Last time....

Website driving me bonkers....
White was too plain, black was too dark.... days arent long enough, Ive got a million other things to do.... customers must be thinking Ive gone mad changing it so much!
Last time!
I used a really pretty fairy image that I did of tiny tiddlywink wearing leather wings. Its perfect and was just like I had about 2 years ago.....
Sorry if anyone hates blue..... I look at it more than anyone else in the whole universe so I Chose something I liked.... Fairies would approve!

Mayhem and madness.....

I never managed the mountain of mittens or the hill of hats! But I did make 2 hats, 2 scarves and a pair of mittens. Plus 7 Christmas cakes as gifts.Christmas morning brought a spotted teapot.... I fell instantly in love! Bubble wrap on lap added good insulation in freezing house...... Middle tiddlywink made me a stunning red linen dress and a deep chocolate brown corselette. I was speechless! Pictures of this soon.The feast! It was so good and I was so grateful for all of the good food we had to share.

Tiniest tiddlywink had 2 balls of Patons shadow tweed chunky as a presentfor her to crochet with. She decided that Mumma knitting a new scarf would be better! I finished it this morning, its over 5 feet long and by about 4 feet it felt like it!!! It is heavenly.... I had trouble parting with it.

What a time we had on Christmas Eve! We took cake for the fairies as usual with our lanterns and sat and drank a flask of tea under the starry skies at the foot of the turkey oak. It was as ever rather special.... on the way home, Husband ran up track shouting "hurry, light", I naturally did the only thing I could do and always do when alarmed, I screamed very loudly. Something screamed back...... A poor little Roe deer buck had twisted his leg in the fence and was hanging upside down thrashing about in agony. It was awful. He was terrified and the wire was cutting his leg off. It must have only happened minutes before. After grappling with sharp flayling hooves, Husband held his body weight up to take the pressure off the leg while we examined it. The wire had cut right the way around the leg to the bone about 4" up from the hoof and it was bleeding heavily.

Middle tiddlywink ran home in the dark for wire cutters, tiny tiddlywink held lantern, big tiddlywink took front legs held tightly. Husband and I had idea of sitting on the fence to loosen the straining wire and allow us to open up this awful wire loop the deer had twisted as it had flipped over. It worked and we released the leg! We had a good look at the wound and I pushed all of the torn skin and flesh back down to meet the rest, sounds gory but if the blood congeals it will re knit together and should heal well. No flies and nice cold weather so he should be infection free, I hope. We turned him over and held him still for a wee bit to allow him to re align himself and his internal organs, then released him. He staggered and then ran like the hounds of hell were after him.

What an escapade! Thank heavens we took that track back home, or he would have died during the night. That was our little Christmas miracle......

We are plummeting towards New Years Day which I have to say is for me the bestest of all days. A new year lies ahead, another spring to marvel at, another summer full of bumblebees and flowers, long evenings up in the orchard in the bath watching the skies, picking gooseberries, tasting the first tomato from the greenhouse.... the list is endless. Who knows what possibilities a new year will bring to us.

I have only one new years resolution which is to follow Tiffany Aching's example from the wonderful Terry Pratchett book, 'A hatful of sky'.

To open my eyes and then to open them again. To look behind what I see.

If I can do this I will have learnt a great thing which I know will benefit me no end.

I bought a whole sack of sprouts before Christmas and there is no way on earth that we can eat them all before they go bad so I am going to be very thrifty and settle down in front of the fire with Husband peeling half a sack of sprouts....

Who said romance was dead?

Merry Christmas...

Turned wooden bowl made by eldest tiddlywink who I NEVER see anymore because he's in the shed turning any peice of wood he can find into bowls........... shown here with his special marble collection. Isnt it yummy!!! Im keeping my fingers crossed for a bowl for Christmas..... I wont have to say Ive lost my marbles then!

Well.... it has arrived despite me! I hope everyone is ready and willing to enjoy tommorow! I am!
The whole family is gathering at tea time to sit around the kitchen table and peel for our lives! Im doing the carrots and all the other bits have been chosen by other members. Its a great system because you all share the work!
Then its down to the woods with our lanterns, taking cake for the fairies which we spread along the branches of our big turkey oak, and carrots at the base for the deer. Then singing all the way home, to milky cocoa on the front porch under the christmas lights. Last year we all lay down in the rustly leaves and watched the stars through the bare branches. I could have stayed there all night!
All this followed by bed...... then after about what seems like 2 minutes sleep, its awake to the madness of Christmas day and frantic feast cooking!!!
Cant wait! Actually cant really believe its here! So glad there wasnt the usual mad build up. I think I may avoid it next year too!!!
Last words are MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Christmas cakes, and lists that are too long.....

Cake making.... all set up and ready to go!

The kitchen table was scrubbed and filled with all the goody ingredients. I didnt start until after lunchtime so the last big cake did not decide to finish cooking until nearly 10 oclock at night! mind you it was over 3 lb in weight. I was getting fed up going to the oven to check it come finish and told it in no uncertain terms that it was going to be chicken food if it didnt b***** well hurry up and cook!!
We made so many Ive nearly lost count.... About 9 I think, including a rather delicious sponge stuffed with gooseberry jam and buttercream.

Head being full of cold and because I had long oustanding website work to tidy up I stayed up all night.... 10 hours of editing till my finger wouldnt click another click! But I did crawl into bed with my hotty wotty botty at just after 5 this morning for 2 hours sleep. I now look like Ive been buried, left to 'settle' for a fortnight and then dug up again. Yep, thats a pretty fair description!

BUT I am feeling okay with leaving the site now. I had a lovely email from GreenGoblins, saying that she liked a coloured background... and it was enough to confirm what I was thinking that white was too stark! Hence the long haul to redisign a new colour scheme, bannners, etc! I MUST leave it alone now. Hope everyone likes it???????

Middle tiddlywink has a new friend visiting tommorow with her pony so great excitement..... its made me look at the rubbish tip that we live in (masquerading as a house) and made me think I had better start cleaning.

List of to do's for today.....

• Bag up and make christmas gift labels for all of the cakes.
• Wash dishes, clean kitchen.
• Sort out shopping list money (I get shopping for my Mum and she pays me after).
• Knit the second mitten......
• Fold and pack away two enormous trugs of clean washing.
• Cook tea.
• Blow my nose a million times.
• Dip my whole head in a bucket of vaseline to help counteract the sore lips and nose which are cracking if I smile.
• Looking at this list, I will NOT smile all day.
• Reading and writing with tiny tiddlywink.
• Wrap some presents later (havent touched one yet.....).
• Collapse.....
• Early night to make up for lack of a night, last night!

So this is probably my last blog... because Im going to die of exhaustion at about 6 oclock tonight.

Not long now.....

How exciting! Christmas next week!

I feel so differently this year for some reason. I dont feel pressured or stressed or any of the usual, "Oh my god it's in 51 weeks and I havent done anything" moments!

Its a day a year of the bestest food and a really warm feeling where we can celebrate our family and the fruits of our labour... the Christmas dinner! I dont know why its taken me so long to figure this out????

Ive ordered a locally grown free range Turkey this year from a farm on the moors which we will be picking up next tuesday. Presents are sorted but none wrapped... I shall do my usual flurry with brown paper and sellotape at the very last minute.

We still havent been down the woods to cut the tree, despite constant requests from the tiddlywinks. It must be done this weekend!

All family ' grown ups' will have the usual brandy enriched Christmas cakes (which I havent even made yet, tut.. tut!). I must make them tommorow, and was rather hoping that the little tiddlywink would help with all the breadcrumbing the mix and weighing out jewel like fruits, which I know she will love!

I also want to make a batch of Mushroom and cashew nut roasts for the freezer. I buy all of my vegetables wholesale from a local grocers supplier in bulk. Its great because I get them so much cheaper and there is practically no packaging, plus best of all instead of having 3 parsnips in the fridge, Ive got 30 in a box and it means you can really be extravagent with vegetables! Yesterday I bought parsnips, carrots, mushrooms, clementines.... wonderful!


Last notable points are, luckily Daisy the cat is heaps better and seems very much her old self (phew)...

Plus I have succumbed to the dreaded lurgy and feel awful! Hence the lack of posts.

I told him he should have slept in the shed........