Christmas Time

Well, I'm late to the Christmas doings party!

Our Christmas was nice and quiet, spent with just us and the bunnies, we do this every year and far prefer it this way.

I did very well on the gift front. Andy got me a really sweet see-through locket filled with four charms: a bunny (obviously), a flamingo (again, obviously), a bee (❤ ) and a black Scottie dog (my favourite small dog, I would name mine Mr McCreedy, just so you know). He also got me two Lindy Bop dresses while the bunnies got me two pairs of vintage gloves.

I also received a sewing pattern, CD's by Leon Bridges and Sam Cooke, a DVD, the aforementioned on my blog, Miss Meadows. There were flamingo items a-plenty: mug, coaster, an actual flamingo who I named Larry (not a real one, obviously, I'm sure the bunnies would have something to say about that!) and a flamingo key cupboard. I also got a pair of lace day gloves, a padded board for my brooches, some ceramic measuring cups and a belt. Oh, and two books, a Stephen King short story collection and The Wartime House.

Then there were my gifts to myself. Ahem. I am a huge fan of the National Lampoon Vacation films, particularly the Christmas one and have long admired Clark Griswold's moose egg nog glasses (see picture at the top of this post). Imagine my surprise when I found you could actually buy them! I wasn't lucky enough to get one for Christmas, despite the hefty hints, likely because they were too pricey, but after Christmas they went down by 60%! 60%! I pounced, ordering two, so Andy and myself had one each. When they arrived, I was actually giddy with excitement, as they far exceeded my expectations. I am absolutely over the moon with them. They haven't been christened yet, as after making about three batches of vegan egg nog (snow milk as we like to call it) over Christmas, I hung up my snow milk making hat. I really wanted to make a batch, but Andy was less than keen . Booooooo!

Anyway, I cannot imagine a world in which people are not appreciative over a delight such as this ...

What else? Oh yes, Sky credited us with £13.99 toward a buy and keep DVD, as a thank you for our custom. This gift arrived just before Christmas, so we got to choose a film as a download and the hard copy would arrive in the post. Straight off the bat, we picked last years Jungle Book, as the trailers looked really good we thought.

Surprisingly, we had some credit left, and Andy left the choice up to me. So after umming and ahhing for about half an hour, I took the plunge and plumped for the 2016 version of Ghostbusters. Now I was in the same boat as just about anyone else when I heard they were remaking it with a female cast. No, no, NO! went the voice in my head and the voice outside of my head to be frank (oh, Rocky!). But then I heard Melissa McCarthy was to be in it and we really like everything we have seen her in so far. Then I heard Kristen Wiig was also in it and we like her too. Then I l kept hearing good things, enough good things to take a gamble.

So we watched The Jungle Book Christmas Day. So, so good! Since the days of the Disney cartoon, Bagheera has always been my favourite, and I liked Shere Khan too, that voice! But, I never liked Baloo. So upon watching this new version, I was curious as to how things would pan out ...

Mowgli- oh my goodness, the kiddie who played him was wonderful!

Bagheera - magnificent!

Shere Khan - didn't like him as much, his voice jarred with me personally.

Baloo - stroke of genius getting Bill Murray to voice him. I loved Baloo in this!

New Years Eve we watched Ghostbusters.

I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I wasn't familiar with the other two women in it: Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, but I really liked both of them, particularly Kate as Jillian, her character really put me in mind of Lori Petty's turn as Tank Girl.

There were cameos all over the place, and nods to the original littered throughout. I was delighted to hear the original Ghostbusters song, as sung by Ray Parker Jnr featured, but was not best pleased with the re-do of it that featured later on. That was the sore point with me, as other than that, I was really happy I took the gamble.

So, that was my Christmas!

❄

It's Christmas!

I love Christmas.

I love December.

I actually prefer this time of the month as I love the run up more than the actual day I think, as I thrive on the anticipation.

❄

These are some of our decorations, taken at about 6.30am this morning.

Odd that our sofa is plunged into darkness here!

That's Elvis Tree on the left, it was once white but has now gone an odd bronze colour which I am fine with, but it drives Andy nuts.

On the right, in the window is Elderly Tree. Andy got this the November after we met, so his place would be Christmassy when I visited. It's a little tired looking without the decorations, but it feels wrong to leave it in the cupboard or throw it away, so we have two trees! Three if you include Yarn Tree.

Yes that is a mesh gate in front of the tree protecting the side table.

Bunnies.

🐰 🐰

Enough said I believe.

But I want to replace it with a portion of low picket fence, it'll look nicer.

As ever, atop the tree is Bataella the Snow Bat.

These are the bunnies decorations, taken a bit later, hence daylight!

They have stockings and I crocheted them a garland.

Once upon a time I made the bunnies paper chains.

They waited roughly ten days before tearing them down and eating them.

This is just their sleeping pen by the way. It cuts down on sleepy-time shenanigans. When we go out, an extension is added and the rest of the time they free range all over the place and on the furniture.

My lovely Father Christmas decorations.

Note that the one on the right is stood on a house. 

I feel he is bordering on being scarier than Krampus.

This camel was a cat sitting gift from the Middle East and he comes out every Christmas.

And here's Wilf wearing Andy's Christmas hat.

A pumpkin is for life, not just Halloween.

❄

In other Christmassy news, we watched what I think is one of my favourite Christmas films over the weekend, the 1949 Holiday Affair, starring Robert Mitchum. We also saw the 1947 Miracle on 34th Street and will likely watch the 1994 version some time this week.

And of course, we still have Bad Santa to watch!

Yay for Billy Bob Thornton!

This one is Andy's favourite Christmas film, and oh he is annoyed they made a sequel!

❄

And in non-Christmassy news, Meirionwen is all booked in for next years London to Brighton classic car run!

How exciting! I am to be navigator, despite me getting terribly travel sick if I try and read while in a moving car, and we may end up in Scotland rather than Brighton as my sense of direction is shocking, but still, exciting!

I am peeved though, that there was no room on the application form for the name of the navigator, just driver. The only spot to even mention my name was in the fifteen words or less box for details about driver and car. Meirionwen took up the whole fifteen words all by herself.

❄

Oh and yes, I have worn tinsel on my head like a hat, so it's officially Christmas!

Christmas Eve

My great grandfather on my paternal side was Danish.

I have long though about embracing some of my Danish roots, so Christmas Eve, we set off to the heath with bird seed and duck food in tow.

I read it is a Scandinavian tradition to treat the wildlife on Christmas Eve, as come midnight, when the furred and feathered have the ability to talk, no one wanted the creatures speaking ill of them. We feed the birds anyway and are well and truly bunny whipped but I wanted to do more, so off we went.

I carried the camera and seed and Andy deposited seed in holes in trees, up on branches, on fallen logs and on fence posts.

Then we headed in the falling light to the lake to feed the wildfowl, well the moorhens. I tut tutted a springer spaniel who was trying to get our small gathering of moorhens and you should have seen the woman walking said dogs face!

The light was falling rapidly and the moon was absolutely huge, so I attempted a shot as we headed back home.

And that was Christmas Eve :)

So That Was Christmas

That was indeed Christmas. And Andy found me my hat!

So Christmas.

Christmas Eve = veggie sausage rolls, M&S Chocolate Ruby (divine) and It's A Wonderful Life.

Christmas Day = Lovely gift of the softest, snuggliest blanket/throw ever. I am a huge fan of soft, warm cuddly throws, which I hibernate under throughout cold winter nights, though this is my first properly snuggly one. Bob thought far more of the wrapping paper my Christmas gift came in than his own gift and much fun was had sliding into said paper and scrabbling at it, then getting underneath and tossing it about. This was Bob's gift ...

But evidently wrapping paper was more fun ...

As was this huge paper bag ... bunnies and children/cats, no different!

Boxing Day = Bright sunshine in the morning and torrential rain in the afternoon. Buffet lunch and further gifts at parents place.

I have also been trying to figure out how to work my new camera ... it's almost like the magpies know I now can get a picture of them as they are flightier than usual. These were all taken from the kitchen through the window as I know if I were outside, they would be nowhere to be seen.

This magpie was on the roof of the house across the road and a wee way along.

This wood pigeon was on the roof behind the one the magpie was on.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas time, have a wonderful New Year, and thank you all for the birthday wishes xxx

Of Petticoats and Pretty Things

I am partial to a petticoat. I have four at present. The white one I had when I was fourteen which I added extra netting to as it had completely lost all oomph. My day to day one and two organdy ones, one red and one white. My day to day one which I purchased in 2010 or thereabouts is looking so sorry now, it's lost the crisp whiteness and has exactly no oomph left. It's also coming apart at the seams which makes it fall below my skirt hem and oh this irritates Andy, he doesn't even like me to answer the door like it! I only still wear it as it stops my skirts sticking to my legs. I never wear it out, unless it's to take the bins to the kerb or to feed the birds, I wear my organdy ones out. Organdy is lovely, but not in the summer and once they lose their oomph, there's nothing I know of that will get it back.

I have long coveted a white cotton petticoat which I can starch and as is my way, I will not settle for less once I have set my eyes on The One. And like Nick Frost has my hat, so did I see my coveted petticoat, but at £45 I was destined just to covet it. No, Nick Frost was not wearing it, I saw it on a blog a while ago and then promptly forgot where it was. I finally tracked it down to see I was days away from a sale ending.

I pounced and the deed was done.

I didn't exactly forget about it, I just was expecting it at the latter end of the week so when the doorbell rang on the Tuesday and the postie handed me a parcel, I was pleasantly surprised. After a quick happy dance around the living room, I carefully opened the packaging and slipped out my new petticoat. Oh my goodness, this prompted another happy dance and I ran for my camera as it was wrapped up so prettily! I was so enthralled by this that I didn't even unwrap it after photographing it, I left it to show Andy ... how's that for willpower? I doubted he'd be as impressed as I was, seeing a prettily wrapped petticoat, but I like to share pretty things so I waited. I purposely left it on the bed: out of sight, out of mind.

Finally, once Andy was home, I was free to unwrap it properly ... it was so pretty.

I wasn't expecting there to be  more prettiness going on under the hem of the top skirt but there was ...

And it has lace too.

Yes, I could have made my own but there is something very special about having one ready made without bunny nibbles to the hem (this happens often, Bob comes to chew investigate what I'm doing, which is why I speed sew). I don't often have new clothes, I usually make do with what I already have, be it falling apart or not. It wasn't an 'it'll do' item, or something I desperately needed, as it could be argued I didn't need a petticoat but it's a rare treat for me to get something so lovely ready made for me. Besides, my sewing machine is still not working, I'm THIS close to breaking out the hand crank Singer.

I may not have been sewing but I have been jewellery making. Not vintage per se, but they are real gemstones, so that counts as vintage as they are from a very old source :) I broke down some pieces I never wear which increased my gemstone stash enormously and felt very inspired in doing so. I like simple jewellery so the gemstones can speak for themselves. Nature did such a lovely job, why complicate matters?

I made earrings and a necklace from coloured jade with sterling silver findings to wear on Friday (it's my birthday on Friday! Yay!) ...

I made a clear quartz bracelet with sterling silver findings. The beads look like ice chips ...

And I made a necklace of Imperial Jasper with sterling silver findings and sterling silver beads ...

I also made myself some (temporary) earring storage ... I used a 1970's Mothercare babies clothes hanger and some organza ribbon. The earrings look somewhat precarious, but hey ho. I love these hangers and am lucky enough to have three.

December Baby

I LOVE this time of year. 

Fourteen Reasons Why, In No Particular Order ...

o1. It's the week of the double event - my birthday and Christmas. I was due Christmas Day but thankfully my birthday falls a few days before, but still within the same seven days. 

*

o2. I like a long summer evening as much as the next person but I also like the nights drawing in. I do love walking out of a shop into dark lit by Christmas lights where everything sparkles and if you're lucky a brass band is playing carols.

 

*

o3. We can turn on the permanent fixture faery lights without people questioning why. Why? Because they're pretty, that's why. It's usually children who query why we have faery lights all year round.

 

*

 

o4. I like waking up extra early. No idea why I wake up so much earlier this time of year but I'm glad I do as it's often foggy and my, I love fog. 

*

o5. I like snuggling up in the evening with the tree lights on.

 

*

  

o6. Christmas films! Andy won't tolerate such until after Armistice Day mind you. In the UK there are two film channels which run Christmas films all day every day. Yes, they are predictable and all run to one of x amount of scenarios, but I care not. I am also rather partial to the film Bad Santa as I have a soft spot for Billy Bob Thornton.

*

o7. Turkish Delight. Not the chocolate covered Fry's kind, but the boxed ones that are doused in icing sugar. I only like the rose ones mind you. 

 

*

 

o8. Tinsel. It's inevitable that I will fashion it into a hat

*

o9. The Christmas Eve tradition of veggie sausage rolls.

*

10. Christmas decorations in general. I have also been known to adorn my head in the door garland.

*

11. The concept of a Christmas dress. I still don't have a suitably Christmassy dress, so usually default to wearing red. I would wear this outfit in a heartbeat.

*

12. Christmas hats. Here lies a tale ... I have long wanted a Christmas hat, but absolutely will not make do. Every time we see a hat on the telly, Andy asks, "What about that one?" Usually there's something wrong as I know what my hat looks like: the main body has to be the exact shade of red fur or velvet I desire (crimson), the fur band has to be thick and lush and the pompom has to be just so. I have never seen such a hat for sale, but Nick Frost in the Christmas Doctor Who is actually wearing my coveted hat. When he appeared in the preview my jaw dropped and I declared, "That is my hat!". This is indeed my hat (granted it isn't as dark red as I would like, but the fur more than makes up for that) -

... and now all hats which came close to my ideal in the past, are suddenly deemed RUBBISH. I desire that hat. I have never made my hat by the way as I know I would make a monstrosity of a creation which I would never wear, it would be the Hat of Shame.

*

13. Advent calendars. Chocolate before breakfast? Yes please!

Bob enjoys an advent calendar too ...

 *

14. Christmas music!

My favourite carols are Silent Night and Joy To the World.
My favourite classical piece of Christmas music is "Troika" by Prokofiev.
My favourite non carols are ...

1. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl
2. I Believe in Father Christmas - Greg Lake
3. Driving Home For Christmas - Chris Rea
4. Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)  - The Darkness
5. Stop the Cavalry - Jona Lewie
6. 2000 Miles - The Pretenders
7. Lonely This Christmas - Mud

*

****

And one (admittedly ridiculous) thing which irks me ...

Father Christmas has eight reindeer. 

Not nine, eight. 

Rudolph is NOT one of the official reindeer.

Oh it gets my goat when I see him pictured with nine. 

Dancer, Prancer, Dasher, Dunder (Donner), Blixem (Blitzen), Vixen, Cupid and Comet. 

The end. 

"More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, 

And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name: 

"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer!  Now, Prancer, and Vixen! 

On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Dunder and Blixem!"

*cough*