My Mum and niece Sophie 

This bird watched us through the plate glass windows all the way through lunch even though he had already had food! I felt he was monitoring every mouthful I took!  

Festive table! 

Family get together

We had a lovely lunch and the food was fantastic but I was told strictly no photographs. So I have no photos to show except for the few I snuck in! My sister has a phobia about photographs being taken so I had to be discreet! We had a great time with lots of laughs and our team lost at Trivial Pursuit but then we were against the youngsters and their knowledge of events and modern music is far superior to mine or any of the others on my team. But it was a good laugh. Now I'm going back to reading the Da Vinci Code which was hard to put down. I shall be lost for the evening. And isn't it lovely...another holiday tomorrow in lieu of the fact that Christmas Day was on a Sunday. So all in all a three day holiday! Martin is off until Thursday and I don't go back to work until Tuesday week and by the time that comes round I'll have forgotten what work is like! Plenty of time in between to work on my New Year's plans.

Lovely, lovely pens and inks! These are double ended with a fine tip one end and a blunt tip the other! Also some fine tip markers loose and marking templates for spirals.  

Books to keep me occupied plus I have the Da Vinci Code to read from Martin.  

The pie ready to go in the oven. I forgot to take a picture of it cooked but it looked fantastic! Take my word for it!  

Boxing Day

Today is Boxing Day! Boxing Day is a centuries old holiday going back to the early Middle Ages when servants had to work over Christmas but were given the next day off plus a box of goodies from their master,hence the name. It was also the day that alms were distributed to the poor. Also known as the Feast of St Stephen (remember Good King Wenceleslas?). That carol is always associated with snowy weather but today it is a lovely crisp sunny day. A good day for a walk on the beach! After the exertions of yesterday we (Martin, I and Mum) are going over to my sisters for lunch. There will be eight of us as the niece and nephews are all home and a good time will be had by all. My sister is a fantastic cook and she does this Christmas thing so well with all the decorations and the tree etc. So I'm really looking forward to a very relaxing afternoon.

Yesterday was quiet. The meal went very well with everything being cooked and ready on time. I don't do the traditional turkey dinner. We had a chicken,leek and cheese pie with roast potatoes, bread sauce, roast parsnips, the ubiquitous sprouts, carrots, brocolli and gravy. Followed by Christmas pudding and cream or creme anglais, plus trifle. And then cheese and biscuits with coffee. I was stuffed as we don't normally eat on this scale. And then during the present giving we were snacking on chocolates and fruit cake. I'm amazed I can still get into my jeans!

Everyone was so generous. My booty was considerable! Martin gave me an MP3 player which for a while almost had me laid out as the instruction booklet was totally useless. No pictures and no clear step by step instructions. However between us we eventually worked out how to use it and I am wearing it now and listening to my favourite tracks. Also loads of quilty things and drawing stuff! Plus perfume and smellies, and joy of joys for Martin and me both, a superb knife set! Martin suggested going down to Swanpool beach, tying me to a wooden door and he'd practise his knife throwing. He even suggested making money out of it by offering me up to passers by at £5 a throw! Nah, I didn't think this was quite the way I wanted to spend my Christmas so declined gracefully! But he can use them in the kitchen; I won't stop him from chopping meat and veg! Grin.

I have to go and change as we'll be leaving soon. Depending on what time we get back I might post some more photos later of the dinner.

I don't know how much time I'll get to blog over the next few days. But I'll be taking lots of pictures. I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you through your blogs. Keep up the good work! May I wish everyone an extremely WONDERFUL TIME! ENJOY! 

I made this when I was a teenager! I'm amazed I still have it, but I was obviously into layering and slashing even then!  

Crazy quilted chatelaine.  

Picture of the day. Twisted silk ribbon flowers on a notebook cover.  

Sad!

Into each life some rain must fall. Today is a sad day as my Bon Jovi video clip has dropped off the bottom of my blog! No more 'Have a Nice Day' when you open it! Just as well I bought the CD or I might get withdrawal symptoms. Now do I put another one on? Hmmm!

Button saga continued!

Well thanks to Gabrielle I was able to post some buttons in my links. And I think I have finally cracked making a button. I certainly hope so as this was more brain work than I really intended at this early hour!

I give up!

I give up! Not only can I not make my own button but neither can I add other people's buttons to my sidebar! I am obviously not firing on all cylinders tonight. Its been a long day but the worrying thing is - will it be any better tomorrow? So unless there is a kind soul out there who will give me step by step instructions I rather feel I shall remain buttonless all round.

Button, button! Who's got the button?

Well not me! I want a button. Everyone is gettting a button so that people can link to their blog and I want one so that people can link to mine but it is proving beyond me to work out how to do it. The brain is rapidly becoming mashed sprouts! I need help like yesterday! Heeeeelp!

Liz at Dreaming Spirals has the best tutorial on making concertina books. I used to make these with my students to use as design notebooks for C & G work. And as well we used to make them in a very simple fashion just end to end so that a design series could be either read like a normal book or opened out to be a long banner profiling the design process. And it was while looking at the lovely little books she had made that I saw the button! Which made me want one too! I must go round collecting buttons to put on my site. Perhaps while doing that I will actually work out how to get one of my own. Well I can hope can't I? Remember hope springs eternal!

During my major clean up of the house in preparation for Christmas I came across a whole pile of hand made paper. Lots of lovely different colours and textures. Some with flower petals inserted into the paper, and others with lavender seeds which give the sheets of paper a truly delicious smell. Martin says that the paper looks as if its covered with rats droppings but then the man has no soul! Grin On my website I've got a recipe for making hand made paper. It is such an easy thing to do and is ideal for making journals and notebooks. Also good for using with Bondawebbed flowers. Tomorrow I have to find homes for all the piles of stuff I have removed from the top of chairs and tables. That is the downside of clearing up - the stuff removed has to go back to where it originally came from and often that place no longer exists. Oh woe is me!

Wired ribbon flowers. I have just found in my clearing up an enormous box of wired ribbon so will have to think of things to use it up in 2006!  

Page from my sketchbook. I did this some time ago but in 2006 I want to do something with dragons!  

More dragon ideas!