Wishing All Joy at Christmas - From My Home To Yours 🎄✨

Happy, Peaceful and Joyful Christmas...

Hi everyone. I just wanted to pop in to wish you and your families a very happy, peaceful and joyful Christmas. 

It can be quite a hectic time of the year, but I hope that we can all take a moment to remember the true meaning of Christmas, and to honour it in our hearts.  Also, to be grateful for the family and friends that bring love and joy into our lives, and to remember loved ones that are no longer with us. 

For many, this can be a hard time of year to cope with. Many will be suffering with ill health, some may be alone at Christmas, whilst others may have lost loved ones this year, and many will be having financial worries, or even just struggling to cope with life in general. I'm sure we  all pray that these people may be given the strength they need. 

I shall be spending Christmas Day with my youngest daughter and her family. The two not so little ones are 11 and very nearly 10, so a lovely age to bring excitement to the day. I shall be thinking of my eldest daughter and her family who will be at their home in Ibiza. My eldest granddaughter was 22 a couple of weeks ago, so we will be missing them around our Christmas table, but with sunny skies and temperatures still in the high sixties, who can blame them for staying over there. Also, Christmas isn’t really a good time to be travelling, with the inevitable delays and perhaps the possibility of bad weather. 

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year” ~ Charles Dickens.

I thought I would post a couple of my favourite vintage Christmas images!

All images today courtesy of Pinterest.

So then, I will close again for now, sending you all my very best wishes for a very happy and peaceful Christmas. If you are travelling at this time of the year, or if loved ones are travelling to you, I hope for safe journeys and that the weather will be kind to you.  

Just One Word - Kindness

Just One Word - Kindness

Just a simple little post today, from me to you, and it features one of my favourite words .... KINDNESS.  

We need more kindness in the world today, and, yes, gentleness and respect. We need far less hate and aggression.  Less pulling people down, and more building people up. Especially at this time of the year, which can be very hard for a lot of people. So make that extra effort to give a smile to someone or to say hallo. Sometimes it really can make all the difference. 

The quotes today are all courtesy of Pinterest. I came across this Interview with Roald Dahl, and I couldn't agree with him more....

"I think kindness is my number one attribute in a human being.  I'll put it before any of the things like courage or bravery or generosity, or anything else."

Interviewer.. "or brains even?"

"Oh, gosh, yes.  Brains is one of the least. You can be a lovely person without brains, absolutely lovely. Kindness - that simple word.  To be kind - it covers everything, in my mind.  If you're kind, that's it."

Perhaps you might have your own favourite word as to how life should be lived ....but, to my mind, if you're kind, you care for others, you love, you have empathy, you have generosity of spirit, and you want the very best for that other person. 

May you be surrounded by kindness as you go through your week ❤️

How Are Your Christmas Preparations Coming Along? 🎄

Mince Pies & Sherry, Mistletoe, all Christmas Traditions 🎅🏻

When I first told my American friends about mince pies at Christmas, a few years ago, they thought i was talking about meat pies!  Although these delicacies used to be filled with meat, such as lamb, they are now a sweet dish and filled with an assortment of dried fruit, with perhaps a hint of brandy. They are best served warm, in my humble opinion, and here in Devon, we serve them with a dollop of clotted cream. Yummy scrummy! 

 

 

I usually partake of a glass of sherry with mine, to really get me into the Christmas spirit. This is ideal for when you're writing your Christmas Cards or wrapping the presents, with Christmas music playing in the background. 

 

 

The mince pie in the photo is a tiny bite-sized one, but they are usually larger than that. I have tried all sorts of shop bought ones, but I much prefer the ones I make, using my own pastry. Here in the United Kindom, in the Stuart and Georgian times, mince pies were very much a status symbol at Christmas. Hard for us to imagine that now. Rich people would serve them to their guests in all sorts of different shapes. Having pies like this meant that you were very rich and had truly made it in the world, as you were able to afford the most expensive pastry cooks. 

Sometimes, when watching Downton Abbey and period dramas like that, I often think that I would like to have lived in those days, when sherry was served out of decanters and your clothes were all laid out for you. In truth, I fear I would have been the poor little housemaid, getting out of bed at 3.30 in the morning and cleaning out the grates, before the Lord of the Manor  came down for his breakfast in the morning!  Oh well, a girl can dream. 

On Christmas Eve, little children over here usually leave out a mince pie and  a glass of brandy, for Santa when he calls, along with a carrot for his reindeer. 

Another tradition at Christmas time is the hanging of mistletoe. Believe it or not, this tradition goes back to the days of the Druids - that is, long before I was a twinkle in my father's eye! It was supposed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. It was also used as a sign of love and friendship in Norse Mythology, and that's where the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe comes from. 

 

 

Mistletoe images courtesy of Pinterest.com

Most of my older Followers know how much I love vintage Christmas images, so I thought I would post a few of them today, from my Christmas Board on Pinterest. Some of these images very much remind me of my childhood - simpler times somehow.

I’ll leave you again for now.  The house here is now fully decorated, and I’m now feeling very festive.  Hope you’re all looking after yourself, and remember .... 

It's Beginning To Look ....

Well, hello there everyone. We are still being deluged with rain here in heavenly Devon, and the days are getting shorter and shorter.  But, I'm pleased to say that I'm doing quite well on the Christmas front. Most of the presents have been bought, and today I popped out to get the Christmas Crackers and the chocolates. 

Now how long those chocolates will remain unopened, is anyone's guess. Never mind lasting until Christmas itself!  You see, I have little willpower I'm afraid. But I shall try really hard to be good 😊.

I know that my friends in America are building up to celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday. I hope you have a lovely day and that you will be able to spend it with loved ones, whether it's family or friends. I'm sure  the table will be groaning with all sorts of tasty food! 

 Of course we don't need a special day to be thankful for all the good things we have in our lives. We should give thanks every day, for the love of our family, for the gift of friendship, for our homes and all those other things we have in our lives. 

As I write this, my little Cavapoo pup, Benji, is celebrating his first birthday. He was eight weeks old when he first came into our home, and he really does have such a sweet personality. He follows me everywhere like a little shadow!  Here are a few pics of his first year.  In the first photo he was 8 weeks old and I had just gone to collect him and bring him home 🐶.

I will probably put the tree up this weekend, so that will be fun. It's funny how we are all excited when putting all the baubles on the tree, yet at the beginning of January, we are pleased to be packing it all away again, as we attempt to get back to some sort of normality. 

Anyway, I shall close again for now. Enjoy the rest of the week everyone. 

Sunday Solace

Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, depending on when you are reading this Post, which I'm writing here in ye merry olde England. 

Today I am grateful for a few dry days, as we have had constant rain since the end of September!   There has been severe flooding in many parts of England over the past few weeks, and it's heartbreaking to see the terrible damage caused to peoples' homes and businesses.  The Army have now been called in to help out.  The trouble is, when this sort of thing happens, it can be up to a year before people are able to get back into their homes. So as I sit in the comfort of my own warm home, I do give thanks. 

Although I love the longer days of Summer, what a wonderful backdrop of stunning colour Autumn provides us with. I thought I would just show a few pics to remind us of the beauty of nature at this time of the year.  These photos were all taken at Dartington Gardens, which is only a twenty minute drive away from where I live. The gardens there look wonderful at any time of the year...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A few years ago in my Blog, I used to have a Sunday Solace feature, so I've decided to bring it back for a few weeks.  I thought I would bring you some inspirational quotes - quotes that I have always loved. I do hope you will enjoy them.....

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt by the heart." (Helen Keller)

"Keep your face always towards the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you." (Walt Whitman).

"What we think, we become."  (Buddha).

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." (Aristotle Onassis).

"Try to be a rainbow in somebody's cloud."  (Maya Angelou).

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." (Aesop) 

Well, it's time for me to leave you once again. I hope all is well with you and that you have a good week ahead.

For those of you who are interested, you can see photos of my Summer garden in my new Featured Post today. Just look for it on the right hand sidebar of the Blog 😊

Lest We Forget ....

We Will Remember Them ....

Just simple images of remembrance in my Blog Post today, to remind us of all those men and women who died that we may be free. 

This weekend, let us remember all those brave servicemen and women, who made the ultimate sacrifice. I will be thinking of a Grandad that I never knew, my dad’s dad, who died on foreign soil, aged 27 years. 

Every year, since 1923, there has been a British Legion Festival of Remembrance, held at The Royal Albert Hall in London, which remembers all those who have lost their lives in conflicts.  This year a unique tribute was given to acknowledge those involved, both past and present, culminating in a special parade of some of the last surviving veterans who fought and served in 1944.  Her Majesty the Queen and all members of the royal family attend this special event. 

 

November is here....

Hallo again little peeps.  So! November is here and it won’t be long until my favourite time of the year is with us once again.  

For those of you that are in Autumn at the moment, have you got used to the clocks going back, and the darker evenings that are now with us?!  It takes a bit of getting used to, doesn’t it?!  To be honest, I don’t really mind the darker evenings, as we can make our homes as cosy as possible.  I’ve always got a book on the go, but I tend to read even more during these shorter days.  I just love how a book can transport you to another place and you can lose yourself for a couple of hours.  

I can never have too many books.  At this time of the year, I also love to settle down and watch a good, romantic Christmas film.  I know - soppy, but I love them.  Especially as most of these films take place in America, and there is always snow, and the houses are gorgeously decorated.  Deck the halls, and all that! 😊🎄.  Of course, the house is decorated with pretty candles, which all adds to the cosy mood.

I have to admit to putting up just a few Christmas things - the rest of them will go up at the end of this month .  Too early do I hear you say??  Not for this girl!

I really like to get all my Christmas cards written by the first week in December, at the latest, and my presents bought and wrapped.  That way, I can really enjoy the lead up to Christmas, and just spend the time eating mince pies and drinking sherry!  NO! I jest - honestly 😊.

Here are a couple of Autumn pics for you.  The first one is the colour in my own garden at the moment, and the second one was taken at Saltram House, a magnificent, Georgian National Trust property nearby. 

Well, I’ll leave you again for now.  Hope you enjoyed the pics. By the time I write my next post, I suspect the house will be fully decorated!  Bye for now.