Angel Jem's City Cottage

I have finally come to the end of the longest time off since I started working for Peter in the summer... 7 work days or just under 2 weeks off work!! I'd forgotten quite how blissful lie ins could be, or how wonderful not to shower/dress/move off the breakfast chair until past 11am (one day until past 2pm!) could be. It's back to work for me tomorrow, so nose to the grindstone again! But I thought I'd share some pictures of my Christmas, before I gradually begin stripping the place again. I'm usually quite blue at this time of year, but I'm hoping that hygge will carry me through. A good blend of outside walks and indoor treats to keep me happy. That, and a regular dose of hot chocolate. My gratitude journal/commonplace book this year. I finally... finally!!!... finished the Mermaid's Tail blanket. Tail & all! Girls' night out at the Liverpool International Horse Show. Three children and two guinea pigs. Sarah has set the table ...

It's that wonderful time of year when every day seems to bring a new magazine..... and this one is always first. Unfortunately, no pictures since my camera has run out of juice. But so far I've seen ideas for decorations and enough mince pies to make the most blase Santa happy. I'm off now to make a coffee and read a little snow-covered pleasure on a Friday. Have a good weekend & see y'all Monday!

My days of Christmas have been published retrospectively... which is to say, I sit here writing them in January and changing the dates so that they look like I had a. the time b. the energy c. the photos to do them in December. Ho Ho Ho. I'm also enjoying everyone elses' Christmas retrospectively, too. For the past 3 weeks my 'puter and I have not had a chance to get together... (I must put a light in the study. Or light some candles. What a wonderful juxtaposition of technology and tradition that would be!) But come Tuesday 8th January, normal service will be resumed as the children get locked away between the hours of 9 and 3.30 every week day. Yeah! (Love them dearly & have enjoyed having them off.... but you know what I mean? When I have done enough days I am going to buy myself a laptop just so I can sit upstairs and fiddle. Bah humbug!) And the photo? That's my three wishing you all a very happy and peaceful New Year. May your house overflow with happiness and...

A video camera. Ho Ho Ho. What a Christmas present! We had been talking about replacing our old camera for a few months, but I thought had pretty much decided that waiting until the sales after Christmas was the sensible thing to do. I am so chuffed to be able to say that my present for Christmas.... my surprise present for Christmas (as opposed to the ones that I either bought, dropped heavy hints about or charged to his Amazon account) was a hard drive video camera. And how I love it! (Not as much as I love the children.... but a lot!) And, yes, I have taken a lot of video since. Which I can store on the 'puter. When I get an external hard drive as backup. And learn how to download it. Oh, happy days lie ahead!

My true love gave to me a quiet and peaceful Christmas Eve. God bless & wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and a very happy and prosperous 2008!

My true love gave to me a visit to see St Nick. We went to Park Hall Farm Park which is in Shropshire and had a fine time. They offer parents mince pies and mulled wine, have a little snow-themed waiting room amd a very happy fellow inside. We went last year and really loved it, so hence this year we went again. And the best bit is, you don't have to book! (as we used to book for The Santa Specials at a nearby railway each year and ended up with at least one sickie for 4 out of the six years, not booking but still having a good time is an important feature for us) The rest of the farm park is fun, too. There are mini 4x4 cars to drive, animals to look at and even times to hold the small animals. As a sign up on the wall read 'Rabbits for Christmas, £20' I suppose I should be glad we got out without an extra passenger this year (although as I said to DH, it doesn't say whether they're to keep or eat....)

My true love gave to me a dated decoration. Since 1999 I have bought/ made a decoration and dated it. The first year I only had one child and just put the date on. By the following year the fever struck, I had two children and therefore needed to name and date the decorations and when you do it for two, you may as well do it for more... so I began to name and date decorations for all my nieces and nephews (only 7) as well. I enjoy the idea that in twenty or so years time there will be at least 60 decorations on my tree that record the passage of time. Mind you, in 20 years time they will probably all have vanished along with the 'children' to grace some other tree (possibly real fir) and be added to by grandchildren and great nieces and nephews. Woo, I feel like the ghost of Christmas Future, and I never did suit black and foggy.

My true love gave to me a Christmas tree! Well, actually, it was about 13 years ago and I bought it myself. The first year we were married I got a rooted tree. The idea was that we would use it, plant it out and re-pot it each year until it grew too big to bring in. I think it lasted just two weeks. There is a reason why my favourite plants are all found in the desert. And the pine needles were everywhere! I hoovered everyday and still they kept on coming... six months later they were still in the carpet and when we finally moved house 10 years after that we moved the bookcase to find.... dessicated pine needles. No more real trees for me. The following year I trogged off to B&Q and invested less than £100 in the biggest & best tree I could at that time afford. It's about 6 foot, has a spread of 3 1/2 foot and is now looking a little battered after 13 years use, but it works as a tree and I like the fact that it is beginning to earn its green credentials as a tree that does...

The double edition of the Radio Times (Santa? No Santa? Naff Photo or cutesy illustration? Why did they say the 8th when everywhere only starts putting it out on the 11th? These questions have haunted me all week!) One of my traditions from literate and numerate age is to be the keeper of the Radio Times. We buy it every week because as well as all the listings it is actually a really good read without being soap obsessed (we don't do soaps) and hey, it's useful to have something somewhere to look up what time that programme you watch that nobody else does is on. And I come into my element especially at Christmas. I know when the double edition is out, I haunt newsstands to find it and snap up a copy as soon as I can. I am happier now that one magazine does all instead of my early days as the TV Chronicler when I needed two separate books for the BBC and ITV. But as soon as the magazines came out I used to move into megamotivated mode. A cup of decent coffee, a highlighter pen ...

I got all my craft stuff together and made presents for the family. (This years box; snowmen & women) For years now I have always made a little something for the closest members of the family. I made quilted cushions one year, embroidered picture frames another and very often produce painted boxes. This year everything about Christmas has run away from me, and I just don't seem to have got as far ahead as I would prefer to be, given that Advent starts on Saturday and I like (usually) to be nearly finished. Perhaps it's the nebulous quality of supply that prevents me from saying to myself "This I will do today" and doing it. I wait for the call, and am either racing out the door, or ready for disappointment. Either way, I haven't got myself up to the point that I have usually achieved at this time and hence, this year, am now beginning to panic that the event will arrive in 4 weeks time with me holding no presents and feeling a right chump. But, wait! Salvatio...

A notebook to write everything in. I love lists at Christmas. I write everything down and tick it all off. For a few years my Christmas notebook was a plain red one, which is unfortunately looking rather battered and worn now. So, this year I treated myself to a new one from Paperchase . It is A5 size, lined and full of thick, good quality pages. I am a pack-rat and I don't throw out Christmas notebooks so it might as well be good quality and act as a memory book, too. So far, it has all the lists I need each year, having spent a happy two or three nights writing them out (again). Yes, I know I could store them on the 'puter and just print them out and stick them in, but I like something about the way a neatly written page looks enough to make it worth the effort. I have my presents list, my cards list (including addresses), the list of things to buy, make and bake, a calendar for December listing all the dates that I need to know, some of my favourite poems and quotes about ...