Sunday, December 18, 2005

Christmas insanity

Today, I give you

Exhibit A: The Last-Minute Scarf in Farrow Rib



Got out all the presents yesterday and realised that my Dad's looked a bit meagre; so having ransacked my stash for something suitably male and neutral without any success, I ended up buying two balls of Felted Tweed at the local John Lewis in my Charmed Shopping Trip yesterday. (Capitalisation is rampant tonight; could be consuming a good share of a bottle of wine at teatime, accompanied by cake and good people who brought me vegetables, and a present...) The shopping trip was charmed because I got more-or-less everything I wanted in the space of an hour and five minutes; and some of it was at sale prices... Starting another piece of Christmas Knitting is evidently because I thrive on stress; can find no other explanation.

Exhibit B: The Possessive Cat



Because every present brought into a house inhabited by a cat belongs to that cat.

Exhibit C: The Christmas Tree



I love real trees; if I had a car, I'd bring a tree home and deck it out with all the trimmings. But I nearly killed myself carrying a relatively small one back from the local tree place a couple of years ago, so last year I ordered one of these metal ones from [a trusted supplier in] the US for me, and one for a friend. They took 2 months to arrive, and eventually turned up on January 4th, in a box entirely without padding which looked as if it had been repeatedly savaged by large wild beasts, and then stomped on by large wild humans (thanks, both US and UK Customs!) , and then inserted into a plastic bag by the Post Office. Miraculously, both were still intact. I've got it on the worktop which sticks out between the kitchen and the dining room, as that's where I, and guests, spend most time in here.

Here are a couple of the decorations: first one exquisitely stitched by Nina in Texas



then a beaded one on perforated paper I made a couple of years back



and finally one my Mam got from a penfriend at least 50 years ago.


There are also a couple of glass ones on there from my grandparents' first Christmas tree in the 1930s, and other ones stitched by friends. The nice thing about having a small tree is that you can put up just the ornaments with memories and associations... The most recent are some Ikea gingham hearts contributed by the next-door neighbours who moved out last week...

And yes, that is a Clanger in a tutu on top. It's finally starting to feel like Christmas here.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Done

The Christmas knitting is accomplished. (The rest of the Christmas preparations, not so much.) This is the earliest I've ever finished it so I'm waiting for the realisation that there's something Huge on the list I haven't started yet. I can't post pictures yet, because some of the recipients have the address of this blog; but have taken pics as I'm wrapping things up, to post after Christmas.

Otherwise, am still waiting for two major gifts to arrive from internet suppliers and am completely devoid of ideas for my brother and his wife... Tonight the cats go to the vets for their annual checkup and boosters so I'm on tenterhooks wondering exactly how expensive it's all going to be... Only five and a half days at work left till the New Year...

Tuesday night was knitting night at the Regal. I didn't take my camera, but Anne did, and has photos of us on her blog - her Dryad hat on the same page is gorgeous ...

Saturday, December 03, 2005

Christmassy


This photo was taken standing on my front doorstep just now - they lit the Christmas lights round the green last night, and brought the tree in today.

The tree is a heroic gesture - often, by the second week of its sojourn, it's held up only by police hazard tape and goodwill. One year it was scythed down completely by joyriders and patched back together with wire; one blustery year it blew over more or less every night and eventually was held up by many guyropes. But every year, there it stands, and someone watches out for it and keeps it standing. The lights are beautiful, just plain coloured lightbulbs but somehow they bring a real feeling of tranquility to the space.

Christmas is coming...

Better finish that last sock.