1 My birthday has been lovely with cards, phone calls, texts, emails and Fb messages from so many people, family and friends. It is lovely to be loved.
2 We spent the afternoon watching The Searchers as Mr S is not up to a beach walk. We can do that another day. He is recovering well.
3 This is a little present for all my readers with love for a Happy and Healthy New Year. It is just a gentle little delight with thanks to John Beaney from the choir.
http://www.elion.ee/docs/joulukaart/eng/
1 The Heligan webcam has given lots of birdwatching pleasure off and on today, thanks to the link from Shelagh, my friend in Vermont. (http://www.heliganwild.com/webcams)
2 We’ve listed to the two final episodes of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ this afternoon. What a brilliant, atmospheric production.
3 We’ve had a very quiet and peaceful day together.
1 Having dropped Mr S at Penzance hospital at 8am, I’ve been so busy! The house has never been cleaner! I’ve also baked a batch of cookies which Mr S will now be able to eat!
2 This afternoon we had a family group of Long Tail Tits at the feeder, my favourites, I think.They are really pretty and I love the way they hang out in multi-generational family groups. Funny how the birds turn up when Lucy is here!
3 Mr S is now home and safe. I can relax!
1 My lovely sister in Hawaii has made a beautiful Christmas card of her turtle experience and it arrived today and I found the perfect birthday card for my very good friend, Angie, left behind in the North when we moved back home. That delightful ‘pig of happiness’ says it all.
2 For lunch today we had our fabulous ‘Christmas Leftovers Soup’- our favourite meal of the season! The stock has been simmering for two days making the most amazing broth to which I added everything leftover!
3 My sister-in-law in Atlanta, Georgia emailed to say they have their dates for their visit next year! They’re renting a cottage in St Mawes and my brother and his wife will also come over from Germany to visit at the same time. V&P from Atlanta have not been to the UK for 8 years!
1 A bumble bee has been hanging around the kitchen door for the last few days. I’m thinking I should give her a little honey.
Bumblebee
2 BBC Radio 4 are dramatising Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” as the afternoon play all this week and it’s brilliant – 45mins of uninterrupted listening heaven!
3 Mr S has harvested lots of our leeks today, washed all the little slugs and snails out and chopped them up (the leeks, not the slugs!) I’ve blanched and frozen lots of them and we’ve had a delicious leek and chicken risotto for supper tonight. More to do tomorrow.
1 So much colour still and it’s really quite mild.
2 Lucy spotted a Goldcrest at the fat balls on the window feeder – such a beautiful little bird. We were able to watch for quite a long time.
3 Our lovely neighbours have taken in a third batch of washing for us since our machine broke down completely a few days ago, just when we had a houseful including a toddler and a baby! Despite Mr S’s best efforts, it can’t be mended and a new one can’t be delivered until January 3rd. Thanks S!
1 It wasn’t an early morning! Jake slept until 8am and then rustled and chatted while his Mum and Dad listened at the door! Jake was pleased the oats had gone.
2 After present giving , we went for a very windswept and welcome walk on Porthtowan Beach and had a late lunch. Lots of help from Lucy and her friend Mobin (who is spending today and tomorrow with us) was very welcome indeed. We used some of Mum and Dad’s Wedding present china for the bread sauce and the gravy, as we do every year, so that they are with us for Christmas dinner.
3 Daniel called from Senegal and we all spoke to him and to Ami, which was lovely. We’ll all have to brush up our French before the wedding!
1 I spent another happy morning cooking! I’ve made three stuffings, one with lemon and cranberry along with the sausage meat base for chicken no 1, the next with leeks, chives and garlic for chicken no 2 and a fat free one for Mr S whose gall bladder op is on 29th December so he has to eat very low fat until then – hard for him at Christmas.
2 I listened as always, to the 9 lessons and carols, as I always did with my Mum and Dad. Cheers to them and other absent friends this Christmas.
3 Mr Rice is a star. He takes over the cooking on Christmas Eve – smoked salmon and cream cheese for lunch and a wonderful baked ham for dinner leaving me free and ready for the morrow! The lovely KJ has sorted all the veg and any minute now we are in for a feast!
4 Our lovely neighbours called in at 4.30 for what is becoming a tradition. Happy times. And a Happy Christmas to all my readers – doubt I’ll be writing tomorrow!
5 I just have to add – the joy of seeing a 3 year old putting out the mince pie for Father Christmas and oats for his reindeer. An early morning awaits us I think!
1 We’ve just done the 24 hour babysit and had lots of fun with the ‘two little monkeys’ as their Mum calls them.
2 When their parents came home, we went into Truro to collect our two Cornish bred chickens (decided against turkey this year!) Truro was busy and pretty with all its simple and very effective lights.
3 This evening we went to Krowji to meet up with lots of friends and to hear The Three Daft Monkeys – A brilliant time was had by all including Mr S.
1 Tabitha, 9 months has been waving at us all today and then looks at her waving hand as if to say, “What’s going on here?”
2 We’re doing a 24hour babysit so that KJ and Mr Rice can go away for the night to a spa hotel and it’s been great fun, if exhausting. Jake loves to bake so we made his Mummy’s Birthday cake (a stollen and a secret, hard for a 3 year old!) We also made and decorated Christmas tree buns.
Jake's Christmas tree buns
3 They are now asleep and I’ve come up to find a video of Jo and Tom’s 7 hour old baby daughter waiting for me. What joy indeed.
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