It can also improve circulation and support heart health. So my best bloging chums it would be foolish of us not to quaff a few glasses this season. I do wish you all the best Christmas and a very happy and fulfilled new year.

Winter Solstice

(image by Joanna Kosinka, unsplash). When the rivers are frozen, the light is reborn. When the shadows grow long, the light is reborn. When the warmth has fled, the light is reborn. In the darkest night, the light is reborn.

An Unusual Christmas Tree

The Mr and I should have been holidaying in Madeira over Christmas but due to a family illness we are now going in February. I didn't much feel like buying our usual huge fresh tree and bedecking the house, although I have to say this is the first Christmas I have been looking forward to for a wee while now. I opted for a small 'Birch tree effect' twig instead. Of course I found it impossible to find something approximating what I had in mind that wasn't made of the dreaded plastic. So I cut an old Lilac branch off a bush in our garden, trimmed it and left it to dry for a week or so. I then wrapped it in white florist tape and glued it to a wooden base. I have decorated it with small glass baubles and not much else, apart from a small wooden hand carved angel I found in my favourite charity shop. I'm quite pleased with it. It's big enough to look festive and pretty. I have now put a few small presents around the base. I think less is definitely more in this instance.

I'm off now to watch Albert Finney in Scrooge on Channel 5 and I may possibly have a small piece of Christmas cake. My friend Amanda made us a superb cake for Christmas, she is a very kind hearted friend and much valued.

Maggie of Black Country Wench blog has 'won' the giveaway. I'll wait for her details and send the book and brooch off to her.

Nuff Said

Doings, Makings & A Christmas Giveaway

The Mr and I have completed our Slimvember challenge, where we had decided to cut out snacks of the biscuit, cake and chocolate variety, plus a reduction in our wine intake. We're not heavy drinkers at the best of times but we realised we were having a glass or two of wine nearly every night. We have both lost a good few pounds and are keeping up with our revised habits. I've been trying out a few different recipes too, which I'm glad about as I do get so bored with cooking the same things. I usually cook from scratch and try to use up anything lurking in the fridge. Yesterday it was cod loin with roasted veg and mashed potatoes. I used some herbed olive oil that I had saved from our little pack of olives we had earlier, delicious. I recently also made a superb Scandi style salmon soup with veg and fresh dill. We scoffed it all before I thought to take a pic, next time we have it I'll post the pictures with the recipe. You will thank me, ha ha. My Christmas tasks are going well and I feel that this year it has felt very pleasurable finding gifts for folks. I decided not to buy an expensive wreath this year for us, which I normally can't wait to put on our door. Instead I used some dried hydrangea heads to embelish the felted heart door wreath I have on the door all year round. I'm pleased with it and it has saved some money too.

And finally I'd like to present a Christmas giveaway to all my followers, why not? Adam Wide inspired me to recently buy a couple of Christmas Tree brooches and I'd like to gift one of them together with the most mystical book by an author who I have only recently discovered, Mary Webb. Her writing style is of it's time and quite unique, very immersive and a a wee bit strange.

If you would like to be entered into the giveaway just let me know in the comments section please, don't be shy and I'll endeavour to pick a winner and send it off in time for the Christmas festivities.

Bjorn & Ian Knitting Chums

As I race to finish my Christmas knitting projects I spied this funny knitting friends spoof. Bloomin hilarious. I hope it tickles your funny bone too. Thank goodness for humour.

Adam Wide Christmas Forest

I managed to bag a ticket for this totally amazing event at Chatsworth House last Thursday. Adam gave an enthusiastic, passionate and revealing talk on his immense collection of Christmas Tree brooches of which he has around 8000. There is a part exhibition around 1500 of them along the Christmas route at Chatsworth until January, so look out for them in the north sketch if you are planning on going. The jewellery itself was swoon worthy and this from someone who doesn't really ever wear a brooch, well that is until now. Adam was an absolute bundle of joy and mirth and has led the most extraordinary life and still does. He has just arrived back in Blighty after living in Berlin, but he has done many great things world wide. He really has so many stories to tell I could have sat there all day listening to him. He was such a surprise and subsequently so was the talk. I feel inspired by the man and learnt a lot, of course I told him a few things too, he never knew that Monty Don had made jewellery before he moved onto gardening. I fear I may have started him on another acquisition trail.