Sparkle & Shine

Hello Lovelies, 

one of the things I love about Christmas is the pretty lights.....fairy lights are perfect to add a bit of cheer and sparkle to a time of year when the days are so short.

On Saturday afternoon we headed into the city as I wanted to take a look around the outdoor Christmas market. 

We waited until 4pm so the lights would look their best...........

These cabins are temporary, set up especially  for the festive period. I'm sure there are similar looking events in many, many towns and cities at the moment.  Nevertheless, they did look so effective in the dark, with their fake snow and mock tudor design, and of course....loads of fairy lights.

 I loved the giant candy canes on this sweet stall....

the sweets looked yummy too.........

 As you can see it was very busy, but thankfully not too crowded. There was Christmas music and delicious smells wafting from the many food stalls. We happily wandered about and the boys enjoyed a warming hot chocolate.......

Next to the market was a huge tree , perfectly placed in the middle of the outdoor ice rink..........

I think the city looks lovely when it's decorated with coloured lights, shining brightly in the darkness..........

As well as the stalls and ice rink there were a few fair rides . I just love the look of the traditional carousel with it's hundreds of  lights and colourfully painted horses.....

And fabulous sign writing..........

Before we left Mr BM and I shared some mushy peas from the Hot Pea stall :0) 

 They were delicious , with lots of mint sauce..........

But it was the sparkly lights that really made me smile.........

We all enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere and I hope we will make this little trip again in years to come.
Jacquie x

♥52 Weeks of Happy♥ 50/52

Hello Lovelies,

Are we over half way through Advent already ? Here are my happy things from a busy week.

1. The heady scent of Hyacinths.

These beauties are making me smile every time I go into the kitchen at the moment.

The blue ones are my favourite.......

 as usual they have gone rather floppy and I have attempted to hold them up with wooden kebab sticks and ribbon .

2. Christmas socks.
Oh yes I do love festive feet :0) .....picked up these cheery charity socks at the supermarket............

3. Youngest in his school play.

He did a brilliant job of getting into character for his own part and joining in with all the singing.

The effort put in by the teachers at his small primary school is amazing.

  All the children benefit from being involved in an impressive and highly entertaining show.  As he is now in his final primary school year this was the last one of these plays we will ever get to see .....I may have tears in my eyes as I type this sad fact. I've so enjoyed watching all three of my boys gain confidence over the years of performing to audiences of parents and grandparents.   

Given the choice of a glitzy night out or the school play, the play would win hands down for me.

4. Christmas decorating.

Or should I say,  help with the Christmas decorating. This year my boys did most of the work themselves. Last Sunday saw them  climbing up into the loft the retreive our huge amount of festive stuff, building and trimming two trees and sticking up lights. They were all brilliant , especially eldest who would not stop till it was all done , then he put all the empty boxes away , bless him.

I'm not convinced they will be so keen to help pack it all away in January :0)

 Shortly after we had finished,  and  flopped on the sofa, we noticed the most amazing sunset.......

We all stood in the street admiring this wonderful display .........

As it faded from fiery orange to purple and pink..........

It was as if mother nature was joining in with the Christmas decorating .

As usual I'm pretty last minute with my Christmas preparations.

This coming week will be full of making, shopping, writing, wrapping and tidying. I'll be happy when most of the jobs are done.
I hope your "to do" list is manageable lovelies.
Jacquie x

December Colour

Hello Lovelies, 

It's such a busy time of year and I'm starting to feel the pressure of all the things  still needing  to be done. On Wednesday I had lots of errands to run so in the morning  I walked to the local shops and post office.

 It was a dull, typically December day. I often don't bother to take photos in this sort of weather, preferring to wait for some sunshine. But the gloom has it's own gentle beauty and any remaining colour, like these hot red berries growing up the wall of the sweetest cottage, really stands out against the muted background...........

the local florist was looking very seasonal , with lots of Holly wreaths and indoor bulbs.........

on the way home I loved this natural wreath against the bright red door..........

 and the red Hawthorn berries were striking against the backdrop of a misty landscape

The cold, damp weather had kept the allotment gardeners at home............

 The beer can "cane toppers" made me smile.

and in my own front garden french marigolds are STILL flowering, adding a bit of sunny cheer to a grey day.........

In the afternoon, with still jobs needing ticking off my long list, I headed to town. Thankfully there was still time to notice the colourful Christmas window displays in the little independent shops.
 Loved the red and white theme in the craft shop..........

and I thought this step ladder "tree" with all it's hanging baubles was brilliant...........

But this HAS to be my favourite. This shop has only opened recently and it's a real Aladdin's cave of quirky, handmade  and vintage items. 

I adored the tartan bicycle , which the lady owner kindly allowed me to photograph from inside her shop.

And I made a small purchase...........

I loved this little Japanese style doll in her sunny yellow dress.She looks right at home on my Christmas mantle.
I do  hope you lovelies are finding the time to enjoy some colour this December
Jacquie x

♥52 Weeks of Happy♥ 49/52

Hello Lovelies , 

I hope you had a good week, we have been celebrating youngest's Eleventh birthday . Here are my happy things from the last seven days

1. Birthday decorating. Mum bought this card banner for the first "First Birthday Party" for my boys back in 2001. It's been used for every birthday since. It's a bit tatty now but I still love it.........

 My mum in law always bakes her grandchildren a cake .........

they are always delicious and really appreciated.

2. The December countryside. Many fields are freshly ploughed........

the hedgrows are bare as are most of the trees. But the Oaks alone still retain some golden brown leaves, making them stand out beautifully  in the landscape.......

3. The real Tom Tit visiting my coconut shell bird feeder :0) .........

4. Reflections at the park.
 Last Sunday we visited a little park I discovered back in October HERE.
Mr BM and I walked while our boys cycled...........

In October this gorgeous formal pond was empty , but this time it had been repaired and the fountain was working..........

I wandered around , loving the sound it made and the dancing ripples on the water.........

It was chilly and the water away from the fountain remained frozen.........

As we get ever closer to the shortest day and the midday sun barely rises above the tree tops the reflected sunlight on the water was like an extra treat.

Yesterday we held a family party for youngest. Afterwards I read THIS beautifully written post by Ada Bea , about what her perfect day would be. I had to read it a couple of times to fully understand it's subtle message. It brought a tear to my eyes and I'm still thinking about it now.

I'm so thankful for my health and the health of my family , and the simple, special times we spend together.

Jacquie x

This Blustery Morning

Hello Lovelies,

it's a "hold on to your hat" sort of day here . The wind is really roaring in the chimney. Leaves are flying through the air and swirling in the street. 

Thankfully I've had to stay indoors to wait for a delivery . It's given me bit of time to slow down and notice the things on my kitchen windowsill......like my Amaryllis beginning to grow.........

And this little twig of amazing blossom. While walking with MrBM on Saturday I noticed a tree in blossom.
It was dark so I thought I may have been mistaken . Sneakily I snapped off this bit, brought it home and popped it into some water............

 It's stunning but I am puzzled. No trees flower in December do they?

This is a more seasonal sight........a stew in my slow cooker. I love preparing one in the morning , then leaving it to do it's thing all day. It will be very welcome when all the family are home from work and school this evening............

 When I when into my chilly conservatory to load the tumble dryer I was horrified to see what looked like a dead squirrel hanging in the tree. It was waving in the wind and I thought it must have got trapped in one of my bird feeders.
Thankfully a zoom shot showed it was not dead or trapped , just doing some acrobatics to access the peanut feeder :0)

Here it is the right way up again .........

 Phew

After my nasty shock I felt the need for a cup of strong tea and a bit of my mum in laws yummy cake.........

I'm working on a Christmas prezzie so I can't tell you too much about these stripes at the moment. They are rather plain but embellishment is planned.........I'm hopeful it will turn out well.........

 All will be revealed after the big day

In the last hour the sun has come out and shown up how badly my windows need cleaning! It's low rays shine right across the room and glitter on my rainbow maker..........

I was  balancing on a chair in the window taking this picture when my goods arrived, I wonder what the delivery man thought?

See you later lovelies, it's time to brave the wind and head to the supermarket.  Thank you for all your sweet comments about my drawing, they are so encouraging.
Jacquie x

Edited to Add thank you to my lovely commentor Helen  who told me about the Winter flowering Cherry.....I need one of these :0)

♥52 Weeks of Happy♥ 48/52

Hello Lovelies,
I hope you have had a good week. Thank you so much for all the kind comments on my previous post.
Here are my happy things from the last week in November, and the last week of Autumn.
 If you go by the Met Office's definition of the seasons Winter starts today.

1. Short days.
O.K. I'm not always happy about these, but there are plus points. Sunrise at the end of our street, at a time I can easily be awake to see it has to be a big happy..........

Tuesday 7.30 am

Wednesday 7.30 am

And when it gets dark shortly after 4pm there are always candles to add a cosy glow..........

2. Feeding the wild birds.
The day after I had hung up this coconut shell full of bird food it was showing evidence that they had been enjoying a little peck..........

I love to see birds in our garden and like to think I can give them a helping hand to survive the winter.

3. New Slippers

now it's getting chilly, and my old slippers have holes in the sole, I've bought some new ones, with knitting and pom-poms....they make me smile :0).......... 

4. This weeks Drawing.

A heart shaped November wreath............

 I love the beautiful paintings by Edith Holden, of the natural world she observed over 100 years ago. The "Edwardian Lady" books made from her diary and illustrations were only discovered in the 1970's, many years after her death. They are arranged into months of the year and each new month begins with a full page painting like THIS.

I couldn't even attempt to produce anything so accurate and accomplished , but this year I've discovered the  enjoyment in  creating simple, colourful, fun drawings. Like Edith, I'm hugely inspired by the changing seasons.
So this my celebration of November..........

After appearing in the background of many of my drawings this year, Tom Tit has finally got the lead role :0)

This drawing is full of inspiration from many other sources too.......beautiful photo's in blog posts like THIS and THIS and THIS. And of course Autumn inspired crochet like  THIS
I'm so happy with how it turned out, I'm already working on a December version:0)

I'm kind of sad to say goodbye to November, it's been a good one , but there's lots to look forward to in December.....It'll be busy, and the boys love it.
Jacquie x