Friday this and that . . .

 

December days … 

as Christmas time draws near; 

brings family warmth, and friendship’s joyful cheer, 

from memory’s store so many days 

to bless and cherish so in quiet thankfulness. 

 ~John McLeod.

I was late getting up this morning. I've been doing that a lot lately. This sleeping in longer lark. Normally I am awake at 5 or 5:30, today it was 6:58!  That's way late for me. I remember looking at my clock at 3:30 and thinking I had another two hours before I needed to be up, and bang, next time I opened my eyes, it was almost 7 a.m.

I have talked to my son already this morning. They are still not sure if they are going to be able to come or not. He is hoping that they will.  I told him that I would rather they be safe than anything else.  Knowing that they were safe was the best Christmas Gift they could give to me.  Yes, I will be disappointed, and I know they will be too, but you cannot put a price on your family's safety.  Better safe than sorry is always the way to go. There will be other Christmas's and years and opportunities.

I will still get everything ready on the off-chance that they can make it, but at the end of the day, it's okay if they don't because I will know that they are safe and that they would have been here if they could have been here, and their safety is what matters most to me!!

One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six.” 

 From: A Child’s Christmas in Wales (1955); a prose work by the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas. The story is an anecdotal retelling of a Christmas from the view of a young child, portraying a nostalgic and simpler time. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman.

There is a light dusting of snow on the ground this morning and it is freezing out but there is rain expected this morning, heavy rain and it will probably be freezing rain during the transition. The temperature is supposed to rise up into the double digits by tonight, and it will be raining on into tomorrow.  Then snow on Sunday. So long as we don't lose our power.  I will be upset if we should lose our power.  I know, selfish me.

I do not remember every having a green Christmas when I was a child, but it seems nowadays a green Christmas, here in Nova Scotia at least, has become the norm.  Of course, when I lived in the UK, Christmas was always green, and I never expected it not to be.  Betting shops would take bets on Green or White Christmas's, and if you had bet on a White Christmas, you ship would surely have come in, because it just did not happen!

Right now, and into tomorrow the roads over there will be chocker-block with traffic, as will the airports be, etc.  Everyone trying to get home for Christmas, or to get started on their Christmas holiday away.

Me, I am for a quiet Christmas.  

“May you always have walls for the winds, 

a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, 

those you love near you, and all your heart might desire.” 

 ~Irish Blessing.

No Christmas pudding. I didn't have time to make one this year. I had ordered one from a British Shop, and a really good one (M&S Best), but it hasn't arrived, unless it arrives today.  It was never really something which I typically enjoyed, but I had thought it would be nice for my son and his family to experience some British Christmas traditions as they would have done had they come over to the UK to be with me for Christmas there.  I have the Christmas cake and a Stollen, a bunch of Mr. Kipling cakes, Mince Pies, etc.  We are well situated for sweets!

Cindy is cooking the turkey for Christmas day. I am doing the roast potatoes. We were going to have Beef Tenderloin on Christmas Eve with Potatoes Dauphinoise, but that may not happen now. We will have to wait and see if my son gets here or not.

Today I am cleaning out my fridge to make room. I need to go out and get fresh milk and eggs. I may pop some bread into the bread machine. I was going to make pizza for supper. Just a general tidy up for the holidays will go on. My house doesn't really get messy or dirty, so there is not a lot to do. I will take a Christmas card to my next-door neighbor.  A quiet day really.

Oh, I had a lovely time yesterday. My friends have a lovely, beautiful home, done in the craftsman style. I love craftsman style architecture when it comes to homes. For lunch we had a beautiful homemade beef & barley soup and the most delicious finger sandwiches, and some "dainties" for dessert. It was all really, really good. Best of all was to be able to spend that time together and have such a nice visit with each other.  We go back about 46 years so that is a long history to share together, and we had lots to talk and laugh about. It was just plain nice. Nice. Nice. Nice.

Well, I know it was not my regular Friday Finds day here today, but that's okay.  Sometimes it's good to break out of the mold and surprise yourself and others.  I need to be getting on with my day so I will leave you with a thought for the day . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *At Christmas play 

and make good cheer

for Christmas comes

but once a year.•。★★ 。* 

There is nothing new in the Kitchen today but I am sharing a fabulous dessert that is simple and delicious and very easy to make.  You can also make it well ahead of time.  Salted Caramel Pavlova.  

I hope that you have a beautiful day!  Stay safe.  Be blessed and don't forget! 

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And I do too!