A day late and a Dollar short as they say but we got snow on Boxing Day!  It would have been great for Christmas Day but at least we didn’t have to go out!  It started snowing at about 5.00pm and carried on for most of the evening and as you can see from the front of our home, it has settled well!

Our vehicles were nicely covered!  At least it was the evening and not 4.00am in the morning when DH had to take Eldest and Girlfriend to the airport in Birmingham as they have gone to Marbella for five days!  Youngest went in the car to the airport (Treacle and I stayed in bed!!!!) and they were home again by 7.00am!

The back garden blanketed in snow

Of course you all know who loves snow!  She was in her element but it was very cold as well, so Treacle did not stay out too long in it!

Paddy paws in the snow!

DH, Youngest and I are going to venture out in it later as we are having a day out today.  Christmas was lovely and we had a great day on The Day.  More pictures to follow.  Hope everyone had a lovely, peaceful day.

Christmas Hugs, Susie x

Wishing All My Followers and Those Who Read My Blog

A Very Merry and Peaceful Christmas

Christmas Hugs From

Susie, DH, Eldest, Youngest & Treacle

xxxxx

I finally got it finished!  I cannot believe that it took me so long, but I ran out of the cotton I was using to quilt it and I couldn’t find it anywhere other than John Lewis where I got it from!!!!  So it was delayed.

We went out last night to dinner with the Grandparents and had a great evening.  It was lovely to catch up, as we haven’t seem them since July a year ago so there was a lot to catch up on but it was great.  The food was lovely too.

Youngest was helping to hold the quilt so I could photograph it.

A closer view.

Today I have been cleaning the house, ready for Christmas, and tonight DH and Youngest are out so I have a huge basket of ironing to do and then that is it for a week!  Tomorrow I have to collect the meat and fresh food for Christmas at 8.00am and then it is all done and ready and all we have to do is wait for Santa Claus to come. 

Treacle is getting very excited!

Christmas Hugs, Susie x

Nottingham Council House all lit up in Christmas colours.

We had another lovely evening on Saturday night.  The Boys and Girlfriend and DH got their Christmas shopping done and I got to have a wander around the stores window shopping.  I then stopped off at my favourite store, John Lewis, for a quick cup of coffee and this was the view from the store windows.

I can’t say that I am a fan of these blue lights!  Everyone seems to have them at the moment, but I think they look too stark.

When we all got back together we walked down to the Market Square where the Christmas market is on and the ice rink.

The Christmas Tree all lit up.

This picture turned out fuzzy as DH was driving and I was trying to take the picture!  It is a lovely decoration

A not blurry picture from the Nottingham City Council Website!

We all went for a meal at one of our favourite restaurants in Nottingham, Man’s, and it was exactly six months from when we went for my Birthday!  We always have a lovely meal there.

Yesterday DH and I visited all the Aunts, Uncles and Cousins in Nottingham and visited his parents grave to leave a wreath.  It was a lovely day catching up on everyone’s news and we got home about 6.00pm.  This is what I love about Christmas, seeing family and friends and having a lovely social day.

Today was the first day Youngest and I didn’t have to get up to get ready for school, yeah, so we had a late breakfast and I have been finishing the baby quilt and doing grocery shopping for tomorrow (I have cheated and done it on-line!!!).  I just need to sew the binding on and wrap it up and we are seeing the Grandparents tonight for dinner, as they are over from Jersey. The four of us are going out for a meal tonight to catch up (another meal; oh dear I will have to be planning my diet for after the New Year!!!!!)

I hope your day is going well and the plans for the Big Day!

Hugs, Susie x

My kitchen will look like this one day!!!!!

Well I don’t know where Wednesday and Thursday went to!  They disappeared in a flurry of playing Santa and delivering presents, more baking, this time cheesy stars and sausage rolls, delivering the last of the Christmas cards in the village (with a reluctant Treacle who really didn’t want to go for a walk!) and all the everyday things that need doing.

Youngest has now finished school for two weeks and swimming finished last night for two weeks (Yeah; I am sure you can hear me cheering!) and DH finishes for Christmas on Tuesday.  There is a million and one things still to do but these are what I call the nice things to do and what I love most about Christmas.  We are off to see all the family on Sunday and we spend the whole day visiting and drinking lots of tea and eating lots of mince pies and catching up on all the news and I love it.  Saturday evening we are off to Nottingham to see the Christmas lights and displays and have dinner and Monday we are off delivering the last of the gifts. 

I managed to get the small Christmas cakes iced yesterday and I certainly don’t need to go to the gym this week having used 1kg of icing sugar and had to beat it until smooth, oh my upper arms!!!!

Just to show you there are two cakes and not one photographed twice!!!!!!

Here is our cake also iced and with the various decorations on.  These are mine as opposed to the ones handed down to me by my Grandmother, I alternate each year.

Tonight is the Presentation Evening for the swimming club where all the trophies and medals are handed out after the in-house Galas and there is also food (what the swimmers are most interested in!) and a disco.  It is going to be a long night!

I hope everyone’s plans are going well for Christmas and you all have a lovely weekend.

Hugs, Susie x

Do you remember this cutie?  This is the little sea otter who was washed ashore in California and was being sent to Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium as her permanent home.  Well she has arrived and now has a name, Luna, and she is learning to swim!

She started on her back to get used to the water

This look I think means, “it is all so tiring”!  The Swimmers at our Club look like this often!

You can never have too many bath toys!

What do you mean I have to get out now?

Well if its for some milk of course I will get out!

Nothing better than having your own personal assistant to dry you off!

Luna starts off just in a small section on her back surrounded by mats for her to get out, but she is soon swimming confidently and playing with the toys.  Then it moves on and she is bigger and in a large pool.

The pictures are all from the Daily Mail UK and here is the link for the full article and a video, which is cuteness overload!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2875933/Like-natural-heart-warming-moment-Luna-five-week-old-rescue-otter-learns-swim-Shedd-Aquarium-Chicago.html

I have been shopping in Ashbourne today to get some fancy bits for Christmas and then called at another shop to get a few more bits. I managed to get a bunch of fresh holly which looks great above the fireplace and on my dresser.

I then got back and wrapped the last of the presents.  I have managed to get two lots of presents off to their recipients and had a cup of tea yesterday afternoon with the Boys Godmother and a quick catch up.  Daughter, SIL and Baby Evalyn are coming for a quick visit on Saturday morning and then the Boys and DH are having their hair cut in the afternoon, then we are going over to Nottingham for the Boys to do some last minute shopping and to see the lights and have dinner.   Sunday we are hoping to visit the family and get the rest of the presents delivered. 

I have managed to hurt my calf and I think I have pulled a muscle and oh boy does it hurt!  Going to bed in a minute to rest it and hopefully it will be better soon.

Happy Tuesday!

Hugs, Susie x

8 Days To Go!

During the Summer I had a Big Birthday and the Boys Godparents bought DH and I a day out with lunch to here, Blenheim Palace, home to the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and Winston Churchill’s family.

Despite the day being quite cold and grey the place was extremely busy but we managed to get round and see everything.

In the Great Hall

The State Dining Room laid for Christmas Dinner.  The family only use this room on Christmas Day

Consuelo Vanderbilt who became the 9th Duchess of Marlborough

The Formal Gardens with the River Glyme in the background The river then forms the lake The main entrance to the Palace and with the chandelier in the main hall seen through the windows.

DH and I had a lovely Sunday Lunch before we left and managed to get back in time to take Youngest to swimming club.  He and Eldest had been out Christmas shopping!

This morning DH and I (Santa’s Personal Assistant – the Elves were busy) have been down to the village Playschool where he has been helping out.  Shush don’t tell anyone!

I hope everyone is having a marvelous Monday!

9 Days To Go!

Oh my! There is still much to do!

Hugs, Susie x

I had to pop into Nottingham yesterday for some more cotton thread that I am using to quilt the baby quilt.  The City Centre is in full swing with the Winter Wonderland they hold every year and ice rink in Old Market Square, so I took some pictures.  This is looking towards the Council House.

They have decided to put the Christmas tree on the ice rink this year.

Intrepid skaters on the ice.

One of the Christmas cottages with fake snow!

Always a favourite the Galloping Horses.  We have had them at our Carnival in the summer.

We have also had this at our Carnival, but not so successful!

Nottingham still has some wonderful architecture which was fortunately not pulled down in the mad times of the 1970’s, when ugly concrete buildings replaced them!  This building was designed and built by Watson Fothergill in 1897. 

This is the old Prudential Building at the junction of King Street and Queen Street and was built between 1894 and 1897.

Unfortunately not the same can be said for Derby, who did demolish all the old buildings for 1970’s concrete!!!!!!

Today has been hectic as usual.  Youngest was swimming between 7.00am and 9.00am so DH and I knew we had to be up early, however at 4.30am I woke up to some strange noises and at first I thought the dishwasher had gone wrong!  Then I realised that the noise was coming from outside and being up, looked out our front windows to find workmen digging up the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was not happy!  It turned out to do with the electrics and we had no power for about four hours this afternoon!

DH & Youngest are out tonight doing a Christmas disco for some friends and their exercise class (!) and I am having a quiet (tired) night in with a DVD and Treacle who will no doubt be snuggling!!!!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Hugs, Susie x