Flowers and Festive Fun

It was quite a week. I had two beautiful bouquets for my birthday. So welcome with the fading colours of the garden.

A lovely reminder of the show over the last few months and now that the garden is almost asleep a sharp contrast with the softer tones outdoors.

There are a few hardy flowers still clinging on though and some Winter beauties showing promise. The red salvia has flowered for ages and still bravely puts out a few blooms. The erysimum has a scattering of pretty mauve flowers and a bright golden marigold pops up here and there.

New fat buds have appeared on the cream-flowered hellebore and little dainty ones on the clematis cirrhosa. Fungi still pop up overnight and open out their umbrella tops after a day or two. A single tiny rose has half opened its petals to the weak sunlight.

Walking around the garden with my camera in the late afternoon I saw a flock of jackdaws overhead as they raced to their roosting place before the sun set. I just managed a shot of the last few as they disappeared on the horizon.

A tranquil moment after a busy week.

I’ve been filling the freezer with Christmas goodies. The pecan pies are done and so is the cranberry sauce. I’ve baked a chocolate swiss roll with ginger cream and tucked it away. This is a simple but delicious dessert which always looks special. I shall decorate the top when it’s thawed. If you’d like the recipe see my post with the title “Swiss Rolls and Knitted Fruit”.

My lovely daughter, Sam, joined me to make the Christmas cake. A little tradition we started in her teens. She doesn’t eat it but enjoys chopping and grating the sweet treats which go into it and the pleasure of our time together. The kitchen fills with spicy aromas and starts our festive mood.

Wrapped and stashed away now in a tin with a tight lid. Must remember to spoon sherry over the pricked cake in a week or so and again before Christmas. Just enough to flavour and mature it but not to make it soggy. I don’t decorate it anymore. I used to cover it with marzipan then royal icing but my husband hates marzipan and would pick it off. Now I leave it plain and eat my slices with a bit of marzipan on the side. We’re both happy that way.

The house is untidy with Christmas shopping. I need to sort things out, wrap gifts and restore the calm atmosphere. At times like this our homes become a central hub and for a few frenzied weeks it can feel less than relaxing. Good to find shortcuts and know our limits with all this work. Although I do as much as I can to provide special treats I use simple methods and make use of technology wherever possible. Then I have a little time to knit, read or paint to keep me sane.

One of the things I find relaxing is taking photographs, not only of the garden but of cooking, baking or objects around the house. It makes me focus on the beauty of things and why they please me. I only have a basic camera but with a bit of care I try to capture the pleasing features of things around me. Here are a few examples:

Another week over, a new one beginning. I hope your freezer is filling up so that you can relax and enjoy Christmas when it comes. Please feel free to comment. I love to hear from you. Bye for now. With you again next week.