20th Dec - Nostalgia week for Lucky Snapping 2013

Having shown you a little in my last post about Christmas and talked about my famous 'Delia' roulade where I have been known to make at least 6 for family and friends yearly (yes one got made last week for Jo's birthday and family Christmas meal but the only one this year!!)

I am going to talk about Christmas' past and cheat and use my Journal Your Christmas albums that I have done in past years. I have photographed some pictures off the pages!

I told you in the last post about Christmas in Austria. Found these photos in my JYC album from Austria

so now I will reminisce about past Christmas'

Childhood Christmas'
There were no Christmas photos when I was a child. Every year my parents and I travelled  from the south coast toYorkshire to stay with my Nana and Auntie for the Christmas holidays (my Dad was a teacher)  I remember a trunk with clothes and presents being sent in advance as we travelled by train, we didn't have a car in the 50's. There would be several family parties with huge high suppers and then lots of games and laughter as all the cousins and Uncles and Aunties met for these gatherings  (I suppose this was our annual holiday!!)
Christmas in 1979
The saddest Christmas was 1978. I had become a single parent and it was the first Christmas on my own with two young children. Both my parents were dead and I was an only child no other relations. I felt that I needed to make Christmas as special as possible for the children.

Thinking back over Christmases of the past I think my best and most memorable times for me have always been when I was a child and then when my children were younger or when family members were all together
Here are 2 occasions

Tom on the L was about 6 yrs (he is now 18yrs!) we had also had the parents of my DIL (DearD is no longer alive) and Mark too. Jo lived in Ashford that year

Here the boys are older and we also had Jo,Amie and Lewis with DIL in the photo I think about 8 yrs ago.
This page from a JYC says "Our Christmas Traditions are now changing. We are having to adapt to our Children's own new traditions."

• Decorations and Lights are put up earlier in Dec since I retired
• DIL has introduced Santa's sack and Table presents
• Some of the family have no presents under the tree before Christmas morning cos of young children
• Some of the family do not open presents until after lunch :(  My tradition was to open them in dressing gowns whilst eating warm buttered toast in front of a roaring fire

This page had some interesting thoughts for us all!

And now a bit of nostalgia over my Christmas music I play in the kitchen while prepping Christmas foods (though not this year!!) I am missing all the cooking I usually do!!

This was my page for Dec 21st We always visit Battle as it is Peter's son's birthday. We will be going tomorrow!

 Who remembers the Smurfs? Cannot play this cassette any more :(

Some of my favourite songs

Thank you Kathi for doing this nostalgia week's challenge each month. I would like to think that the blogging this year will be a diary for future family to read and keep. Who knows!!

Now I am off to finish off my challenge for Christmas week!!

15th December - Part 2 - SILVER LINING week - G..... for.... GO FOR IT!!

This week in our final month is Ann's challenge and the last letter in our Silver Lining let's reflect  is G - Go for it!
She asks us to blog about our Christmas. Take photos of preparations during Advent, tell what we are doing towards the big day or about Christmas past.

Well this week has been very busy as we started the week with my step daughter's birthday so we had most of the family for a Christmas dinner since Peter and I will be way for Christmas this year. No photos taken of the family around the table but here are the 2 tables laid for the meal.!!

 Here is Jo opening her presents

Yesterday I went to a wreath making class in the morning, a birthday present from Perdita here is the wreath I made. The only problem is it keeps falling off the PVC door!!

In the evening we had a meal for my friend Carol who was home for the weekend

 Here she is with her partner Dave

As we are away we haven't got many decorations or lights up but I did decorate a little wooden tree

 and got out all our welcome lights, we have one in the bedroom, one in the hall, one in the kitchen and in the lounge too!

All our presents have been wrapped and delivered to the families and cards written and sent so sadly no photo opportunities to record these this year!

My advent candle is still be burnt each day!

 These presents are waiting to be delivered to a CA.P (Christians Against Poverty) family at the end of next week. Each housegroup in our church were given a family and had to spend no more than £10 per person in that family. This is our pile of presents for a single Mum with 3 young children

 Well what are we up to? We are off for 4 nights to a hotel with Saga, full board and a  themed musical entertainment!

The last time we went away for Christmas was in 1998 when we flew to Salzburg, Austria to stay a week with some aquaintances that had stayed with us previous years. Austrians celebrate their Christmas on Christmas Eve and return to work on our Boxing day so we travelled on Christmas day.  Peter had his unexpected present on the plane! He was allowed to go into the cockpit (you were in those days before 9/11) during the flight and was allowed to stay and sit between the 2 pilots as they landed the plane on a snowy runway!
Then our unexpected 'adventure' began! We arrived to find we would not be staying with these friends but ended up being put up in an empty guesthouse in a small dimly lit bedroom with a shower in the corner of the bedroom and toilet down a long corridor. We were invited twice for a meal at their house but had to find public transport and eat all our meals including breakfast out!
I am sure this won't happen this year!!

15th December - Part 1 - Scrapping that I have done this Nov/Dec

I really don't scrap as much as I use to! I have the time but seem to have lost the 'mojo'  Hopefully in 2014 this might return???

Anyway thought you should see some finished Lo's from the last crop I went to last Sun
This was from Anita's class in Nov, A holiday page when we took the rail trip from Zermatt to the Matterhorn in Oct. I still have to journal it!

 I bought a kit from another of Anita's classes as I loved the papers and started and finished this last Sun

This is another holiday LO which is for UKS Weekly challenge which my Crumblies group have set for next week, we go 'live' tomorrow!

The last scrapping class was last Thursday when we had a framed house to decorate

 This is almost the finished result, for my step daughter Jo, the photo is of her 2 children

Other things I did this week was collect Peter from fishing last Sunday when I had finished at my crop

Sadly no fish were caught!!
And I will finish with the sky last Thursday as Peter drove us home at 3.30pm

Now off to do this week's Reflect challenge before Sunday finishes!

4th December- Last view for Lucky Snapping challenge 2013

Well I managed 11 months of views October I seem to have missed and took a different view of Eastbourne marina!

December

                                      

November

September

Sept again after the haircut

August

July

June

May

April (it says March!!)

March

February

January

Interesting to see all the changes, Thank you Jenni for setting this challenge for the year xxxx

1st December, the first day of Advent

I  meant to blog everyday but the last 2 days sort of disappeared!!

We have also heard of the deaths of 2 people we knew really well yesterday and then the Glasgowdisaster too.....today so I haven't learnt but know you should live every moment of your life what ever age!

I read yesterday I found out something else I didn't know! Dec 13th is Christmas Jumper day  http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/2013-11/make-world-better-sweater Need to find my Christmas Jumper!!

So what has happened in our world. Peter's choir went singing for our local Hospice, this house lights were turned on  Fri..not very good photos :(

and tonight I am burning our advent candle and last year learned to watch is burn each day, last year on day one it burnt to day 13!! As you can see this was  Fairtrade candle I ordered and bought, I didn't realise how big it would be!!

Thank you all of you for blogging my challenge this week, cannot believe that we finally finish this challenge this month!!

28th November - What did I learn? - Christmas Tree Napkin Fold

Isn't the internet a marvellous tool for learning! Both Anne, Helen and I have learnt something new this week on it.
Yesterday I had a PJ day until teatime. It isn't often I do that but it was lovely! So what did I do in my PJ's all day, well I looked at lots of craft sites and learnt some new things. This was one of them!



I also learnt how to remove a camera card that got stuck in my computer...with a long pointy tool and the strong v thin red double sided tape, put into the slot and then remove the pointy tool and hey presto out came the tape and card as well

I also made 2 V pillow cases to match our new bed linen out of a single sheet and tackled some of the ironing, more to do today!!

27th November - What I learnt today

Wednesday is supposed to be a day for Peter and I.  Sadly this hasn't happened for a while. Today he has gone fishing with a friend and I have wasted the morning on the laptop!!

So, the first thing I know not learnt is that having the computer on in the same room wastes time!!
BUT
I have found an owl remote control pattern  http://diycozyhome.com/tv-remote-owl-pillow-pattern/
Aren't they cute?

and learnt how to make it by printing off the instructions, http://www.dimplicity.com/2013/07/owl-remote-caddy-tutorial-pattern.html ....now I need the material and time to make it.

Can I also ask any of you in the UK if you would vote for our local Hospice today

who has a chance through a phone vote to win £50,000. Voting is between 9am and midnight tonight. You can make up to 10 calls on landline or mobile, or both :) The phone no is 08716268866 Hope you didn't mind me asking, maybe your extra vote will help them win :)
You can find their page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stmichaelshospice
or http://www.peoplesmillions.org.uk/2013-finalists/meridian-east

Must turn this machine off now and do the ironing first!!

26th November - Last night I found out...

After blogging last night I went to Google as I had several times during the day  but never saw the ribbon. I suddenly saw a white ribbon.

On clicking on it it told me it was International Day for remembering violence against women and children
I should have known that  my lovely D step D was in a very abused relationship and spent several months in a refuge!   but sadly we didn't know before hand :(

Thank goodness for Claire's Law which is spreading everywhere in the UK

Here they are 12 yrs on. Jo left her home when the 2 children were aged 2 and 5 years

• 25 NOVEMBER, 2013 http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/
  On International Day, UN urges renewed efforts to end violence against women, girls
• Isn't it great to learn new things :) 
• 
  

25th November - My Lucky Snapping Quote challenge week

This week it is my quote week and the subject is LEARNING. I have 2 quotes

1. "Anyone who keeps learning stays young" ~ Henry Ford
2. You cannot open a book without learning something" ~ Confucious

I have asked everyone to blog each day with what they learnt and if possible a photo too!!

Today I saw a post from Kathi on Facebook and learned something new today!

There is a new film called Gravity 3D starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. I want to go and see this!! I have never seen a 3D film yet!