Yes Covid has managed to do it again!  DH and I were due to go to Nottingham today to return a few items of clothing which did not fit for him and the Boys and do a little bit of retail therapy.  We were due to go yesterday but DH changed the plan and did something else with Youngest.  Last night because of growing infection rates again the Government moved us all in our area into Tier 4!!!  Which means non-essential shops, gyms and spas closed basically everything is closed except for essential shops; food/pharmacy/garages etc.  Which stopped our trip today!  I now need to get things sent back via the post again!

We had a great day yesterday at the Stitching Resolution Blog Hop and I think the thing that made be laugh the most is all us Quilters seem to have boxes and boxes of scraps which need dealing with.  I loved meeting some new Quilters and seeing what everyone is hoping to get done in the New Year.  Thanks to Carla again for sorting a great Hop out.

I have seen a lot on Blogs and Instagram with people reviewing the year and I think every Christmas card we have received this year has said the same thing about New Year, it’s got to be better than 2020!  I am very, very grateful to get to the end of 2020 with my family safe and well and our business has still been able to run with all the chaos, which a lot of people around the World cannot say.  I do hope that 2021 is going to be better for everyone and we can reign in this horrible virus and slowly the World can get back to a more calm and normal existence.

I wanted to pick some pictures from the year to show you.  Most are new and some are from #TBT, the throwback ones are because we haven’t been anywhere this year except three days in London between Lockdowns!!!!!!

I hope everyone has a peaceful New Year’s Eve and a wonderful New Year’s Day and we will all get to see one another, give everyone a hug and not have to wear face masks eventually in 2021.

Stay Safe

New Year Hugs & Love, Susie xx

Because of this year lots of businesses have found enterprising ways to do things to help their income but also make something special at this time of year.  One being Silverstone Race Track, home of the F1 British Grand Prix.  They put on a visit to “Lapland” with lights and displays and where you get to drive round the Grand Prix track and we all went last night, in three cars so the Boys could drive round the track as well.

There were lots of Christmas scenes laid out along the track.

Christmas Trees of course.

They had used the big screens to show Christmas scenes.

All the pit lights and lights around the track were on boosted by lights on stands.

There were lots and lots of lasers.

Water tanks were stacked and lights played along them.

The Grandstands were all lit up.

The new pits and the now renamed Hamilton Straight.  This where they hold the presentation ceremony and it was all decked out with Lewis Hamilton’s car number, 44, the Seven Time World Champion.

The stand opposite the pits and new building being built.

We are on the grid waiting for the lights to turn green!

The final light bars.

The Christmas tree at the entrance/exit.

It was a great night, all covid safe as no one got out of their cars.  Well done Silverstone for bringing some of the Christmas magic to the Christmas holidays. 

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

We have had the most wonderful of few days, unplugged from screens, emails and mobile phones!!!!  Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day were spent at home with everyone and we have played board games, watched a bit of TV and read some books!  Some of us are back at work later this week and we all have New Year’s Day off and then we will be back fully on Monday Janury 4th! 

We had a wonderful gift box from our great friends Sue and Molly in the US which arrived quite a few weeks before Christmas and which I had to hide in the attic as Treacle would not leave it alone.  I think she knew it was from Molly!  Here are some pictures of the lovely gifts inside.

Treacle got a little mouse from Molly and it plays a tune and she absolutely loves it!

As you can see she is carrying it around.

Molly sent Treacle these biscuits before and she really loves them.

Sue sent me this lovely Crystal which I am going to hang in my kitchen window so it catches the light.

Sue and Molly also sent me this wonderful Airedale pulling a train along.  They are so special and I absolutely love them.  We now have two so we have called them Kelly and Treacle as they look like our Airedales.

The Boys loved trains, and still do, so this is so apt.

There is snow about but has not fallen here in our part of Derbyshire yet.  It is always the same we get snow after Christmas and especially when everyone has to be back at work!  The High Peak have got quite a lot and it is as far as Ashbourne but not reached us.  I am keeping my fingers crossed and Treacle has her paws crossed. 

If you follow me you know I talk about Chatsworth House and visiting when it is dressed for Christmas.  Obviously this year they have not been able to open but have put a tour of the rooms decorated for Christmas on their website and here is the link.

Have a tour around and you will be able to see some of the rooms.  They have not decorated as much as normal obviously as the visitors are not there, but you will get to see some of it.

All of us are off tonight to go and see a special lights event which I will show you pictures of tomorrow.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a good week to come.

Christmas Hugs & Love, Susie xxxx

To All My Family, Friends & Followers

Wishing You All A Very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Hugs & Love

Susie, DH, Eldest, Youngest, Girlfriend & Treacle

***************

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We have made it!  After the year that we have all had I think it is probably the Christmas miracle that we have got to Christmas!!!!

For those of you who follow my blog may rememeber me talking about this hand whisk which I bought when DH and I first moved in together in 1986!  It has been going strong ever since until today when I was right in the middle of whisking the egg whites and icing sugar for the Christmas cake!  Yes it stopped after I had put the first lot of sugar in and would not go!  It was not repairable either!  SO I used my food mixer to whisk it but it was not as thick as I had wished!!!!!!  I think it just sums up the whole year!!!!

Anyway here is the cake all iced and its Christmas figures on!

Here is the chocolate log done and definitely out of the way of Treacle!

Treacle has been in the thick of it all day “helping”.  Here she is now waiting for her dinner.

Where has the Chocolate Log gone Mom?!!!!!!

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas Eve and tomorrow will bring you peace and joy.  Have the most wonderful of times and we shall all see you soon.

Christmas Hugs & Love, Susie xx

This is my Grandmother who taught me how to cook, sew and look after the house.  I used to spend all the holidays with her and my Grandfather when I was growing up and at Christmas we were very busy.  I used to help her do all the Christmas baking and watched as she iced the Christmas cake.  Another job I helped with was the plucking of the Christmas goose for Christmas Day.  She had a sitting room off the kitchen and we used to close all the doors and Grandma would be plucking the goose and my job as to pick up the feathers into a bag so that they could be used for the cushions.  No feather alergy here!!!!  By the end of it the room was full of drifting feathers, it always reminded me of snow!

Grandma always had sewing projects on the go and would make new Christmas stockings each year. I would get to play with the material left over and make clothes for my dolls and as I got older sewn Christmas gifts for my friends.

The Boys and DH their mats from last year.

My small Christmas Stockings as gifts last year.

We always took the dogs for long walks before it got dark and found interesting twigs, pine cones and holly to make the wreath for the front door and if the weather was bad we would spend the day reading.

We would all get together on Christmas Eve at my Grandparents home or my parents home and that would be the start of Christmas.  We always went to Church on Christmas Eve and then had dinner when we got back and played board games.  Christmas Day was a hive of activity with Mom and Grandma cooking the dinner, we always ate around 1.00pm.  When I was little I would open my presents first thing from Santa and then presents from everyone else were opened after lunch in the sitting room, then we would watch the TV film and the Queen’s speech and then have tea, which would consist of little sandwiches, a cup of tea and a piece of Christmas cake.

Boxing Day was always a much more relaxed affair with everyone getting up mid morning sorting their own breakfast out and then going for a long walk with the dogs.  Lunch was always a buffet around 3.00pm and then we would all be doing not a lot!!!  It was nice to relax after all the preparation beforehand.  We still do this now in our home!

What was nice was that the shops and businesses closed at lunchtime on Christmas Eve and would not open again until at least December 28th, so everyone got a nice break, unfortunately not the case nowadays!  I think the best part of it for me was spending time with our family and it is what I remember the most about it.

I know this year has been a great challenge for everyone in the whole World and there will be people who cannot spend Christmas with their family this year, who have lost loved ones to this wretched virus and to those who have lost loved ones and had to deal with everything with all the restrictions.  I am very grateful to be able to spend Christmas with DH, The Boys, Girlfriend and Treacle and sincerely hope that 2021 is going to be so much better than 2020.  I normally hate the New Year, love Christmas all the way, but hate that it is another New Year but I can honestly say that I will be glad for the New Year to arrive and see the back of 2020! 

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!!!

Christmas Hugs & Love, Susie xx

A Christmas Reindeer!!!

Do you find when it is getting near to a holiday that you lose track of what day it is?  I do!  I did it last week as well, there is no hope for me!!!

Do you also find that when you have a million little jobs to get done something major happens?   Yep I was going to go out early this morning to run some errands and I found that someone (no names, no pack drill) had left my car door slightly open and therefore all the windows on the inside were frozen!  So I got in and started it and waited for the heater to take action.  I then put all the electric windows down one at a time to clear the outside and the rear off side one would not go back up!!!  No way, no how!  I got out and pulled it as I pressed the button and it would not budge.  Waited with the heater going full blast in case that helped, it didn’t!  Called Eldest to see if he had any suggestions, only told me to do what I had already tried!!!!!!!  It is now on the drive with the rear window down waiting for DH to get back!!!! 

Anyway I have some more throwback Christmas pictures for you, as quite a lot of you liked yesterday’s selection.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa Claus.

You know I love books, here is a Book Tree from one of our visits to Chatsworth.  Must try this one day.

I have lots of pictures of Chatsworth Library, I just love this room.  In fact if I lived at Chatsworth this would be the room I would spend most of my days in.

Nottingham Wonderland and the galloping horses.

DH and I at Chatsworth two years ago.

The Christmas Tree, Chatsworth Ante Library.

The Christmas steam trains at Great Central Railway.

The Christmas Tree, The Old Market Square, Nottingham. 

Who could not give in to this adorable face?

Fortunum & Mason Christmas decoarations 2018.

I think I said at the time, these remind me of the Golden Snitch from Harry Potter!

One of the many Fortnum & Mason Christmas Trees.

The pictures below are from the last time we had real snow!  What do I mean by real snow?  The kind that you can actually play in!  Normally it is just a little bit and Treacle barely gets her paws covered but this was 2010 and it snowed for days, especially overnight so was very thick.  Here are the Boys and Treacle having fun.

You can see in the above picture how much snow there had been overnight!

Eldest throwing snowballs at Youngest!

Youngest emptying his hood after the snowball landed!

I hope you are having a good week and the plans for the The Big Day are coming together,  I will get there by Friday I am sure!!!!!

Christmas Hugs & Love, Susie xx

Tonight we are supposed to see the Christmas Star in the night sky for the first time in 400 years.  It actually means that the planets Jupiter and Venus will come into line so from Earth it will seem like a really bright star, which astronomers think might be what the Three Wise Men followed to find the baby Jesus. 

Now whenever we get one of these amazing events you can guarantee it is raining or very cloudy and we don’t get to see it and guess what?  It is pouring with rain today so I don’t think we will be seeing the Christmas Star tonight!!!!

I have some work jobs to finish today and some baking to sort out and tomorrow I have some errands to run, Wednesday I will be getting our home sorted before Christmas begins.    Anyway as not a lot is happening because of the Virus, as has been the whole year, I thought I would show you some throw back pictures from previous Christmases.  It’s like watching all the Christmas movies which are on the TV, you may have seen them several times before, but we still love them!

2008 The Boys At Great Central Railway to see Santa.

Little Miss Comfy!  She is not allowed on the sofas unless there is a blanket on there!

Both waiting to open their presents!

Terribly blurry picture as this was taken through the Truck window.  This Light Christmas Tree is at the top of Derby Road in Nottingham.

Nottingham Winter Wonderland.

Christmas morning – why am I outside and yet Treacle is sat in the doorway?!!!!!!

New football, lasted oh all of two minutes!

Candlelight by our front door for our annual Christmas party.

Santa has been!

Great Central Railway again.  We used to go every year to see Santa there as the Boys loved the trains as much as seeing Santa.

Brothers!

I will show some more pictures of past Christmases tomorrow. 

Have a wonderful week whatever you are up to.

Christmas Hugs & Love, Susie xx

So!  Because cases of Covid are rising again and a lot in London and the South East which has a new varient they are now in Tier 4 which means not meeting anyone outside  your home or bubble (!), the Government have also decided to cancel the five day “truce” between the 23rd and 27th for families across the country and now making it only Christmas Day when they can get together!  It is not the Government’s fault but it is hard for families after the year we have all had.  Fortunately it is only DH, the Boys, Girlfriend, Treacle and I over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day so we are compliant. 

Yesterday DH and I went over to Nottingham to socially distance outside, ie we stood at the garden gate and saw our relatives who were stood in their doorways and hopefully delivered a little Christmas cheer!  Also a visit to the cemetery and a takeaway lunch of hot sausage cob and tea as no cafes/restaurants are open!!!  It really is a very different time of year this year.  In fact I said that with only a week to go before The Day, in some ways it does not seem like Christmas!

We didn’t get to go into the centre of Nottingham but did drive round some of the local areas and I got a few Christmas pictures.

Christmas lights at Belper!  It was raining which is why the photograph is a little blurry!

The Town Hall at Ripley.

The Christmas Tree at Ripley.

One of the pubs in Ripley, obviously closed, but I liked the building.

Christmas lights on the buildings.

These are Christmas trees from last year!  The Old Market Square, Nottingham.

The tree in the Library at Chatsworth.

The entrance to Great Central Railway Steam Line.

The Christmas Tree in the Painted Hall at Chatsworth.

This coming week is going to be busy as always with lots of things to do before the Day, starting today when my hairdresser is coming!  Monday I have some more errands to run, I have to get the Christmas cake finished, the Christmas cookies made and some more mince pies (they have eaten the last lot!), the chocolate log made, the final grocery shopping done, washing, ironing, cleaning and re-claim my dining table before Friday!!!!  As well as the final bits of work and orders to sort out.  DH is delivering the last of some parts on Wednesday to one of our customers and Youngest is going with him.  I am sure it will all get done by Thursday but after this year who cares!!!!  I just think it will be so nice to have a break and do not a lot!!!

I hope you lovely lot are having a good weekend and will have a great week in the run up to Christmas whatever you are up to.

Hugs & Love, Susie xx