Happy, happy Christmas to all of you my friends on this Christmas eve.

This Christmas eve I wish you a lovely hot bubble bath,Some peaceful time with your most treasured books,The best carols and brightest candles to light up the night,And most importantly, I wish you a heart full of happy, rich, magical moments with family and friends, as well as a warm, full belly on Christmas day.Happy Christmas and much love to all of you, those I know and those who stop by, you're all cared about and I think of you all as my friends :)

At Catherine's

It’s been a blustery night last night and the wind rattled my little bedroom window so much that I closed it in the middle of the night.I wonder how similar the West Coast wind storms are to Oxfordshire wind storms. How one blows off the Pacific and slams into the mountains and the other howls across a gently rolling country.Without a moon it’s so dark here in the country.Last Wednesday I was at Catherine’s cozy, warm cottage waiting for her to come home. The dark arrived too soon but the cottage is so warm and cozy and the fairy lights glow with most welcoming twinkle.I took a few photos so you can see how lovely and Bohemian her home is. It’s loveliest in these dark wintery days, I think.There are floppy pillows and lush fabrics and purring cats, hot tea and stones and crystals and a beautiful view onto fields and the chalk downs beyond.That was last week, and tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It all seems too soon!

Here we come a-wassailing

Here we come a-wassailingAmong the leaves so green;Here we come a-wand'ringSo fair to be seen.Love and joy come to you,And to you your wassail too;And God bless you and send you a Happy New YearAnd God send you a Happy New Year.Off we marched Gill, Billy, Becky, Luke, Jamie, Steph and me down the road to the heart of the village and we gathered at Hankey’s snug little cottage by their open coal fire in the kitchen. Julie had spicy mulled wine and mincemeat tarts just out of the oven. Perfect to warm us up for the night’s adventure. We sang a rousing version of Deck the Halls and we were ready.Our wassail cup is madeOf the rosemary tree,And so is your beerOf the best barley.Love and joy come to you,And to you your wassail too;And God bless you and send you a Happy New YearAnd God send you a Happy New Year.We were about twenty of us, our merry band of carolers, and off we went from door to door spreading cheer.We are not daily beggarsThat beg from door to door;But we are neighbours' children,Whom you have seen before.Love and joy come to you,And to you your wassail too;And God bless you and send you a Happy New YearAnd God send you a Happy New Year.Carrying lanterns, torches and song sheets, we trudged thru the lanes and puddles, opened gates and marched down driveways making our way around the village.Call up the butler of this house,Put on his golden ring.Let him bring us up a glass of beer,And better we shall sing.Love and joy come to you,And to you your wassail too;And God bless you and send you a Happy New YearAnd God send you a Happy New Year.Everyone welcomed us and some sang along. A little tart here, a chocolate there, we were well set. Little Steph presented our charity pot to each homeowner and the change started to clink and jingle.We have got a little purseOf stretching leather skin;We want a little of your moneyTo line it well within.Love and joy come to you,And to you your wassail too;And God bless you and send you a Happy New YearAnd God send you a Happy New Year.We sang requests, we sang what we wanted, and we left each home singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas.Bring us out a tableAnd spread it with a cloth;Bring us out a mouldy cheese,And some of your Christmas loaf.Love and joy come to you,And to you your wassail too;And God bless you and send you a Happy New YearAnd God send you a Happy New Year.We ended up at Elizabeth and Michael’s Ferryman’s Farm for a rest and more yummies.God bless the master of this houseLikewise the mistress too,And all the little childrenThat round the table go.Love and joy come to you,And to you your wassail too;And God bless you and send you a Happy New YearAnd God send you a Happy New Year.And much figgy pudding and good cheer. :) Thought about, written and photographed for Northmoor but also for the Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge, Surprise

A little story: Theo and the red-tailed kites

You all probably know my sweet British cat Theo by now.But you may not know that last week he gave us a bit of a scare. He developed a block in his intestines and we rushed him to his vet for treatment.Yesterday we took him back to the vet for a follow up check-up and he got the all clear stamp of approval.This is the look he gave me as soon as he got let out of the cat basket back at home. (I think he gave me the middle claw on his way out of the door)Later I was watching some red-tailed kites circling West Cottage and Park Farm. Graham the butcher usually leaves them meat scraps on the ground behind his unit. These kites are amazing, huge birds of prey. Their wingspan can be up to six ft! They circled and circled and screeched and circled...I went out to have a look.Sneaking around the corner, what did I see?Theo! Sitting right beside the meat scraps muttering, “here birdie, birdie, birdie” under his breath.Oh Theo!All back to normal then.          I called him away.The vet asked us how long we've had Theo and I said "three years". Then I thought, three years? Really?So today I'm linking for TALU to one of the first posts about Theo. Hope you like it.

Christmas round here...are you ready? Let's do this!

Now let’s go.First thing: drink lots of water, this is heavy work!Clean up the studio. You know you want to. And then maybe hang a little golden snowflake from your brushes so your precious tools feel the Christmas spirit.Been shopping at the castles and palaces? Me too! Better put the prezzies in a safe spot where they won’t be discovered by little elves.Now gather the troops.The squirrels will help with the mantle.The bears can hang the stockings.And the mice can display the Christmas cards.All the hedgerow berries need are some little festive touches.And now! All attention on the tree.Off you go now and make it all lovely and shiny.

Early evening at Sudeley Castle

Drove to Sudeley Castle this Sunday because it was the last the castle would be open until next March, and so my last chance to visit the beautiful castle and grounds for the year.It’s such a beautiful drive across the Cotswold hills that lunch at Sudeley didn’t happen before 2pm and that meant that after lunch it was almost sunset for this short winter day.Actually, for me, that was the best thing in the world. Those romantic ruins are at their best at sunset with the golden stone and long shadows.Other lovely things which happened at Sudeley:Lunch was fantastic. I asked for my cup of tea with milk and the milk curdled in the hot tea. The lovely Lizzie brought me a fresh cup and a fresh pot and found me some lemon slices.Molly brought me my entre; monkfish and prawns in a green curry with sticky rice. She was also lovely and friendly and had the most fantastic sparkly, festive jewellery and I loved her red nail polish with gold flecks. (Note to self: get some red nail polish with gold flecks)I met Nick from British Bespoke Auctions and asked him about my always ring. He had a look and said it’s 1930’s 22K gold, made in Sheffield, sold in London. Nice to know something about my precious ring.And in the little shop set up in the stables, I bought a couple of tiny but heavy pottery vases, a bar of the most exquisite, handmade chocolate and a sachet of mineral bath salts for the lovely deep soaking tub here at West Cottage.This was such a lovely Sunday.

A silver morning in the meadow

Ran out yesterday morning before tea! I know, unheard of...but then look at what I found. The meadow, fields, pines and hedgerows have been touched by Jack Frost. Everything has taken on a lovely, spiky malevolence.I love it.I do! :)

A soft December walk

Walking thru the gate into the fields this December afternoon into a soft and misty world.Above me, a pigeon takes flight. Then five, then fifty.The trill of their frantic wing beats cut thru the softness.Then, the copse feels empty and the only sign of their passing are a few soft, downy feathers gently floating between the trees.There’s a thin layer of silver over the puddles on the fields. The floods have subsided but the ground hasn’t managed to absorb all that water.I crack thru the thin ice and squelch in the mud with my wellies.I see two pheasants in the distance but they hear me and fly away. There’s no way to walk softly today.Then, a familiar face; my village friend Mike with his new Labrador pup Molly. Molly and I just met but already love each other. There’s nothing in the world like the enthusiasm and affection of a new puppy. Mike and I hug and promise to see each other soon.And then home for afternoon tea.

What my children are up to while I'm in England

Kerstie sent this sweet little photo story. She said I could post it for all of you to see.Here are Kerstie and Adam taking Binky and Bunny to get the tree:The permit to cut down a forest tree.Ever has a mug of snow to get into the spirit.This is the spot.Looking everywhere for a tree.Isla’s not happy about her frozen runny nose.This is the one.Hauling it back.Making it look nice.The bottom of the tree is Ever proof. (Plastic)Adam gets the top...With Isla’s help.Question: Angel or star?Answer: Find a tree with two tips!!!Nicely done. :)

My wonderful Christmas wish list

Among all the wonderful things about Britain there is one thing in particular I absolutely love: the idea to buy local. This is something both my countries have in common and it just makes so much sense on so many fronts, don’t you think?Here in Britain there are so many wonderful artists and crafts people that you don’t ever need to look over seas.I found a small handful of the most wonderful artists recently and it all started with this little owl on Facebook:Well of course the minute I saw this I wanted to know all about the artist responsible: Kaitlyn Pearson (Kate) of Cornish Bird in the Sticks. I took a peek at her site, liked her page on Facebook and guess what happened?Yup, one for me and one for C’s phone. I’m afraid so, am totally addicted to her lovely, friendly graphics.I think you would all do really well to like her FB page because Kate has a knack for finding more lovely artists to like.Now look at this lovely:This is the work of artist Jane Ryan (who Kate posted about).Jane makes the loveliest movable toys for adults from bits and pieces and beautiful reclaimed wood.Stop by her site and her FB page to see dozens more beautiful moveable sculptures. I love, LOVE the ones with poetry and, since I love gardening, those quirky ladies watering their flowers make me laugh.Now here’s something:Helen Bottrill works these simple and stunning appliqué designs. I first heard about Helen thru Kate and then found a feature about her and her cozy, charming studio in my Dec issue of Country Living magazine.Come check out her site Kindred Rose and her FB page to see so much more. Helen’s happy, little robin appliqués are my absolute favorite.When I came across my new friend Charlotte Trimm the first image that caught my attention was this one:Well, it’s easy to see how that can happen when you see her beautiful work:Charlie says that all one needs is “a desk with a scalpel, lots of patience, endless cups of tea, a pinch of love, a smidge of imagination, an epic coloured paper collection and a little bit of OCD.” I think her incredible talent also helps. Check out Charlie’s FB page here. Charlie makes wonderful family trees. I’m already planning my commission.Special note for this post!All but one of these images here are the property of the artists who have kindly given me permission to show you. Please be kind and respect the copyright, but go ahead to any other of my posts and borrow to your heart’s content.