Virginia Crow's Blog: Crowvus Book Blog, page 6

24th December: Merry Christmas!

 

1. There is something magical about the crib on Christmas Eve - complete with penguin!

2. Judith felt sad for the lonely-looking Passing Place sign, so she gave it a hug!
3. Our house looking festive in the darkness, and with a luminous glow in the sky!
4. Added decorations in the kitchen
5. Reflections and the table football
6. Christmas Eve sunset
7. Tesco didn't have any bell peppers apart from ones from Israel, but Judith was pleased to have a reason to branch out!
8. Tracking Santa on the NORAD website
9. The most exciting calendar arrangement!
10. The Judith Glue fairy on the top of Mummy's Christmas Tree
11. Christmas Eve pre-sunrise
12. Weasel season!
13. The dogs loved their extended walk while we delivered Christmas cards, followed by a trip in the car. 
14. Impromptu chips!
15. A different view of the sunset this evening - I was in the kitchen. Like New Year's Eve, there is something magical about the last light of Christmas Eve day!
16. Orlando is not impressed at being told he cannot open his presents yet!
17. Martini and lemonade - a festive drink of choice this year!
18. This selfie appeared on my phone...
19. ...as did this picture of me sorting presents!
20. The Fimo crib has been updated with a hanging star.
21. A shining light to welcome us back from our walk.

22. The stars in the bright sky!

23: These pawprints demonstrate why we don't have many logs in the log-basket.
24: Dinner tonight: turkey, dressed tomatoes, and potato salad. Followed by lemon posset. This is a perfect Christmas Eve dinner!
Well, that is us signing off for 2024. We would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and lots of good health and happiness for 2025!

23rd December: Christmas with the Little Ones

  1 - Christmas with the Little Ones

2 - Clemency making lemon possets - they were amazing!
3 - There is something very pleasing about a dish of sweeties.
4 - The cleanest the high chair was all day!
5 - Judith and Clemency being hoopla-ed on their antlers
6 - Waiting for Christmas...
7 - Big and little.
8 - Two little sisters
9 - It was all too much for Jess, so we built her a little den.
10 - Orlando was on his best behaviour, which was exhausting for the old man!
11 - Judith modelling the antlers for the game.
12 - A lovely and yummy early present
13 - I love that these two were excitedly listening to Frank Sinatra
14 - Elfi insisted on turning the sign around, but I did manage to snap this one!
15 - The lovely team at our local Tesco had sorted out little pouches of sweeties in Merry Christmas bags.
16 - the chickens have been busy so we packaged some eggs up for the Crowditches!
17 - cuddles with Auntie Ginny!
18 - The visit concluded with singing carols around the piano - perfect! 19: Jess loves visits from Auri, who is very happy to get sloppy kisses!
20: Saying grace. 
21: Magic of balloons!
22: Christmas in Puddle Lane. There's always tomorrow...
23: Serious business!

22nd December: And the Jigsaw is Complete(ish)!

  1: Balloons Judith got when she left Lybster - still going strong as Christmas balloons
2: Pig in Blanket has been in 4 different places today!

3: Looking very promising!
4: A Santa Russian Doll which has been with us for a loooong time!
5: (One of) Orlando's tree decorations
6: One Mum and Dad brought back from their trip a few years ago.
7: The nearly complete jigsaw (read on...)
8: Jess being wrapped-up for Christmas. She was very interested in the paper, so wrapping her up was a logical step!
9: Blood Orange Cider - a festive tipple!
10: The promise of spring... Bluebell shoots shooting!
11: It took a lot of commitment today...
12: Four candles (fork handles?!) lit on the Advent Wreath - not long now!
13: Oh dear! There is a piece missing and we're pretty sure Jess is responsible!
14: Orlando has also been in the doghouse...
15: ...Because of this. He decided he wanted Euan's present and just went ahead and unwrapped it!
16: Alexa is also getting into the festive spirit (she has been trying not to, but Judith is insistent)
17: A festive quiz! We love sitting down together and having a go at these!
18: Judith is now on her third colouring-in picture of this season...
19: ...She does it while Mum reads this to us!
20: One of a pair of beautiful bonbon dishes Lydia and Euan gave us.
21: Where there isn't a wreath on a door, there are still decorations! This is a crocheted Christmas Tree made by our friend, Dot.
22: And then there are the decorations which are a bit worse for wear after the years of use, but you still can't bring yourself not to use them!

21st December: Happy (Windy!) Solstice!

 

1: A gift from Lieurary community for Mum and Dad. All pensioners in the area receive a beautiful hamper.
2: The sun was visible as a glowing disc this morning during the sunrise, seen here through the Christmas tree.
3: The exact moment of the solstice. The sky was a maroon colour - a storm is coming! 4: Later, while trying to save our bins from the gales, my hat blew off and disappeared! Eventually we found it, but it needed a clean!
5: The sky this afternoon was fabulous, just like the morning!
6: Ginny and I went delivering Christmas presents. The tree in Thurso looks lovely but was swaying quite a lot!
7: This morning's sunrise. Just to give you an idea of direction, the right hand side of the pond is due south. 8: And that's a wrap on the Christmas Concert and work for 2024! It went on YouTube today, the last event of the year in my job. 9: It may be stormy outside, but inside the looks almost tropical! 10: Oh the horror! Not what we expected to find on our return! 11: I was in charge of this quick dinner tonight. These are an essential part of the Christmas season! 12: Dad hiding from the draughts.
13: Today was my wrapping bonanza day! Out comes my collection of wrapping paper.
14: Dad found the pig in blanket today. And put him driving the train on the shelf. ❤ 15: This is Clem's ingenious way of stating who is NOT allowed in the room where the presents are being wrapped!
16: Mum in particular loves this rustic Santa. 17: Santas gathered round a Christmas Tree, which was a jolly commemoration of Auri's first Christmas.
18: Bought by Clem yesterday - this was the last one in the shop and is great in a cocktail or on its own. 
19: Our fabulously wonky advent wreath! Waiting to light the penultimate candle tomorrow.
20: Last year's bauble. Guess you can't guess where this one was bought?!
21: Our Christmas Music Books are taken very seriously! This was a gift many Christmases ago...

20th December: And so the holiday begins!

 It seemed so far off this morning, but we're now finally at the Christmas holidays, and what else to listen to but...

1: Of course!
2: A double rainbow outside of Judith's classroom at Thurso High School.












3 - 13: An amazing collection of Christmas cards from Lydia and family!! Even the chickens and quail got one! We stood and read them out one by one.

14: Our film tonight is It's a Wonderful Life. Mum bought this decoration last year, and it is gracing the little tree in the sitting room.

15: The jigsaw is coming on now!


16: I mentioned to Ginny and Judith that I'm just not feeling Christmassy. I came home to find this in my bedroom. :) 

17: We're all entitled to favourites, and this is one of Mum's.

18: One for comedic value! This ornament has long since broken, but still manages to find a place on the tree!!!

19: Our snow stick... like a rain stick, but covered in Christmas paper.

20: Jess found some of the jigsaw pieces. One of them is partly chewed!

19th December: Puddings and Biscuits!

 

1: This countdown has been on the go for several weeks, changing each Friday. Just one more day to go!

2: The Sylvanian Christmas Carol, as produced by us in 2011! Recommended viewing for the festive season!

3: The pig in blanket has been off adventuring again!

4: St Francis with a walnut tomte!

5: The last batch of Christmas puddings were done today!

6: This gorgeous Christmas pudding bowl was here at Stempster when we moved in. It's perfect as The Holly and the Ivy is our Stempster carol.

7: The first snowball of the season!

8: Biscuit Baking! Mummy and I made these together.

9: A beautiful Christmas spray - one of the first presents to arrive!

10: A Christmas card designed by one of my pupils.

11: Christmas lights and tinsel make it very confusing when taking photos! The reflections make our little porch look enormous!

12: The garden illuminated by the Christmas tree lights.

13: But unfortunately, my phone refused to pick out all the colour in the window.

14: Today we began a Christmassy jigsaw.

15: Another beautiful present.

16: Found a good spot for the carousel!

17: A tiny snowglobe made by Clemency many years ago.

18: Even without the lights on, the tinsel is sparkling!

A matchbox nativity. Some of the best decorations are the smallest!

18th December: Nostalgia

 What says 'nostalgia' better than black and white pictures? Christmas (in particular, Advent), for many people, is a time for looking back over the years... all parts of our Christmas have special memories attached.

1: One of the ornaments I remember from being little... this little Santa has a twin brother too, the other side of the mantel piece.

2: Toby's ebony mouse... a keepsake from our visit to Hemmingford Grey Manor. We all love listening to Mum reading "The Children of Green Knowe", which feature this little guy. There was a recent competition for people to write a story with this mouse in, and Judith won, earning a copy of the new edition of the book.

3: The Christmas cards gracing the bookshelves, each one from a special someone.


4: Mum's hiding place for the Pig in Blanket was too good and it took days to find him, hanging up on the pantry door. Judith eventually found him. 

5: Advent candle update! It's getting very close now!

6: One of the ornaments that was left at the house when we bought it. Many ornaments made their way to the charity shops, to be enjoyed by other families, but some, we kept to add to our family Christmasses.

7: We spruced up this wreath with some bells after it took a bit of a battering last year!


8: It's been a stormy, wintry day here at Stempster. These curtains help us feel snug and warm, blocking the draughts coming in through the conservatory, making the room a cosy place to sit by the fireside.

9: Speaking of conservatory... you can see some of the greenery and lights through the window.

10: Each ornament tells a story of past Christmasses!

11: One of my favourites... my violin ornament.

12: Christmas trees hiding in unexpected places!

13: You've already seen the Fimo crib, but black and white really shows up the light and shadows.

14: Another special bauble, from big bro!

15: Enjoying the twinkly lights!

16: Back to the tree now... more memories.

17: Rusty! A video would be better to showcase Rusty's expert singing and dancing!

18: Not a 'thing' exactly, but a Moment! Sitting around the tree with the main lights off is an important part of Christmas!

17th December - Festival of Light

1 - Halfway down the stairs, illuminated with just Christmas lights!
2 - Our wreath made by Clemency with greenery from our own garden.

3 - Illuminated pine cones!
4 - Not light-givers themselves, but these little pegs are basking on the lampshade!
5 - The placing of decorations to capture the most light is a skill. The cross-stitch is one Clemency did at primary school.
6 - These beautiful flowers were made by Mum's friend, Shirley. They also cast fabulous shadows.
7 - Judith has been sticking washi tape on the doors. I think this one is my favourite design!
8 - Powered by light! The carousel is now up - you can expect a picture with the candles lit soon!
9 - Which lights are real? There is only one strand of lights in the conservatory, but there are so many reflections!
10 - Our Victorian rolling pin. Very handy for...
11 - ...MINCE PIES!
12 - Just look at the colours in these decorations!
13 - All these glasses have been washed up ready for use over the festive period.

14 - Turns out that fortified wine is also very good at catching the light. Yes, the sherry has gone down a lot!
15 - There is something very exciting about the shadow of holly leaves!
16 - But these are my favourite seasonal shadows!
17 - Of course, the light we celebrate is not really about tinsel and bulbs...But it is still beautiful and magical to have them!

16th December: A Study of Decorations!

 1: This is one of a set of wax decorations which were handmade for us by our very dear friends in Germany.

2: Merry Christmas from Urquhart Castle! This was one which Ginny and I picked up when we did the NC500 in 2022.
3: We have lived in many places over the years, and having Lincoln as your Cathedral town is quite special. I always remember looking to see if I could spot the cathedral from the top of a hill near Brigg.
4: Clemency won this bauble in a raffle many years ago. It inspired her to have a go at making her own decorations like it.
5: There are many knitted ornaments on our trees. Most of them were made by one of Mum's schoolfriends who moved to Canada many years ago. She sadly died in 2022 so they are quite poignant now.
6: Mr Frosty! Whenever we used to play "I-Spy" with the tree ornaments, there would always be one, "Something beginning with 'p'" - which would be his pipe!
7: This one is a little book with a story about Santa losing his hat, only to find that a family of mice have made their home in it. It was bought for Clemency when she was a baby.
8: And speaking of babies... this one is from the youngest of the next generation! We shared Elowen's first Christmas with her so bought this one to celebrate.
9: We had the same privilege with her big sister three years earlier, and bought this gorgeous little pair of shoes to commemorate the experience. Inside is a rolled up piece of paper noting its significance!
10: A little robin peeking out from the branches. When Lydia was younger, she had a boyfriend who was terrified of these robins, so we always used to make sure they were positioned to stare at him! I always think of him when I see them.
11: A bauble from Blarney Castle. Its identical predecessor was brought back from Ireland by Holly and Andrew, but fell victim to the Great Tree Disaster of 2017. We sent off for a replacement, which is now on our tree.
12: This hat was once part of another decoration. Now, I put it up on the tree and call it The Grinch because it always looks like it's got a green face.
13: The reason for the season! Our new bauble on the big tree this year, courtesy of Mum.
14: Recognise this? There's no place like home!
15: Hosting a Christingle is such a wonderfully happy moment. These were left over from a Christingle service in 2018, and Mum wrote prayers and thoughtful quotes on them. There are quite a few of them, but they add a really deep meaning to the tree.
16: An unwritten law states that I must be the one to put the Mr Men baubles on the tree! They are always the first ones I make a beeline for, so are usually the first things to go up!

15th December: Decorating Day Mark 2

1 - Never underestimate the beauty around a Christmas tree, be it above...
2 - ...Reflected...
3 - ...or under!
4 - The bonus of real trees, is that they give you extra bits!

5 - A gorgeous door wreath which Mummy tweaked to make perfect!
6 - I had to go outside in the dark to double-check the tree looked awesome from the outside, too!
7 - I always try to be up first the day after the trees have gone up. It's truly magical.
8 - Studying the wax spillages on the Advent candle is a fascinating topic!
9 - Cold ribs is always part of breakfast on Post-Decorating Day!
10 - A glass of sherry is both festive and merry!
11 - Collecting greenery in the daylight is tricky when the sun sets at 15:20!!
12 - Clemency arranges it and Judith puts it up!
13 - The lanterns are a staple part of decorating. They've been with us for a couple of decades, now!
14 - So many memories! Tonight's viewing was The Snowman - a classic!
15 - One of the necessary jobs... untaffling a year's worth of storage from the garlands!