DECK THE HALLS ..........

Christmas decorations are completed. I have gone for a smaller tree this year ..... I have been doing the same thing for about 40 years so wanted something a bit different. I have also gone a bit minimalist and just have lights and candles on the tree ! A bit Scandi.  I might even go smaller next year ! 

Is this what we do, the older we get ? 

See the candles in the candle holders ? They are LED ! They were £28 for ten candles and you got 20 batteries as well { unfortunately, not Duracell Tom !!! } I mean, how good was that ? Plus, they came with a remote. You can have them constant or flickering, bright or not so bright and you can have them on a timer ..... all for twenty eight quid AND, I ordered them on the 17th of December thinking they probably wouldn't come before Christmas and they arrived on the 19th ! I was most impressed. Knowing my luck they will probably stop working tomorrow 🤣😂🤣 I have to say that I have always been a purist when it comes to trees and candles and love the real thing but, with grandchildren running around, real lit candles are a bit of a danger and these LED ones are pretty realistic and you can leave them and know you are not going to burn the house down ! 

XXXX

MERRY CHRISTMAS .....

Wishing all of my blogging friends the Merriest Christmas that you can have under the circumstances and here's to lots more blogging friendship in 2021.

Thank you for all of your kind, funny and supportive comments ..... even though I haven't met most of you, I think of you as friends and hope we can share another year of the same in 2021.

Sending love to you all for a very merry Christmas and a  happy and healthy New Year.

XXXX

DECK THE HALLS ..........

Christmas in tier 4 !!!

Not Christmas as we know it but, I have no reason to complain as I am far better off than many ...... if I feel a bit down then all I have to do is think of all of the workers in the NHS { our daughter and boyfriend included }, all of the frontline workers and those in hospitality, those who are worried where the next penny is coming from and how to pay their mortgage, pay bills and buy food etc and those worried about their jobs ! 

Maybe we are on our own this Christmas but, we are so lucky to be living in an age of technology so that we can see our family, if only on a computer. 

Wishing all of my blogging buddies as merry a Christmas that you can have and here's to a brilliant 2021.

XXXX

all photos via me

BACK to the FUTURE .....

This will look a bit strange what with snow falling on my blog and Christmas just around the corner but .....

 

 

I've entered these photographs into the David Austin competition on my Instagram account  ... distressing_the_laurels ... into the categories Best Rose Bloom and Best Rose Climbing up an Arch/Pillar/Pergola ! There are zillions of entries so I don't stand a chance but it was fun to do. The photographs that win will go into the 2021 David Austin Roses UK Handbook.

 

It was something to do as, I cannot believe how organised I am for Christmas ! I have written our cards, bought all of our Christmas presents and even wrapped half of them ! All that's left to do is wrap the other half of the presents, dress the Christmas tree, do the other decorations and cook Christmas dinner !!  

 

Hope my photographs bring back memories of the Summer months of blue skies and warm sunshine. 

 

 

I think my ' Jackie ' has gone missing again and, Blogger won't let me Preview ! Arghhhhhhh !

 

XXXX

 

 

 all photographs via me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.......... AND SO IT BEGINS

You will be pleased to know { or not ! } that I have started my Christmas preparations, even though we are not sure what sort of Christmas we are going to have. We usually go and choose our Christmas tree every year but, this year I have ordered one from Croft and Cole ..... fresh cut and delivered to my door in mid December.

I have also started buying presents. I have quite a lot to buy ..... our children, their partners, grandchildren, sister, brothers -in-law, neices, nephews, the neices and nephews children, cousins, cousins children etc. etc

Christmas has always been a wonderful time for our family. As a child, our parents made it so magical even though we weren't rolling in money. We always had a real tree and, I can remember my mum dragging it back from the shops ! We would all be part of decorating it ..... often with a few arguments ! That moment when the lights were turned on for the first time was fairylike and so magical. Then there would be a trip up to London to see Father Christmas and Uncle Holly at Selfridges ..... do you remember Uncle Holly ? ..... and, eating hot chestnuts bought from the man on Oxford Street and having a knickerbokerglory at Lyons Corner House and, if we were lucky, seeing a show at The London Palladium.

Apart from his day job, my Dad played in a band at weekends. He used to take an empty gin and whiskey bottle with him and, when people offered to buy him a drink, would gradually fill the bottles up, ready for Christmas !!!!! ..... and then there was Christmas itself. Going to bed on Christmas Eve and leaving a flat pillow case at the end of the bed to wake up on Christmas morning to see that pillow case overflowing with things and bulging at the sides ..... nothing was very expensive but they were all amazing to us. Board games, books, paints and paintbrushes for me, gold chocolate coins, a chocolate tool kit that tasted soapy but who cared .... eating chocolate at 6.00 a.m was brilliant. And then, after breakfast, our aunts and uncles and cousins would come round and there would be more presents .....  a leather netball, Jacko roller skates, more games, something from an old aunt that was a bit boring ..... we would open that one first !! 

The above photograph, taken in the mid 1950's,  is my Dad being Father Christmas at his works Christmas party !!! That's me on the end on the right with the red face, wearing my delightful bolero, knitted by my Mum ! My sister is on the left, also wearing her delightful bolero ! The Father Christmas outfit leaves a lot to be desired ! Looked as if it had been well-used and pretty moth-eaten but, we didn't care. I think we knew it was our Dad and were told not to say anything ! Our Dad loved to take photographs. We have hundreds of those tiny black and white ones when we were on holiday but, there aren't any of Christmas. There are some movies but I can't find any stills ! Maybe he was too busy, playing in the band and getting his bottles filled up or drinking too much of the gin on Christmas Day ?!! { actually, he looks as if he's had a couple of gins in the photo .... he looks a bit dishevelled !! }

I hope that we made the same memories for our children and that our grandchildren find it all just as magical. 

Well, there are just a few memories of my Christmasses .... what are your special Christmas memories ?

 

XXXX

image 1: via vogue portugal, image 2: via pinterest, image 3: via me

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS ..... FROM MY HOME TO YOURS ..........

Brought the Christmas tree stand in from the shed and put the tree up. Stayed up all night to watch the election and saw something scurry under a cupboard ..... we had brought a mouse in with the stand and obviously disturbed him when we filled the stand up with water !!! I sat up all night watching the election with a saucepan in my hand { I wasn't going to hit him with it .... I thought I might catch him with it .....  } 

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas.

XXXX

GETTING ALL CHRISTMASSY at BELTON HOUSE ..........

This is Belton House, built between 1685 and 1688 by Sir John Brownlow. 

It is surrounded by formal gardens and a series of avenues leading to follies within a larger wooded park.

At Christmas, it is transformed into a magical, after dark, illuminated trail and, as you walk through a towering Tunnel of Light festooned with over 100,000 pea lights, the mesmerising voices of the Singing Trees can be heard in the distance.

The formal gardens spring into life with topiary trees lavishly draped in twinkling lights that dance in time to much loved festive classics.

There are traditional fairground rides, a fire pit to toast marshmallows and walking under the stars with mulled wine or hot chocolate completes the overall experience. 

It was a delightful way to begin our Christmas celebrations. 

XXXX

all photographs via me

BY INVITATION ...... THE FANTASY HOLIDAY COCKTAIL or DINNER PARTY ..........

Our By Invitation subject this month is The Fantasy Holiday Cocktail or Dinner Party  ... just right for this festive time of year .....

Our delightful hosts are waiting to greet you .....

... and to welcome you to their humble abode ... please make your way round to the rear of the house ...

... where you will see that the family have gone to great lengths to decorate with a delightful Christmas wreath.

As you enter the cosy hall ...

you will be greeted by the magnificent Christmas tree ...

... please make your way up to ...

... the welcoming salon ...

... where you will be able to partake in a variety of cocktails ...

... there will be dancing in the ballroom ...

... and drinks and canapes. 

... should you partake in one or two drinks too many, there are bedrooms available where you can sleep it off ! 

... and a luxurious bathroom where you can freshen up. As you can see, there is a bottle of wine provided for your refreshment whilst you are powdering your noses !!

All of your favourite, fun-loving friends will be here to make this party a night to remember, AND ...

... there will be a special gift for each and every one of you, expertly wrapped, no expense spared !!

Finally, here is a sneak preview of my outfit for the evening. Stunning, isn't it ?

I shall feel like a Christmas snowball ! 

Your outfit shall never reach the dizzy heights of fashion perfection that mine will but, try your hardest !!!

For more exciting and entertaining Cocktail Party fun, please visit Daily Plate of Crazy where you will find all of the links to the other Cocktail Parties { none of which will be anywhere near as sophisticated and classy as mine !!! } Hahahaha !!!

XXXX

image 1: via borene, image 2: via jessica jewett, images 3, 10 & 11: via pinterest, images 4, 7, 12 & 13: via niki feijen, image 5: via huffington post, image 6: via informative pictures, image 8: via xaxor, image 9: via the gifts of love, image 14: via the telegraph, image 15: via city limit, image 16: via testa motor club, image 17: via wedding services

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