Icing for Joy!

Just finished icing the cake. I am not very good at smooth finishes and fancy piping etc, so I usually cheat and buy ready made decorations. This year I got some from Lakeland when we were in Windermere at half term. They cost rather a lot, so I think they will have to come out every year from now on!

The plate was a Charity Shop find - only £1, and the ribbon was very cheap in IKEA. The wording is just on a piece of card, I did it with a rubber stamp which I have had for years.

When the children were younger, we usually put a candle on the Christmas Cake - well, it is Jesus' birthday!

I think these figures are really sweet.they are made of some sort of resin [so not edible!] Mary looks remarkably cheerful for someone who has just been in labour, don't you think?

I had a friend in London who used to save one of the best blooms from her passion flower plant every summer. She stored it in a Tupperware box in her freezer, then got it out on Christmas Day to place on the top of her Christmas Cake [which was just iced with plain white Royal Icing]

It looked beautiful - and was a reminder that Jesus was born to die. [Full details of passion flower here!]

Bob just got back from Worship Group Practice at Church - everybody is really busy, what with David Coffey's visit, Kirby Fried Church [our monthly youth church event] and the Christmas Family Service Production. I have absolutely no musical gifts whatsoever, so this is something I am not involved in at all [apart from sewing angel costumes!]

What kind of word is this?

According to the BBC ...

"Former cabinet minister Peter Hain will not face charges for the late declaration of £103,000 of donations to his Labour deputy leadership bid."

I do not really know anything about this,so will not comment on the case [but why is he always that alarming orange colour? is he related to David Dickinson the Antique Guy?]

What disturbed me was the report on the radio about the donations, and Mr Hain being called "The Donee". I am happy with a 'donation' given by a 'donor' - but I really think that the recipient should not be called a 'donee'  It is a very ugly word. Sadly it is listed in my COD.

Somehow it feels as if it should be connected etymologically to my one of my favourite yellow coloured people and his donut!

Being a pedant, I only spell donut thus when connected to Dunkin' or Homer.

Otherwise I insist on the strictly British doughnut

Without Conservatives!

Liz gave me a present last weekend.

Knowing my fascination with Continental Food Packets, she brought back this Dr Oetker product from a supermarket in Paris.

You add the sachet to 500ml of boiling milk, stir for 2 minutes then leave to set in the fridge for 2 hours.

That filled 6 ramekins, so we have had the same dessert every day since Wednesday! The first two ramekins I added some sliced banana, the next two I served with a spoonful of plain yogurt and some cocoa powder sprinkled over, the last two I served with some Speculoos biscuits [another Aldi bargain] Being half-Belgian, Bob loves these, so it was an early Christmas treat.

The cocoa looked quite artistic in the kitchen - by the time I served it, it had soaked into the yogurt and looked rather strange. It tasted OK though - very good chocolate flavour.

Maybe next time I should pour it into one large fluted mould and see if I can get it to turn out like the picture on the packet. According to my online translator, "Flan Entremets" means Dessert Flan. According to Bob "It is just chocolate blancmange" !

The online translator also says "Sans Conservateur" is "Without Conservatives" - was this a political statement on Liz's part?

Better Light a Candle than Curse the Darkness!

Aldi were selling off Halloween Candles -for only 19p. I do not DO Halloween, but a pillar candle for that price seemed too good to miss.

I carefully scraped off the skeleton and bizarre tree

         

There was a free pack of "table confetti" in my Christmas kitchen roll, so I stuck it round the candle, and ended up with this...

 

 

Which is much prettier and more Christmassy.

I am not quite sure what will happen if I actually light the candle! Will I end up with a heap of waxy stars? I shall stand the candle on an old CD to catch the drips and add to the reflective qualities. All for 19p!!

 

The Williamson family have included this Howard Thurman poem on their blog this week [He was black Baptist minister in the USA, spiritual adviser to Martin Luther King]

The Work of Christmas

When the song of the angel is still,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their sheep,
The work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among people,
to make music in the heart.

Before and After

One of my neighbours commented that I was late getting my tree decorated this year, and I am usually the first in the Close to do so. They have their outside lights up across the road, and another neighbour has a small tree with lights in their front garden. I said I had been rather busy what with church life, school and a trip to London. But Wednesday - when I could not go out as the car was being serviced - I bit the bullet and began the task. First a mammoth tidy up of the house. It certainly needed it!

So that's the BEFORE shots. Here are the after pictures...

The stockings were made back in about 1988 - the spice-star came from Liz's trip to the German Christmas market last year.

 

This is my beautiful Demdaco Nativity set which Bob gave me a few years back.

 

 

I re-arrange my other figures to go alongside it.

 

These figures are great and the range is stunning.

 

Our tree is ancient- must be about twenty years old now - but at least it fits beautifully on the table! It positively drips with a vast accumulation of thirty years worth of ornaments - some handmade, some gifts, and some which are our holiday purchases - so each year we are reminded of friends and family, and faraway places.

 

The angel on the top I made back in 1986, with a little help from a very young Liz.

She's getting a bit thin on top, but I love her anyway.{the angel, not Liz]

The newest ornament is a Celtic Eagle, based on a design from the Book of Kells, we purchased him in Trinity College Dublin in August.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Star was from our silver wedding trip to the USA in 2004, and Pinocchio came from a trip to Florence in the same year.

 

This angel came in kit form from a trip to Scotland in 2000.

That was the first camping holiday Bob and I spent together.

And it rained unstopppably that summer too.

[Will we never learn?]

 

 

Even though the girls have grown- up and left home, I still hang the Advent Calendar each year - but no longer fill the pockets with little gifts.

The tradition used to be that each day they took it in turns to find two things in the pocket - a gift and a bible verse.By the 24th, we had the Christmas story stuck up on the wall alongside - and they each had 12 tiny gifts. I would collect these all year, so they were mostly "freebies" [IKEA pencils, giveaway balloons etc]

I admit that I do go overboard with decorations - but Christmas is such a wonderful time to celebrate. It is the birth of our Saviour.

I did NOT take any photographs of Harrods Christmas windows on Monday. They were all based on "007 and the Quantum of Solace". Can anyone explain to me how you reconcile James Bond and a film about death and revenge with the truth of the Birth of The Prince of Peace, God's gift of eternal life, forgiveness and unending love??? I think Mr Al Fayed has lost the plot there.

Oh, and another rant- "Nigella Christmas" what's that all about? she is Jewish after all. What next - "Delia Diwali" and "Ramsey Ramadan"???!!!

Peace and Joy to you all!

 

Here's One I Made Earlier...

It may be freezing cold here- but it looks very warm in Peru. Here is a picture of Samuel Williamson and sister Jessica holding up the birthday banner we sent him last month.

Isn't that a fabulous looking cactus behind them! Speaking of trees and things, here is the Jesse Tree which we used at Housegroup last night [the idea from the David Coffey Advent book]

We took it in turns to talk about the image on each disc, and then fixed them with blu-tac them onto the Christmas Tree shape I had pre-drawn on the flipchart.

It seemed to work well - although we did struggle with one or two discs - the notes from the website I had used to download the images said that a scallop shell was traditionally the symbol for pilgrimage and baptism,so represented John The Baptist. We were not altogether sure about that idea!

I was really encouraged by how well people knew their bible stories, and were able too to link the Old Testament stuff with the coming of the Messiah.

I need to finish decorating my own Christmas Tree now - I've just returned from the church where the Sewing Group have put the big tree and the crib in the vestibule.

Here is the Nativity Scene which I put in the newsagents on Saturday morning. Marie said they have already had a number of positive comments about it, which is very encouraging. I must return to the baubles downstairs!

Book at Bedtime

Just been tagged by Left-Handed Housewife with a very bizarre meme.

The rules:
Grab the book nearest you, turn to page 56 and go to the fifth sentence, typing that sentence and a few others around it.

Well, the nearest book to me is this one - it is the journal of my 2006 holiday in France, which I self-published on Lulu as a gift for Bob.

This book is nearest because I have just finished sorting out the journal from this year's trip to Ireland. Only I've used Blurb this time round because it was cheaper. This year's is entitled "Grace and a broken bra strap" [see sidebar for more details]

I ought to explain the titles- the first one referred to the minimal amount of personal luggage allowed when riding pillion and taking a tent on the motorbike. The second title alludes to the SatNav system and the piece of rubber which holds it in place. I think Bob is worried that the titles are getting more and more risque, and I might be up for a Bad Sex Writing Award soon!!

To prove the books are suitable for all ages, here is the required passage from page 56.

We passed through a number of villages, all seemed very sleepy, and all the shops were closed. It was Sunday morning - we heard church bells summoning the faithful to Mass. Sunday morning is when I always get most homesick - remembering that if I was home, I'd be enjoying worship with all my friends. Wondered how Steph was getting on with her Sunday School class. Then remembered she was an hour behind us, so would probably be still on the bus on her way to church!

There is absolutely no likelihood of this book winning any awards - as far as I know, there are only five copies in print - and it really is of very little interest to anyone else!!

I have to tag some people now, so I tag Julie, Beverley, and Monica.

All of whom are bound to be reading much more spiritual, deeply erudite books judging by their blogs. I look forward to seeing what they are reading.

Iconoclast or Iconophile?

I left home Sunday afternoon for a twenty four hour trip to London - firstly to deliver flowers to Auntie Peggy. I managed what M&S couldn't! Then onto Liz & Jon with a futon. We put the futon together - and then I went to sleep.

 

Up early this morning to prepare for Tuesday's Housegroup. We are using David Coffey's Advent book - which I would recommend to anyone. However I discovered I needed to prepare a Jesse Tree. I followed the websites listed - but then discovered this one which has some great images I can download and use.

I was a little confused by some of the Jesse Tree information on the internet - the implication being that many Christians [particularly Roman Catholics] now use a Jesse Tree because Christmas Trees are pagan things. I always thought they started off with St Boniface. According to tradition, when he chopped down the pagan Thor's Oak at Geismar, Boniface [born in Devon] claimed a tiny fir tree growing in its roots as the new Christian symbol. He told the heathen tribes:
- "This humble tree's wood is used to build your homes: let Christ be at the centre of your households.
- Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light.
- Its boughs reach out to embrace and its top points to heaven: let Christ be your comfort and your guide."
So the fir tree became a sign of Christ amongst the German peoples, and eventually it became a world-wide symbol of Christmas.

So this year we shall have both Jesse Tree and Evergreen! The latter will be beautifully decorated with the accumulated ornaments of the last thirty years - the former with laminated cut-outs!

Round about 10am,Liz and I set off for the Royal Academy.

This plaque is round the corner from her place. We are a family of geeks and nerds!

The bus ride was fun - so many of the streets and shops are already decorated ready for Christmas

Opposite the RA is Fortnum and Mason

Fortnum and Mason's window was full of mouthwatering goodies

- but most of them way too expensive for my pocket. And the less exotic foodstuffs [Marmite, Heinz ketchup etc] seemed to be considerably more expensive than the same items in Sainsburys!

 

 

Their fabulous cake counter had Scrabble tiles on top.

F&M Christmas Windows - based on "The Snow Queen"

You can see the Royal academy reflected in the window- that was where Liz and I went to see the Byzantium exhibition. Mindblowing!

Are you an iconophile or an iconoclast?

I cannot begin to describe the beauty of these artefacts - wonderful use of colour, intricate craftsmanship, fabulous embroidery, shining niello work, micro-,mosaics,glowing illuminated books - all done for the greater glory of God. I felt slightly guilty about my plans to dash home and shove some hastily printed sheets through a laminator!

Maybe if I sat up all night I could embroider a couple of dozen ornaments to hang on the Jesse Tree!

Sanity prevailed, and I realised that time was limited. I would have to produce great masterpieces at some other time.

Pondered a lot on the idea of icons and imagery - and when do these things provide inspiration - and when do they produce idolatry?

On balance a set of laminated pictures would be better for Housegroup - the last thing I want is for people to spend the evening admiring my stitchery.

We walked on to Hyde Park for the Winter Wonderland German Christmas Market - wish I could skate!

This guy was selling reindeer hides. I wondered if he was related to Sarah Palin.

Liz and I were not really too taken with nay of the eating places on offer. The poor roast pig looked really miserable!

 

These wooden ornaments were so intricately made.

Here's Liz - the sun in her eyes - enjoying some mulled cherry wine.

My photo makes her look slightly squiffy, She wasn't -honestly!

A fabulous display of little tin toys - but when I saw the prices, i resisted the urge to buy Bob a model motorbike.

 

  The Haunted Mansion was HUGE, with bizarre sections in luminous green paint.

There were lots of rides and things in the Market, including a lovely helter-skelter, a big wheel, a roller coaster and smaller carousel type rides.

We resisted the urge to go on anything else, and strolled through the park to Knightsbridge to look for some lunch.

I had just put my camera away when we saw a tourist feeding a grey squirrel. "Not a good idea" said Liz - the woman stopped giving him crumbs and walked away, then screamed as the creature actually ran up her trouser leg!

We were walking past a hotel in Knightsbridge when a guy in an amazing check suit got out of a taxi. "That man is wearing Mr Toad's Outfit" declared Liz.

Here is a picture of the costume I made for the school production last summer.

And below it is a picture of the man we saw this afternoon in Knightsbridge.

[Liz hid behind a pillar when I got my camera out - I think she was embarrassed!]

 

Check out his amazing 'correspondent' shoes!! Rumour has it this shoe was originally invented for playing cricket! The darker areas were considered to be the ones that were most strained during the sport. Bryan Johnston the cricket commentator was certainly very fond of them.

We walked on to EAT and had healthy salads for lunch, then looked at Harrods Christmas Decorations.

Liz bought a cute little feather wreath for her tree, which has a very avian theme [apart from the wonderful wooden moose!] with owls, doves and other birds on it. Monty the cat is quite fascinated.

We got buses back to Elephant'n'Castle, then I drove home - reaching Leicester at 7pm.

All in all a very satisfying trip. Lovely to see family members, and fun to see the sights of London. Bob seems to have had a busy and productive time in my absence- and had got a super meal ready for my return.

Spent the evening printing out stuff for the Jesse Tree, then laminated and trimmed all the shapes whilst watching 'Spooks'. [I do enjoy that programme, but I wish they wouldn't keep killing off significant characters!!]

And now I am going to bed, in order to get rested for tomorrow.