Christmas Books - the alternative advent 4

The Icelandic folk have a beautiful tradition of giving a book on chrimbly eve and then spend that time quietly reading in front of the fire in companionable silence - that to me sounds like the perfect way to spend an evening.

This tradition is called jolabokaflod which literally means festive book flood. I only learnt of it earlier this year and wondered if it could be something I could introduce into our family, then as usual, promptly forgot about it.

Now, writing this post I have remembered it - so, I think, this year, I would really like to introduce this gentle art of giving.

(image from the jolabokaflod website)

And you?

Do you bring in new traditions,

or stick to the old ones?

So continues my alternative  Julie's Scrapbook Advent Calender 2018!

You can join in too - just pop over to her page HERE for the list and instructions 

as well as finding other bloggers taking part.

Favourite Christmas Recipe - the alternative advent 3

I put this phrase out to the boys - all three - to see what they came up with.... here they all are!

Eldest - a rich a dark fruit cake

Me - a lighter Dundee marmalade fruit cake

Himself - fruit cake of any variety as long as no alcohol added (now he tells me)

Youngest - Yorkshire puddings with lots of gravy.

Think we may have a wilding among us,

he has always followed the beat of his own drum :) 

Joining in with Julie and her Advent Calendar 2018

Handcrafted for Christmas - the alternative advent 2

Something handcrafted for Christmas

Well, all the goodies I am making at the moment are for gifts this year so I can't really waffle on those, so I shall do something slightly different - of course!

 Every year we have a gathering of friends and family and hold our 'festive wreathy thing' where we make garlands and wreathes, table decorations and festive 'bunches'. There is always food involved, lots of food, music of questionable taste and lots of laughter.

 We have been doing out festive wreathy thing since 2004 and more or less with the same core group.

It has been held at a fabric mill, in a community hall, my dining-room and this year I am wondering if I can squeeze it into my studio .... not sure about that last option!

  There is always a mountain of greenery, gallons of glitter, yards and yards of ribbon and by the end of the day - an intense five or six hours later - there is an array of the most creative and beautiful festive decorations laid out on the floor. We all take photos and ooh and aah and compliment each other.

That day, that group of people,

 those handcrafted goodies are,

 to me,

the start of the festive season.

So - day two of Julie's Scrapbook Advent Calender 2018!

You can join in too - just pop over to her page HERE for the list and instructions as well as see the other bloggers who are taking part.

Letterbox - the alternative advent calendar 1

Letterbox

When Himself and I first met, our favourite type of walk was 'Letterboxing', which really only occurs down on Dartmoor with the rare out of area 'guest box'. A fore runner to geocaching, it was a Victorian invention whereby a calling card was carefully stored under a small cairn in the centre of Dartmoor and anyone intrepid enough to walk there and find the bottle with it's precious calling cards would collect one as proof of the adventure.

It progressed to the modern day version where a box would be hidden, then clues given. We'd set off with a flask and sandwiches and spend a happy day yomping around the moors finding boxes. Each box would contain a book and a stamp. Once found, we would ink up our personal stamp - a fox - and leave an impression in the log book and we would 'collect' the stamp from the box. Our books soon filled up and we quickly were members of the Letterbox 100 club, then the 200 club and then, just before we moved away we were working towards our 500.  Despite this day and age and the accessibility of the internet, Letterboxing has managed to maintain it's traditional style of paper catalogue of clues and collecting of a physical stamp.

We now Geocache, not as much as we used or would like to but a combination of completing most of the local ones and where we generally walk, our weekends seem even more fleeting and brief so to squeeze in a long drive out, big walk and long drive back doesn't quite fit in - it might again, but just not now.

So - there, an alternative start to Julie's Scrapbook Advent Calender 2018!

You can join in too - just pop over to her page HERE for the list and instructions as well as see the other bloggers who are taking part.

#stories #walking #

November Photo Scavenger Hunt - final one of 2017 Link up Party!

If you have joined in with my

Scavenger hunt, please link

with me on your blog :)

Please add your name to the

link up tool below,

just follow the easy instructions,

don't worry - if I can do it so can you!

Please just add your Name or Blog Name in the 'Link Title',

Now, let the Link-up Party begin!

Don't forget to leave a comment when you visit :)

Not all links are successful - am contacting the blog owners again to see if they can be re-linked - have patience and please pop back later, names are still being added - thank you!

November's Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to the final Scavenger hunt of 2017 - but never fear it will be up and running again in January 2018 :)

So, without further ado.........

Blue...
...As the summer sky above the walled garden in Malham in June. 

Me...

...in the autumn sun streaming through my summerhouse - was actually taking photos of the cat in the sun when I noticed ... my reflection.

Starts with a ... W

... wheelbarrow, lollygagging in the meadow.

Rainbow...

... over the community hall on our art weekend - perfect!

Arch....

...tree slices slotted in a metal brace making a strange otherworldly four legged creature

Toy...

...Moss' first family chrimbly - and her first proper pressie - a squeaky toy bone. The bone lasted longer than the squeak - thankfully.

Swirl...

...just look at that tail - you could not wish for a squishier, floofier, swirlier tail than that now could you?

Brush...

... or several brushes - my now preferred weapon of choice. What's yours?

Nail

Walking last Sunday, I lugged my camera around with the plan of snapping a rusty nail on a fence post or gate, only to find that I'd left my SD card in the laptop - sigh.
So, Youngest came to my rescue and using his cell phone we found and photo-ed a couple of nails - I could not make up my mind which one to use - so I have added both :)

My own choice...
... a row of little crooked pearly whites just poised for the approaching dog biscuit - does it make you laugh as it did me? Hope so!

There, that's me done, however, I will be back on the 1st December as part of Julie's Scrapbook Advent Calendar 2017.

She has supplied a list of words, one for each day as part of her annual Advent Scavenger Hunt, I have added them below - ho ho ho, let the fun begin!

Letterbox

Something handcrafted for Christmas

Favourite Christmas recipe

Christmas book(s)

Stained Glass Window

Robin

Bell(s)

Sleigh

Christmas Bauble

Holly and Ivy

Snowman

Angel

First Christmas Card received in the post

Christmas Crackers

Tree before dressed

Tree after dressed

Christmas wrapping paper

Mistletoe

Stocking or Christmas Sack/Bag

Wrapped present(s)

Winter

Father Christmas

Nativity

The Night Before Christmas

 I look forward to seeing you there!

Midweek micro adventure

Yesterday, after a not particularly constructive day, 

I felt I - in the words of Bilbo Baggins - needed to

 'Go On An Adventure'.

Moss agreed, so when it was time to meet Youngest, Moss and I set off with a plan - 

well ok, the plan was mine but she was so dizzy and excited 

that we could have done anything and she'd be happy!

Our micro-adventure ingredients were:

wellies, 

take away teas,

(from the local nature reserve cafe)

clues and a pen 

(for a spot of geocaching)

and the camera. 

Youngest of course is always up for an adventure...

...and despite being stiff and walking like a wind-up clockwork toy

(he's taken up running)

we set off, following footpaths old and new.

Moss. needless to say,  was d.e.l.i.g.h.t.e.d!

 

We found what we were looking for,

quickly signed the log book (in this case a slip).

And even more happily, we bagged another cache.

There are few round here, think we'll gently collect them 

when weather and time permit.

There was something special about walking with my son

through damp autumnal woods,

sipping hot tea from cardboard tumblers,

watching a dog charging around in the mud.

It turned a rather mediocre day

in to one far nicer.

It certainly set me up for my next painting.

Now that can't be bad :)

#art #walking #geocachinguk 

Tuesday's thoughts

I find that the first part of the morning, once the house is mine .... 'stops'. More so at this time of the year when it is still dark outside.

I sit down with the remains of my first mug of tea, usually it has gone cold but frugality refuses to allow it to be thrown down the sink. Sometimes it is reheated in the microwave (occasionally more than once) before I finally down it. But today's I drank cold - seemed silly to spend time/money/effort to warm a mouthful of tepid tea.

This is the time I allow myself internet access. Write those emails, post those stories. Update the various facebook pages I manage, the blogs I write. Then, if I am lucky I can get out the to studio around 9am.  I love going out to the studio - I love the view from the window, the birds coming and going, the small patch of sky between the trees, observing the changing garden from robust summer foliage to softly decaying leaves and stalks.

Today is dank, wet and let's face it - dreary. Which does nothing for my mood ergo my creativity. However, I know that going to the studio, switching on the light, the radio and the heating will turn the mood around and get me feeling more motivated.

But first, kettle on - then when I am out there in my little sanctuary, I, with a mug of hot coffee, can watch the birds before picking up the brushes.

I shall just have to generate my own sunshine!

Bring on the day :) 

And you?

What are you up to today?

What little bit of sunshine made you smile?

What ever you do,

have a lovely day xxx

A prickly subject...

Guess what or rather who I almost fell over last night!

 I just popped down to the studio to grab something 

and met this little fellow...

Scoffing slugs

My hero!

Eat those slugs Mr Prickles

my garden and I are grateful :D

Gentle reminder that November's Scavenger Photo hunt is the last for this year, but don't worry it will start again in the new year. However, Julie from Julie's Scrapbook is running a daily scavenger hunt all through December and I shall be joining in - pop over and have a look, there is still time to join in x

Vignettes of the fauna kind

Some days I can not believe how lucky I am to be able to stay at home and paint in the studio. I do treat it like a job, as in - I get myself sorted at home post breakfast, then at 9am I set off with the studio keys in my hand, flask of coffee, basket full of items I'll need during the day and the dog.

We 'commute' through the garden, unlock the summerhouse door and the day begins.

There is a bit of a routine forming, open the door, switch on the lights/radio/heating as necessary, clear the desk, unpack my basket, set up the tripod and camera and finally, before I actually start painting or drawing .... I feed the birds.

Gradually, as they have learnt that there is a source of food topped up daily and especially now as the temperatures are dropping, the variety and number of birds is growing.

I am now seeing all sorts of birds I have heard of or seen in a book, now am seeing in 'the-feather' for the first time! Like the Nuthatch and the Treecreeper -  talk about a giddy moment when first saw either of them.

Now, you can hardly call me a 'twitcher' or 'birder' and I suspect I will never be more than an amateur studio chair enthusiast, but they do brighten my day and entertain which ever cat is in the summerhouse with me :) (you should hear their foul catty mutterings that go with the whisker twitch and the tail rattling).

(Please excuse grainy images - taken through perspex/acrylic glazing)

However, not all my visitors are feathered, I get furry ones too! The neighbourhood cats quietly slip through and sometimes stop in a sunny patch for a bit of feline meditation. Yesterday's little quiet caller was a silent black cat who slipped through the plants and sat next to me (although it had no idea I was there). I quietly took a picture through the glazing and was rather amused to see it flick it's head round to see where the noise was coming from but could not see me so did not run off.

The other drop-in was a rather fat and fluffy squirrel. Now. Vermin or not, they are cute. It is not their fault they are an alien species or carry a virus or look sweet and make folk laugh - yes they are a pest but like a cheeky chappy they end up making most folk smile.

Until it tried to gorge itself on the bird food - then I stopped smiling and tapped on the window - it shot off and flicked it's tail crossly. Several attempts (from various angles of the garden) to return to the feed resulted me tapping on the window, the squirrel finally got the message and scampered off.  I have now liberally slathered a petroleum based jelly on the pole to see if that acts as a deterrent.... camera ready we shall see :)

Any hoo, the side effect of these little vignettes through my day is - I smile a lot - now that can't be bad x

Right, best stop waffling, I've a bit of paperwork to do for TAM and then I can get back to painting, I am halfway through a festive highland coo (just smiled again)

HaPpY ThUrSdAy

Autumn and I

I've already written a post then deleted it. 

 Twice.

So, I gave up with that line of waffle, 

changed my story and started again. 

Welcome to my third attempt...

Autumn is truly here. Frosty mornings, chilly nights and trees rapidly losing their leaves.

The garden has lost the brighter colours of summer

and taken on the shades of seasonal decay. 

I love the way the spider webs sparkle in the softer autumnal light. 

It was such a lovely afternoon that,

once we'd eaten lunch, 

we pulled on boots and layers of woolly things,

and set off for a walk.

We set off up the hill to the playing fields,

there is still a fight to try and keep them,

but local government are intractable

and unaccommodating as ever.

I fear we will lose our small square of land,

due to lack of money.

Moss - with the animal clarity of the 'here and now'

didn't give two hoots (or rather two woofs) about the potential loss,

choosing to wallow in muddy puddles,

race around in mud

and generally have a silly grin on her face.

Having left the playing fields, 

our path narrowed down to a muddy trail.

The gentle scent of fallen leaves and wood smoke

fill our nostrils. 

We followed a stream which Moss splashed through,

the water was icy cold but she reveled in it!

The footpath rose up and over the fields. 

Then dropped back down to join the river,

which wound it's way into our local nature reserve.

The old mill pond, full of rushes and reeds, is almost silted up.

The ducks find it a quiet sanctuary.

The path became rather busy with dog walkers

and promenading couples, we chose to turn off 

and followed the less popular (very muddy) woodland track.

Cue squeals and giggles as we slipped and slid

our way while Moss charged about,

although more surefooted than us, still slipped and fell -

causing more laughter.

Happy Silly Dog.

As we headed for home,

the sky turned to the most brilliant purples and orange.

Glorious.

If this is Autumn, then she can stay,

Summer was a bit of a limp lettuce,

Winter and I don't always see eye to eye

and Spring seems a long way away.

So, yes, Autumn you can stay xx