All set!!

Hard to sleep last night with the anticipation of my early start this morning and flight to England!! And once I heard Tim's alarm blaring out at 4am there was not more shuteye for me! So I lay there a while before getting up and into the routine of morning. Cats seem to know I am disappearing for a few days. Finka was also awake and meowing to get my attention long before she normally surfaces. They are sitting on the bed wondering what happens now . . .

The weather both here and in the UK feels as though it is turning into winter and I can hear a strong wind blowing around the house. But it is dry at least! I tried both coats on to see which felt the warmest; selected my scarf; threw out the heavy jumper from my suitcase and was happy with the 16k load I am about to haul off to the airport! In less than half an hour my ride will be here, and I will head out into the blackness of the night - and the train station, along with all the other poor commuters!! I couldn't do this for a living that's for sure!!!!

Well, enjoy the week, be warm and happy. See you back here soon.
Sue xx

confusion reigns!!

Sometimes it would be so nice to feel in control and to understand all the messages that pass between one's son and school regarding important information! I am trying to arrange his placement in Sweden and there are forms to complete, things to change in his study and flights to book etc. I like to do things when they arise, and not feel the stress of last minute annie and risk missing out on the financial side of this part of his study! But does he want to co-operate? Do I understand what we have to do and what school sets in motion? What changes need to be made to his insurances given that they all change on 1st January? Confusing and frustrating to say the least!! With going away for a few days, and Christmas almost on our doorstep, you understand my concern. So far, flights booked, now hoping that the other student books herself onto the same flights!! Arranged the cancellation insurance 'cos you never know . . . .but still have to change the health insurance and all kinds of stuff in the study/OV sites; I suppose my fear is that  I will do it wrongly; but so far Tim is happily moving forward in his oblivion not helping me to de-stress and relax about this at all.

Added to all this is the news that it is snowing in England! Of all days to start! I heard on the radio this morning that the passes were affected in Yorkshire, exactly where we used to live - so if we were still there we would be seeing the white stuff everywhere! I've checked and Birmingham ought to be snow-free all week...and so I am finally all packed and ready to go! What isn't in now, isn't going with me! I'm looking forward to soaking up a little Christmas atmosphere and getting in the mood. You too?
Sue xx

Let the Christmas traditions roll!!

In our house it is traditional to drink a glass of sherry and eat a mince pie during the putting up and decorating of our Christmas Tree whilst listening to my Christmas Carol CD. Tim wanted to do it before I go away so this morning we got it all down from the attic and went through the boxes. First: check the lights. Failed!! Too many were broken so it was a quick trip to the garden centre for 200 more tree lights! Unravelling these is a nightmare each year. I really don't have an easy way to do it, so they were strung up over my shoulders and all over the floor as I wound then around the tree. The deal is Tim puts the tree together and I decorate:-

Harvey's Bristol Cream, what else?!!

TIm made fantastic pastry and his pies were better than mine.

He hates having his photo taken so it is always a gamble how it will turn out!

Looking a little better...where are the lights?!!!

At this point we sped off to Intratuin and bought the necessary along with many, many other shoppers who obviously had had the same idea as us!
The lights went in eventually and I added all our silver and red decorations. We agreed that we don't have enough red in the tree but that's because a lot broke last year unfortunately. But hey, where am I going on 14th December????! Maybe there will be small purchases necessary, you never know......
Tim took on the task of making this batch of mince pies and I have to say that they were delicious. He used my secret pastry recipe and although he said it was different to anything he does in the bakery, I think he agreed that the taste is sublime. We only made 12.............not many left I noticed when I went back into the kitchen, chef?
Anyway, the tree is in situ and the cats have run away upstairs to hide under the bedclothes as Finka is not impressed at all!! Same as anything new, she is afraid of it for a while and then accepts that it is here to stay so gets used to it gradually; we hope. Here's the decorated tree:

I promised a picture of the bookcases too:

I added some stuff on top of them so that  I could get a better idea of what it needed but I think it is coming along just fine! Now I'm thinking about our new project for 2012................
Sue xx

Finally...

we have made a start on the bookshelf unit around the doorway into the kitchen from the living room. I've been so patient for so long, and at last it is starting to look how I imagined it would! It was not as easy as we had thought, but we had a whole day to do it, and all I have left to do is sand, fill and paint! Couldn't resist getting some treasures up and out on top first however! I am delighted we decided to do it like this, don't want to even think about ever moving it, and am happy to see us making another step in the right direction as we build on our interior decorating plans. Still some way to go before downstairs is completely done, but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

Sunday has been designated Christmas Decorating Day by Tim. I think he wants to do it before I go away so that it looks christmassy for him and the cats in my absence. This means finding everything and the annual trauma of getting the tree lights out on the floor and testing them only to find one doesn't work.......and needing to buy a whole new set when the spare bulbs let us down as well!! I have decided to do the tiny bannister rail on the stairs this year too. I think it will be nice and welcoming when we enter the house even though it really is an insignificant length to decorate. We do have plenty of items to string up there so that is not the problem.  Just fixing it so that a certain small, furry lady doesn't think it is her personal entertainment centre!!!! All I need to do now is browse a little for some inspiration - which will include looking at Mr Holtz's 12 TAGS OF CHRISTMAS!!!!
Sue xx

Memories..........

still watch this every year and never get tired of it! A beautiful animated musical treat for young and old alike.
Sue xx

Team day out

Yesterday I joined the rest of my colleagues for a 'surprise' day out in Amsterdam. We started off with a guided tour of the Jordaan followed by an entertaining afternoon learning/acting/singing in the local dialect. Was that difficult for me? Yes!! It was quite hard getting my tongue around some of the sounds and stresses on the pronunciation - give me some broad Yorkshire any day! - and once we had learnt it we had to perform it. Oh yes, dressed up as well. My kind of thing? - no! We topped it off with singing Smartlappen liedjes which roughly means the sort of songs people sing on pub crawls crossed with folk songs. Once we had completed this we walked to another part of the city for a really good meal at BAZAAR. There was so much food! It was all excellent though being an oldie, I would have preferred the music to have been more background than disco volume, but all in all it was a very pleasant day. I do feel that the next event ought to be on my home turf - see how they get on with a Barnsley accent!!!!
Sue xx

a little early but....

I am idling away the next 45 minutes before leaving to catch the train to Amsterdam, so can't really settle to anything too time consuming like the ironing . . . well I could but I'm not!!! So wanted to start searching for a Christmas background for the blog. Found this one, liked it, cut and pasted it and voila; Christmas blog!!!!!

I made the first batch of Mince Pies last night as Tim felt it was time to start on them. They are ok but I think the homemade mincemeat is not as nice as I had expected, Delia! A jar or two from the super is called for I think....("and another one makes the list")!! The pastry I use is from a now ancient book by Jocelyn Dimbleby and I believe I bought it in 1984 or thereabouts! It is still my favourite as it is lovely and crumbly and tastes of oranges.
I'm busy  writing my list of things to bring back - and it grows daily which is a good and a bad thing. I decided on some books for presents this year - but why oh why did I choose large, heavy ones?!!! They are a delight but oh so HUGE!!! I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it will need to be the cabin bag on wheels that I take with me since my poor shoulders never seem to quite recover from carrying heavy bags these days. Same as when I was eying up which handbag to cart around Amsterdam this afternoon. I have finally decided on a small one...turfed out all the unnecessary items I usually stuff into my larger one, as they are non-essential today, and am wondering which coat to wear now;..........all decisions that are seemingly more difficult than I imagined. What could be wrong with me???? .......

We went to do Tim's present buying yesterday and were amazed at how everywhere had suddenly sold out of precisely the gift we had decided upon for his sister and Ric!!! It was all down to the unexpected popularity of a certain item that obviously caught the attention of thousands of women at the Winter Fair last week! Can't name it, but I managed to buy one of them on Saturday and since then, all sold out! I can totally understand why...................sublime. Ineke, this would be something right up your street, m'dear!!!
So, my time to iron has been nicely halved so I suppose I ought to do some work t-shirts for the boy otherwise he won't have one for the morning. Been nice chatting!!
Sue xx

Can't put it off any longer...

time I tackled cleaning the oven!! Not a task that I am fond of, and one that I avoid for as long as possible, but! Before Christmas I had promised myself that I would clean it thoroughly and get it ready for our Turkey. So, with nothing else on this morning, today's the day!! Now, where's the screwdriver . . . . . .
Sue xx

A pyjama day

I think!! The weather is atrocious and definitely uninviting to anyone thinking of venturing outdoors. The wind has not dropped here and it is raining; so, hot cappuccino (diet-style!) and my pj's are staying on!!
I've been busy this weekend/morning, getting the Christmas cake baked - wow, it smelt wonderful!! and making dinner last night with a dessert of Trifle ( Tim's request.) It was quite 'alchofrolic' if you know what I mean! The sherry and brandy in the cream and the cake was really great. Once a year I go into the off-licence in Enkhuizen and browse around until I find the bottle of Harvey's Bristol Cream that I buy around this time. We only use it for the trifles and drinking as I bake the mince pies and prepare Christmas Dinner!! It wouldn't be the same without it...anyway, it's almost the end of November so about 28 or 9 sleeps til Christmas! I started making another bird garland on Saturday afternoon and finished and wrapped it this morning. Another present ticked off my list! Another 'creation' is in my head as I still have some leftover felt and I ought to make one more present with it.

We are proposing beginning a craft evening starting in the new year, Ann, Gebke and I. We all enjoy making things, have different hobbies, and love to get together and chat!! I suggested it when we were on our day out this week. I believe that having a regular time to get on with our hobbies increases the likelihood of actually doing them, and Gebke has already floated the idea of us doing a craft fair next year. So you never know, maybe we will!!! First though, we need to agree a day/evening/time/place etc before we can get started. I know there are 'stitch 'n bitch' groups for knitters so maybe we will call ourselves the 'laugh 'n craft girls' as it will be fun!!
Sue xx