For Auld Lang Syne.......

...seems like I could write the book on misery at the moment but I just wanted to pop in and wish all of you, at home and abroad and anywhere in between, the very,very best of everything for 2013.  xxx Thanks to All for being there and sharing your wonderful stories and your funny,charming,busy,exciting,colourful and crafty lives. xxx I echo the sentiments of my bloggy friend Jenni when she says that she's glad to see the back of 2012 - so it's very definitely out with the old by the tip of my left foot, and at the dawning of the New Day tomorrow I shall look forward to a much healthier and happier New Year for Everyone. xxx Just to compound the misery, here's a lovely little song with a great story, albeit a tad depressing but do as he says and 'toast the now' and enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmVXYOJzAJM xxxHAPPY NEW YEAR MES AMISxxx Thank You Mo.

Adieu Pretty Lady........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0DJ8hWgNes

 Gillian Leslie Stewart

9:12:1953 - 28:12:2012

Forever Friends

xxx

Glad Tidings............

..................To All of You for the upcoming Festivities....

......and HUGE Thank You's to my very generous pals,Betty (don't worry Betty, I haven't opened my parcels yet!)and Shaz for the loveliest and unexpected gifts, especially the handmade ones which I will treasure forever.......

....here's my 'Sharon Trees' in all of their splendour.......she's so clever, is Shaz.....

....So in the Spirit of Yuletide, I hope Santa is good to all of you who call in now and again and put up with my ramblings, as ordinary and mundane as they may be and that each and every one of you have a Very Merry Xmas and a wonderful New Year.

xxxx

A little ditty for the calm before the storm...

Thank for Being There

x

Dipping my toe.......

.................into the confusing world of 'Picasa'! 

Don't ask me how I did it but I finally managed to upload some pics!!All I did was click on the 'sync to web' link and here we are.....

...so to continue on with the Christmas Cracker Swap, here is my little bit of Christmas from Lisa.....

.....cute tape around the parcel.....

....lovely CK tags.....

....beautifully wrapped with bells and everything!....

....how snazzy are these earrings?

....and such a pretty bookmark.....

...and how about this bagcharm?....loving that red.....

...love everything...

Thanks again Lisa..... and Tracy 

Have a great week, everyone.

xxx

Christmas Swapping....

.....as detailed in last post.....and I so wish I could show you some pics but I've had the dreaded 'pay-up or get off' message! So I've gone back into my web albums and deleted nearly 100 pics.....and I'm still getting the same message! Does anyone know whether this is a glitch with Blogger because I can't seem to get around the problem, apart from coughing-up!
Anyhoo, suffice to say, my swap parcel arrived from kandipandi and if you want to see what she sent me, pop over to hers and have a look. Everything was delightful, especially since Lisa handmade most things herself and those kind of gifts are always very special.
Thanks Lisa for being a great swap partner and thanks Tracy for organising a nice little swap.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
xxx

Singin' and Swappin' and Gettin' Ready For Christmas.....

....no, don't worry, wasn't me doing the singing (I'm barred from singing in public for evermore after my last stint at karaoke, don't ask!) but the lovely folk of the Scottish Opera whose latest offering was 'La Traviata', the contemporary version,sung in English. Wasn't too keen on it at first but I soon got used to the modern look of it and I won't give away any spoilers but the leading lady didn't half make a meal of her last scene - I wanted her to hurry up so I could get home!(howling gales and sideways rain make very unpleasant driving companions). I was in complete awe of those voices....and I kept wondering how they remembered their words....there were a lot of them!

As for the swapping, I'm taking part in the Xmas Cracker Swap organised by Tracy (details on sb) and I've been lucky enough to be paired with the very talented Kandipandi. The idea is to fill a cardboard tube (kitchen towel size) with Christmassy things, handmade and shop bought and it's quite surprising just how much you can fit in! Hope she'll be happy with her Xmas Cracker, when I eventually send it - I keep changing my mind about what to put in!

I was feeling quite optimistic about Christmas coming..... last week..... but now that the page on the calendar has turned to December, I think I may just be slightly panicking and I'm not even doing the meal this year! I've been invited to my youngest son and his new wife's home on the day - at last, all those years of slogging away in the kitchen at Christmas time is finally paying off and I've been relinquished of all responsibility for the turkey! It's a wonderful feeling, I can tell you.
Here is the 'bride' on her wedding day back in July...

How are your Christmas preps coming along?

Have a good week Everyone, keep warm, snow's coming!

xxx

Just Two Minutes.....

......not much to ask on Remembrance Day/Armistice Day/Veterans' Day. 

http://youtu.be/vztj_TnUQyY

x
pic courtesy of Andrea Kahn
Poppies in Sunlight II

Encounters of the Historical Kind........

....at a local country pile.....

.......on a very dark, (6.00pm and black as midnight!)frosty evening......

could this be a ghostly presence?.....no, I think it's just the smoke from the flaming torches!

...fabulous stonework and brightly lit rooms courtesy of the stunning chandeliers suspended from the ceilings....

.......gateway to the garden!....

....waiting in an orderly line underneath some spooky trees....

......the stage is set............

....

..oh, look who I spy having his press pics done.....

.....why it's only Mr. Neil Oliver, Historian/Archaeologist, International Man of History, about to give a talk on his latest book and TV series 'The Vikings'......

....and of course, my sister just HAD to ask him if he wouldn't mind having his pic taken with her, for which he very courteously obliged.....
'twas a very good evening...I can quite happily report that The History Man is funny,clever,supremely intelligent, has immaculate hair! (I was tempted to ask him what hair products he favoured....his locks were long,flowing and very,very shiny!),full of boyish charm (lucky Mrs Oliver), and a little phased by the turnout, as  he asked the audience so modestly and endearingly, were they sure they hadn't come to see Jamie Oliver?!

......then it was time to say 'goodbye'.........until next year!

ps JK Rowling was also on the bill - the tickets sold out immediately but I have it on good authority (my boss, actually) that she gave a very good talk on her latest (adult) book and she was sporting a really fab pair of black leather boots with 4-inch high heels (I saw the pic, JK looked very 'Rock Chick', well you would, wouldn't you?!).

pps Last week, I gained two new followers, thank you so much and welcome to my world. In the process of writing this post, I 'lost' a follower (not one of my new folks glad to say). Hey ho, you win some, you lose some. Just wondered what your take on the 'follow/don't follow' procedure was?

Bewitched?.........

......Bewildered?.......

......ok, let me put you out of your misery and introduce you to 'Belle', the latest addition to my youngest son's little family (I was hoping for a new grandchild but I suppose she'll do in the meantime!)

......cuteness overload perhaps but she really is a good little dalmatian (even with the pink bling collar!) and she loves it at her Nana's house, all cosy and curled up by the radiator on her fleecy blankie......everybody say 'aw'!

......and of course, because it's Halloween, no self-respecting witchy-poo would be seen beside her broomstick without her best apron to keep the gladrags tip-top whilst icing her 'spider' cupcakes (which I'm not going to embarass myself by showing you, they were disaaaasterous, d-a-h-l-i-n-g-s!)

..... what the best dressed witches are wearing these days...knock-off 'Uggs'!!!

Happy Halloween

ps That's not me in the witchy-poo outfit pics....it's my 3yr-old grandaughter after Nursery Halloween Party yesterday where great fun was had by all!My broomstick was parked elsewhere!

x

Heartfelt thoughts to all affected by 'Sandy'.x