Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year, my lovelies!  Wishing you all good things for 2025

😊

 

Living in the twilight zone...

image from Clipart Library

Well, that's another Christmas under our belts ~ I do hope you all had a super time, my lovelies, and that Santa brought you lovely things 😊  Now we are in that weird twilight zone between Christmas and New Year, where the days seem to have no definition ~ they just meld into one continuous stream of hours whilst we plough our way through the leftovers, and make vague plans for "Big Changes" in the upcoming shiny and bright new year, whilst vegging out in front of the TV 😄

We had a rather lovely, albeit somewhat bittersweet, Christmas ~ another of those "firsts" since Mum passed away back in April.  Amanda and Liz brought Dad up here on the 23rd, and they all travelled home again on the 27th.  Beverly's shift pattern meant that she wasn't working on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day this year, so she was here too, as was our friend, Phil.  The only person missing was Sam, who didn't have enough annual leave left after his move to Leeds in October, but we video-called with him on Christmas Day 😊  As you know, we only have two bedrooms, so Dad stayed here with us whilst Amanda and Liz booked a holiday cottage just up behind where we live.  Beverly had been going to stay with them in the cottage, too, but in the end decided it was too hot in there so made herself comfy on our sofa for a couple of nights instead 😄

It's been a few years (well, since we moved up here actually) since I've catered for more than three or four folk at a time so I was a little bit anxious.....which was then compounded by our oven conking out on the big day 😯 Thankfully the turkey was actually cooked through when the oven decided it had had enough, and only needed to be browned off (which was rather how I felt at that point 😉).  Luckily we have a double oven, and the top oven was still working fine, plus we've recently bought ourselves an air-fryer, so everything was perfectly cooked and Christmas dinner was only a little later than I had planned!  Next week we'll get in touch with the guy who replaced the element for us last year to see if it's a simple fix ~ we think if may be the thermostat that's gone wrong, so fingers crossed it can be replaced without too much bother.

On Boxing Day we left Adrian at home, pottering about making the lasagne for dinner and watching the sport on TV 😄  Amanda had hired a lovely big people carrier for the few days they were up here, so we went for a little drive around the island and for a walk on Evie beach to blow away the cobwebs.  All in all, it was a lovely few days with (almost) all of us together 😊

As for my new year resolutions.....

😉

Merry Christmas!

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Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas, my lovelies, I hope you have a wonderful day!

😊

 

Christmas-Every-Day

image from Freepik

I trundled over to Kirkwall yesterday to pay my annual "Mother Christmas" visit to Beverly, where I then spend time hanging the fruits of my gift-wrapping endeavours for her to open one each day during December.  It's a rod I made for my own back tradition that I started a good number of years ago, before Adrian and I moved up to Orkney.  Beverly very rarely came south for Christmas, a combination of her working shift patterns and the unpredictability of the weather for travelling at that time of year.  I came across the idea when I was idly surfing Pinterest one day, and thought it would be a lovely idea to do for Beverly to remind her that we were thinking of her even if we couldn't be together 😊

I can't show you all the little gifts laid out ready for wrapping, just in case Beverly takes it into her head to read my blog for once 😉  Suffice to say, the two bags above were stuffed with all the little goodies I came across for this years Christmas-Every-Day.  I keep wondering when she will grow out of it but she shows no sign of doing so thus far ~ and she'll be 34 at the end of this coming January 😏

Ta-daa ~ everything hung up ready for this year's tradition to begin!  It didn't take too long to get the job done, despite the "assistance" of Belle, one of my grandkitties 😉  The cats are also the reason why the little parcels are rather bunched up, rather than dangling more elegantly 😄

Adrian and I had both planned on going to see Beverly but unfortunately he wasn't feeling too well.  He had the first of the two shingles vaccinations on Wednesday and it's left him feeling very tired and "flu-ey".  He would normally have carried the stash of little gifts for me, of course, but I was able to get everything packed into my trusty shopping trolley.  There was plenty of room on the bus over to Kirkwall, so I had a seat near the front and tucked my trolley in beside me 😊

I had a lovely couple of hours with Beverly, and got the 12.26pm bus home again.  I get on and off the bus at Tesco in Kirkwall, and I suppose it takes me about 10 minutes or so to walk from there to her flat.  By the time I'd got home and had some lunch, I didn't really feel like doing much else so had a lazy afternoon.

I did finally get something done with my little air plants, though.  I bought them when we were down south back in September, and managed to get them home unscathed!  I propped them up in a pot with one of my succulents until I'd decided how to display them ~ and there they sat for three months 😏  As you know I'm currently sorting out my craft room (aka the dumping ground 😉), and in one of the boxes I was emptying out I found the perfect little vintage container for them.  It was something I came across when I was sorting through stuff at Mum and Dad's earlier in the year.  Dad had no use for it and said I was welcome to take it 😊

It's stamped on the base "Hillstonia" and although I haven't been able to find much information online, it would appear to have been made by a company called Moira Pottery.  I was a little confused when I read the Wikipedia article as it said that the Hillstonia range was for forcing bulbs and containing plants ~ I couldn't quite see how you could get bulbs into the very slender opening along the top of the container!  However after I did a general search for Hillstonia pottery, I came across an identical container to the one I have on Etsy.  The seller there describes it as a posy vase, which makes much more sense 😄

I don't know where my Mum got it from but I suspect it came from my Great Aunt Mary, who had some interesting items.  I now have a number of things that were both hers and my Grandma's (Mary's older sister), none of which are worth very much monetarily but are nevertheless a lovely link to that older generation.

My little air plants sit in the posy vase beautifully, with that narrow opening firmly holding them upright.  I've placed it on the kitchen windowsill, which should hopefully remind me to check them regularly to see if they need spraying/soaking! 

It must be love...

image from The Graphics Fairy

Well, my word, today is our 40th wedding anniversary ~ 40 years, how is that even possible 😳  We've actually lived together for over 42 years ~ again, just where have those years gone??  They've certainly gone quickly, that's for sure.  We've had our ups and downs, like any normal couple, but we've managed to muddle through and carry on.  I guess it must be love, eh 😉

image from The Graphics Fairy

Toing and froing

As I've mentioned previously this years Great Garden Tidy Up has me jumping between the front and back gardens, like some kind of demented kangaroo 😏

I managed to get this remaining area in the back garden tidied up before we made a start on yet another Big Job 😲  I did have three rhubarb plants in this bed at one time but only one variety, Fulton's Strawberry Surprise, survived.  After I'd tidied the bed, I moved this lone survivor into the kitchen garden.

Yes, I did indeed decide to move the escallonia 😄 I gave its roots a good dust with mycorrhizal fungi ~ why does the wind always seem to pick up when I use that stuff??? ~ and added a good sprinkling of chicken manure pellets to the soil when I planted it in it's new home.  Then it had a good watering, a light trim, and I finally topped it off with a layer of bark chippings.  Escallonia are pretty tough shrubs so I'm fairly optimistic about it's chances.  

I thought I'd give you a close-up of what has, thus far at least, been a very successful replanting story.  I've probably told you before, my lovelies, that I bought this bay tree a number of years ago from the potted herb range in Tesco's vegetable section.  It was in a largish pot in our old back garden, next to the garden shed, and I was pleasantly surprised that it lived and actually grew to be honest!  However it was starting to look rather unhappy in said pot, so I decided to take a chance and plant it here when we re-made this bed.  It had developed something of a "lean" when it was in the pot, hence the tree stake supporting it.  The bed is somewhat sheltered by the kitchen and the bay tree is obviously very settled and happy here.  It continues to put on new growth which is very pleasing to see, although I do keep it lightly trimmed as I don't want it to ever reach it's full potential of 8m ~ even if it is very slow-growing!  

As I said earlier, I moved the rhubarb into the kitchen garden.  It's now living in a designated "rhubarb bed", along with a couple of newly-bought companions: Goliath and Timperley Early.  No doubt I shall have to move one of them if they all thrive but I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it 😉

I'm pleased to report that there has been a teensy wee bit of improvement with the French beans in this bed since the last photos I took...

...likewise with the celery.  I was pleased to see the carrots have finally germinated, too ~ as have the bloody weeds 😒

Here's the Big Job referred to above, putting down more stone chippings in the "utility area" in the back garden.  Two of the four bags we'd ordered were delivered last Friday (the company had some issues with their crane lorry), and by the end of Sunday one bag had been completely emptied and the second was a good three-quarters empty.  We rather underestimated how much we would need, so Adrian phoned Orkney Aggregates yesterday to add an extra bag to the two we are still waiting for!  Adrian shovels the stones out of the bag and wheelbarrows them to where we need them, but even though I'm only raking the stones into place I must confess that I still find it pretty tiring ~ and my back doesn't like it much either!  Still, hopefully after the next three bags have been delivered, we won't have to do this again ~ fingers crossed 🤞

Happy New Year...

image from Clipart Library

 ...albeit a day late!  I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and here's to a fab 2024 for us all 😊

I don't usually go in for new year resolutions as I'm so crap at keeping them, but this year I'm going to try very much harder to blog regularly.  Mind you I couldn't really blog much less than I did last year, so hopefully I'll be a tad more successful in my endeavours!  I also have "good intentions" to be more creative, so I will be attempting A Make-A-Month again this year.  I've got crochet projects to finish plus a long list of new things I'd like to make, both crochet and other crafts.  And, of course, I have all those dolls' house projects waiting for me to get to them 😏

In particular, I really want to finish renovating Augusta Lodge in the next couple of months or so, not least because I will soon have the ideal space available in which to display it ~ more on that in due course 😉  I haven't touched it since the end of last August, mainly because I really got myself bogged down with the issues with the stairs.  Bottom line is I could easily have simply got rid of the bloody thing last year (not sure how I'd explain that to Lady Constance and Christopher, though!), or get on with what I actually decided to do: get stuck in and work through the issues.  Just to warn you in advance, though, be prepared for upcoming Augusta Lodge posts to be filled with whinging, grumbling and angst!

If you too have things you'd like to make, please do join in with me; I'd love to hear about what you are creating and wouldn't feel quite so lonely in my self-imposed crafting challenges 😊

For the next couple of weeks I don't expect to be blogging much, if at all, as I'll be a bit busy with some upcoming "family stuff".  However, I'll be back later this month bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.....well, perhaps not exactly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed but I'll be back nevertheless, and that's the main thing, eh 😉   

Just in case you're interested...

image from Clipart Library

 today is our wedding anniversary ~ 39 years and never a cross word.....and if you believe that, then you'll believe anything 😆

2023.....

wishing you all a happy and healthy 2023 

Merry Christmas!

 

Soon be on their way...

As you may recall, Beverly and I made this year's Christmas puddings a couple of weeks back.  With the planned strikes by Royal Mail over the next few weeks, I thought it best to send the puds for family and friends down south a little earlier than I would have done otherwise.

Here's the first two, ready to wing their way to my sister and parents 😊  Unsurprisingly, I didn't have cardboard boxes of the right size in my stash so I've cut down the ones I did have to make them a tad smaller LOL

I came across a lovely pattern on Lucy's blog for a sweet little crocheted snowflake, so I thought I'd make some for this year's puddings.  Lucy said that she made hers using a pure wool double knit yarn and four different size hooks.  I used a 4.5mm hook and yarn from my stash (of course!), James C Brett Baby Shimmer, which I've had for a very long time; I last used it when I made some Christmas pudding baubles a couple of years ago, for the "cream" topping.

When I came to crochet the second snowflake, I made a little mistake in round three by omitting the last chain 2 in each of the worked sections ooopsies!  Thankfully it didn't affect the appearance of the finished snowflake 😉  I finished mine off with a hanging loop, simply made with a length of 12 chain stitches attached to the tip of one of the icicle points.   

I confess that I was too lazy to block my snowflakes but I think they still look very pretty 😊

38 years!

image from Openclipart

Yesterday was our 38th wedding anniversary.....how quickly those years have passed by!  It's hard to believe, somehow, that the time has gone as fast as it has.  And since we moved up here 4 1/2 years ago, time seems to be hurtling on ever more quickly 😕

Despite having had some not-quite-so-good times (like most marriages, I suspect, if folk are honest), our years together have been happy.  It seems a little odd, though, to think that we are highly unlikely to have another 38 years ahead of us.  Still that's just life I guess ~ there comes a point for all of us where we have more years behind than are available ahead!  

Happy Birthday.....

...to my Gruesome-Twosome 😍  Hard to believe they've turned 31 today, really doesn't seem like five minutes since they were the mischievous pair in the (somewhat blurry ~ sorry!) photo above 😃

 

Happy New Year!

 

Wishing you all a healthy, happy and peaceful 2022

xxx

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas

xxxxx

 

Happy New Year!

 

Here's hoping 2021 is a much better year

for all of us!

Only 361 days until Christmas.....

So how was your Christmas?  We had a quiet day with our friend Phil ~ and Bonnie, of course!  Adrian made a yummy lasagne which we had with some salad and garlic/crusty bread, followed by Tesco's Tarte au Citron.  At teatime we snacked on cheese and crackers, along with some stollen and panettone.  It was nice to just sit and blether for a few hours.

We didn't have a white Christmas but it did snow the day before: 

 

Merry Christmas!

I know that Christmas this year will not be "normal" for many of us, but nevertheless I'm sending you my love and good wishes for as merry a Christmas as possible

xxx

Well, that's Christmas dinner done!

We had our Christmas dinner last Friday as Beverly won't be here on the day.  She is working Christmas Eve and Boxing Day and, of course, there is no public transport on Christmas Day.  As Adrian's birthday is on the 18th we decided that would be a good day to have our Christmas dinner instead.  

So here's Adrian and I about to tuck into our very tasty (even if I do say so myself 😉) dinner ~ it wasn't until Beverly sent me the photo that it dawned on me that we didn't get a photo of her, too!  And there is Bonnie, over near Adrian, being a very good girl but hoping for a piece of the action ~ well, a piece of turkey at any rate 😄  She watched intently whilst we ate but didn't pester us for anything at the table; her reward was a tasty slice of turkey in the kitchen later.

I know that Christmas 2020 is going to be very different for so many of us but I guess we just have to make the best of things that we can.  Regardless of the Covid situation it would have been just Adrian and I (for the first time in the 38-odd years we've been together!) this year due to Beverly's shift patterns.  Because of all the restrictions, though, our friend Phil (Bonnie's "Dad") can't now travel south as he'd originally planned so we've asked him to join us 😊

Rather than having another traditional Christmas dinner, Adrian is making his yummy lasagne instead 😋  I don't think I've ever not had turkey and all the trimmings on Christmas Day in all of my 59 years!  We're still having crackers, though, with the hats that don't fit (I don't know if it's that I've got a big head or just lots of hair LOL) and the jokes that are so corny 😉  

Are you feeling Christmassy yet??

 

Personally, I find I'm feeling less and less "Christmassy" every year.  Perhaps it's because the kids are grown up ~ hard to believe that the gruesome-twosome will be 30 at the end of January!  For the last couple of years the "adults" in the family have pared back on Christmas gift-giving.  It gets harder and harder to think of things to buy for each other, although it does seem easier to find birthday gifts for some reason ~ mind you, my sister and I have even stopped sending each other birthday gifts too.

So my Christmas gift shopping is considerably pared back, with only having to seek out things for the kids, my parents and our two nieces.  The latter will be getting John Lewis vouchers (their preference ~ I asked my sister-in-law!) which isn't very original, I know, but they are both grown up and would I'm sure much prefer to choose something for themselves.  I've ordered hampers of Orkney goodies for Sam and my parents from Jollys of Orkney which will be sent to them direct from Jollys later this month, which makes life so much easier!  I've also ordered Adrian's birthday and Christmas gifts ~ always easy to know what to get for him as he has a list 😄

We are having our Christmas dinner on his birthday this year (18th December) as Beverly is working Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, so she won't be here on Christmas Day as there is, of course, no public transport.  It will be the first Christmas in the 39 years we have been together that it will be just the two of us!  Still, let's face it, Christmas isn't going to be "normal" for most folk this year.   

Sam has also had a delivery of Orkney beer from The Orkney Brewery to help lubricate December a little 😉  He would normally spend Christmas Day with my parents and my sister but has decided to stay home this year in view of my Mum's various health conditions.  I don't think he will be too bothered, to be honest, as he does tend to find Christmas a tad annoying 😄 

Beverly, on the other hand, may be almost 30 years old but she is showing no sign yet of being too grown-up for Christmas-every-day!  The bags in the photo above contain the 24 little gifts I gathered together this year, and I spent an afternoon turning them into..... 

this!  It takes a surprisingly long time to wrap 24 gifts and sitting at the dining table on a hard wooden chair made my poor posterior rather numb because, of course, I didn't think to sit on a cushion 😕  I was able to pack them very neatly into one, larger, shopping bag which Adrian took round to Beverly's when he went into Kirkwall on Monday ~ so she had the "pleasure" of attaching them all to the hanger.  She said that she found it surprisingly difficult not to hang them in an orderly manner ~ she most definitely hasn't inherited my "randomness" genes 😂