WOYWW 604

 Hi everyone! I'm a little late getting here but I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year, even though we will be celebrating on our own.

 Come the Summer, with vaccines now available in large amounts we should be able to meet safely and HUG!!!! 

I'm joining in 'What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday' over at Julia's 'The Stamping Ground' blog showing my desk..

...to the left a pile of new (top secret, but very lovely Crafty Individuals stamps to play with) - to the left the start of a journal page which turned out like the one below! 

Still lots of glues in sight here, many are getting emptier!

Poor Maisie put on a special mistletoe hat for Christmas but is still waiting for her kiss. Like a lot of us she didn't have any visitors, perhaps she should have listened to the news and she wouldn't have been so disappointed!

She won't be seeing anyone over New Year either, so all she can do is look cute!

This will be my last entry at Art Journal Journey and Tracey's 'The Meaning Of' theme and I wish that my mojo hadn't been in hiding for so long! 

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for ....This Christmas

Hi everyone, I'm trying and to catch up with everyone by taking breaks every so often when I am on the computer! It's taking longer than I had hoped!

This Christmas has been different for us all this year, whether it was in the way we bought our food, who we shared it with or how we celebrated the day. With reminders here in the UK about the rise in cases of Covid or the last minute plans for our leaving the EU even watching the news this year has been different - not so many items on folk decorating their houses or the queues for the after Christmas sales!

After our traumatic visit to the shopping mall we haven't ventured out - it has been wet and grey and we have been happy to do our jigsaw puzzle(coming along nicely)read, watch TV or cook!

Mind you, our Christmas Day cooking almost came to an end just as everything was almost cooked! 

I decided to steam the Christmas pudding rather than use the Microwave so put it on the back of the hob ready to turn on later. Hubby being helpful said he would put it on, then the news came on and we stopped to watch an item together. I could smell the food cooking, but there was something else...I looked into the kitchen to see billowing steam...except ...it wasn't steam but smoke! Hubby had left an oven glove on the front of the hob and then turned on what he thought was the pudding and the oven glove singed - quite badly, I grabbed it and fortunately there was some water in the sink so threw it in there. Unfortunately...I leaned across to open the window and inhaled some of the smoke, coughing I went to the front door...meanwhile our excellent smoke detector set off the alarm...in every apartment in the complex (this is normal - and a safety issue we are used to) I had to try to get a message through to the duty manager who actually contacted us through our intercom system and I had to admit to a false alarm!

In the end our meal turned out beautifully and we enjoyed it.

As you can see hubby here raising his glass to you.

I am joining in over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog with T Stands For Tuesday with his glass of Rosé. 

He still has to clean the burnt on oven glove off the hob ring. I didn't take any photos as he's been through enough!!!

update - he ordered a hob scraper which arrived and he has almost cleaned it all off

On Christmas morning I had a few presents to open, one of my favourites was this from my eldest son and daughter in law....

 It really is beautiful and will be put on display with my others.

Another gift from my friend Sarah came in the most beautiful wrapping.

It had been lovely to see her when she came so that we could swap gifts. It was very cold out on the landing but we were able to have a quick chat!

Inside was a fabulous stamp set.

Now for a bit of a sad story...

My Poinsettia doesn't like our apartment!

I haven't over watered it, it's in a warm place but ...nope!!!

This morning we woke up to SNOW! We hardly had any last year so, after taking a few photos from the windows....

...we went out after breakfast as it looked as though the thaw was starting.

We decided on a round trip by the river and back up the nearest road.

We looked back at the old inn! I really hope that they don't plan on knocking it down.

The water was rushing over the weir.

In one direction very calm...

then it rushes over the weir...

..and the little island is disappearing..

The heron oversees all.

I could resist walking on some clean snow in the little car park and came across more foot prints!

A little garden outside a house....and then I went for a little walk in the garden here.

We have only been out four times in December but a walk in the snow (and cold) today really cheered me up!

Thanks for looking, Chrisx

Time to reflect

 Hi everyone, I really haven't been doing much lately. Today was the first day since last Monday that I felt anything like doing more than just poke at a few things around on my desk!

I am still getting occasional bouts of BPV, but it's not just that that seems to be causing my mojo to do a runner!

I made this page for Tracey's 'The Meaning Of' theme at Art Journal Journey. 

I did enjoy spattering paint around onto a page that had a failed image transfer on it and I took an idea of the bare branches from a magazine image I saw.

I painted them on with some graphite paint, which has a slight metallic sheen. Twigs were drawn in with a pitt pen.

I spattered dark blue, graphite and white paint over the page

The blackbird on a branch is a Paper Artsy stamp by Sarah Naumann, as is the sentiment which seems to reflect my mood. I extended the branch that holds the bird too.

The paper doll couple were paired up by adding some white spatters to the lady's coat to match the gentleman's.

They are looking back on a year that has been a challenge for us all in different ways. One in which we have had little contact with family and friends and for me the loss of my dear friend Sheila. It will take me a while I think to stop seeing a photo of somewhere that we would have visited together if we had been able!I think 'Oh! Sheila will like this' and then realise that she isn't here any more. 

On the other hand we have the start of a New Year this week and a promise of a vaccination that may give us more freedom very soon.

We have so much to be thankful for - the flowers will soon bloom and the birds continue to sing, (only this morning a couple of blue tits were hopping around in a tree whistling to each other), we will have sunny days in between the grey ones.

We are well fed and clothed and have each other's company and recognise that we are so lucky when there are others who have none of these.

We must reflect on the lessons we have learnt over the year and then move on to celebrate in the knowledge that some things can be fixed!

I'm also entering at More Mixed Media Challenge - Anything Goes - optional white.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Celebrate

Stamping Sensations -Anything with wings

Thanks for looking, Chris

 

T Stands for - The Christmas Lights...and more..

Hi everyone,last week we had a special day here - the Turkey and Tinsel meal that I showed you last week and it was also the day that Santa visited and one of our village councillors came round to judge the best decorated Balcony!

We knew that we didn't stand much chance as we have an enclosed balcony but we knew that a lot of folk were hoping to win the free meal on offer!

As it happens it went to some friends of ours who not only decorated their balcony(or rather patio as they are on the ground floor)as a snow scene but also dressed up as elves!

I saw the photos of them but unfortunately forgot to get a copy myself.

I did however walk around the grounds, first to see what remained of their display...

...and then into the main courtyard

I tried to take photographs from all angles - it really does look fabulous

Over one of the walls is the back of the local pub

The next few are of the courtyard below our kitchen window

Last one from the stairs.

 When I got in I took some photos of our lights

Some of you may remember my being inspired a few years ago by Alison of Words and Pictures blog and converting an old instant drink container into a lamp lit by a battery candle. 

I told you we had given up on the square puzzle that wouldn't fit our puzzle bag, well, here is the new one we have started.

We are getting on quite well with it, although we do stop for a drink if we really get into it so it is here I will join Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T stands For Tuesday.

 

I have been trying to care for a Poinsettia - I did say trying, over the past week a lot of green leaves fell off, leaving me with just a few.

This is how it looks now.

I would say I lost over a dozen small leaves and fortunately the drop seems to have stopped now.

I'm still not going in my craft room very often, in fact this morning I chose sorting through old bank statements to going in there!

Finally I will tell you about the 'hand gel incident'. When we went into a nearby shopping mall last week for a flying visit(with a list we were round and out well inside an hour!)I went into one store where the assistant at the front asked me where I wanted to be while I rubbed in the hand sanitiser. She remarked that not many people used it and she wasn't allowed to tell folk to use it. I decided that I jolly well could, so to the next three people(all men) I pointed out that they had walked past the pump - all of them walked back and used it...then came a woman, who stared hard at me then pushed past muttering that I didn't work there! I shrugged my shoulders and went to get my shopping. I wonder if she would have gone back if asked by the assistant.

My sister in law and hubby went into a shop in France just after using their own sanitiser - the assistant there insisted that they use the store one saying that he needed to see them put it on!

What's the saying? 'Go figure?'

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas, we can do this, although it's hopefully for one year only!

Thanks for looking, Chris