genialgemsandothergabblings

Well while I have been here at Wigan  in the role of carer and head cook and bottle washer...as they say I have at least had some visits from my two little furry pals that live close by. Kitty the tabby lives just across the street from mum and we have become good pals as he often pops in for a cuddle and the odd treat. He gets a bit fed up as his owners are out at work, but there are risks involved in venturing here as mum has been known on a couple of occasions to somehow lock him in the garage for a few hours......! The little black cat was in a bit of a sorry state when she first appeared and I took to giving her handfuls of biscuits whenever she came by thinking that she was a stray. It turned out that she was left behind when her owners moved... how cruel... and luckily for her a lady in a house close by has taken her in now and she is looking lovely. She is the sweetest little thing and runs over to see me as soon as she spots me and we share a stroke and a ...

Well  this is the sight we found to greet us down at the marina this morning when we went to check out the boat. Never have we seen it  like this although it has been icy on the cut' before ,just not this  bad! However it did look glorious in the winter sunshine with the frost and ice twinkling away. Poor old ducks were all confined to one small patch of free water and were waddling ,slipping and sliding over the surface. I expect they are having a hard time at the moment like a lot of things. Last January we were out on the canal for a trip as it was so mild but I think that it will be somewhile before we can do the same this year. We have a bit of  a turf war going on in the garden at the moment as  two rather large Mistle thrushes have moved in on the apples I was putting out, much to the disgust of my resident Fieldfare , who up until now had them solely to himself. So there has been a lot of charging and chasing going on. Why can't they just share,.....

With the ground being so hard after the recent snow and ice I threw down some of the apples I had been storing from our tree since October. That was yesterday and today the fieldfare flew in and spent the day gorging himself on the them. We just about managed a few shots, as he was very shy and the magpies kept bothering him, trying to get to the fruit as well. I wonder is it the same one who came at this time last year? Jack Frost came too and left us a beautiful vision in ice painting on the gate . I well remember scenes like that from my childhood but then it was on the inside of our bedroom windows at Corton! It is a very good time for birdwatching , today I saw Goldfinches as well. Most of our snow has gone but we may not be out of the woods yet as another weather front of snow and low temperatures is on the way.

Quite unexpectedly we were in for yet more snow last night from 9pm onwards. The world took on a different hue and colour and the whiteness made the garden an illuminated magical christmastime winterwonderland. If it doesn't rain today we may have a White Christmas here after all. The cats are not at all sure what to make of it  with Tom being the only one to walk or should I say sink ' down the garden in it. It made a very pretty picture though with him in the snow. It was nice to see the Mistle Thrush in the garden after the orange berries on the tree , a rare visitor to my garden. Well the big day is nearly here,I wish One and All the Healthiest New Year and a very Merry Christmas to all my Family Around the World and Friends everywhere.

We had snow!  Two nights in a row and it is still lying on the ground .... this is the first time in many years that we have had such a fall. As you can see the garden looked lovely, a real winter wonderland. What a shame that the only ones of us that can enjoy it are those who either play out in it or look at it from a warm home. It has caused chaos! Bebe made his way up for his food but then quickly disappeared back to the greenhouse and bed .I daresay it will all be gone by Christmas Day. Still it was nice to get out with the camera and get some snowy shots.

Well I have put up the decorations today so this house is now ready for the festive season to get into fullswing. We don't go mad with all the trimmings these days as there are no children around but what we do  have look nice and festive in an arts and crafts kind of way.....  I like finding ornaments like the little brown angels seen here in the picture. Yesterday and today I made sure to get out for some fresh air and winter sunshine as it has been so lovely to see after all the recent wet weather. A good walk yesterday and today out came the bike. We are going to go to Haworth this weekend to the Christmas celebrations and I might go around the Bronte Parsonage as it is ages and I just love the atmosphere! I must go and give the Christmas cake a good glug of brandy again  and will have to get in the ingredients for some mince pies but there is not much Delia Smith stuff going on here ,,, who the heck has time for all that these days! Lastly I j...

Its beginning to' smell a lot like Christmas' at our house, for as soon as you walk in your senses are awoken by the fragrant scents of cinnamon , cloves and orange and everyone wants to know where that delicious smell is coming from ! Well actually although I would like to say I have been busy baking,it is actually from a lovely bottle of room spray. It does the most wonderful job of making the feel of the Chistmas season come alive . Add to that a few drops of Culpepper winter oil ,pot purri and that is all you need. When you come home in the evening though feeling a little cold, tired and frazzled, try some of the delicious Mulled wine, warmed up ,its good for you as its full of lovely spices , just the thing to sip in front of the fire!The one seen here is the real thing from Germany and the one served at the winter fairs. I don't  think we will see a White Christmas this year ,they forecast a wet one instead... although you never know. Th...