it's that time again...

when you suddenly realise that that Christmas thing which you thought was safely 6 months away if you thought about it at all, and yes, if it was 6 months to go you would have had plenty of time for the 400 seasonal and present-y projects in your mind... and of course it would all look just like it does in Country Living or whatever magazine takes your fancy and your house would be immaculate, clean, tidy and not a thing out of place... and beautifully and tastefully decorated  and your family would carol joyfully around the piano...but that actually it is now a mere 5 weeks away and there is daughter mine's birthday so conveniently just before (who made that happen!!)...and now all the lovely things you'd like to do sort of drift through your fingers like sand and your mind glazes over...and then...you wake up and it's Januay 5th and it's all over!

was it a dream, was it reality? 
who cares?

I LOVE Christmastime and all that goes with it and it fills me with love for all things creative...and if I just let go of all the impossible dreaming...it is a most pleasant time spent with my loved ones.

so I thought I'd share a little of our preparations and how we do things here...

take a bowl of boozy fruit well soaked...Christmas is all smells isn't it and this is one of the first! a-making and a-baking...



add my Granny's scales for the ritual weighing of ingredients...



and the essential ingredient...daughter mine...zest that orange...mmm smell that zingy aroma...

 

2 hours in the cake baker in the Aga..and there we have it...mmm such a gorgeous smell...and ta da! I don't want to boast...but WE HAVE MADE THE CHRISTMAS CAKE!! Many a year we have made it ooh about a week or even less before and iced it on Christmas or Boxing Day...so wow! here we are...let's hope we haven't peaked too early...

what's next?? who knows...but in fact the next big item on the horizon is....drum roll...The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate...hands up who's going? might see you there...