Catching up

Been too busy to blog this month - or maybe too cold and damp and spent too many evenings huddled by the fire catching up on Nordic Noir!!

And so this was Christmas . . . 

Meeting with friends old and new in Bakewell

 Where we sneak a shot of the original bakewell pudding recipe

 and learn that Jane Austen once stayed at the Rutland Arms back in the day

 Then the Christmas Eve arrivals dive straight into cake decorating

 and Apple Studel sculpting

 using our magic ingredient gift

 exhausted chefs

 Aperol Spritz's for Christmas morning (recipe here)

 crptic packaging to open

 There never was such a one . . .

 and all to quickly, back off to London to see in the New Year

so next we have a wedding to go to . . . . .

wind in our hair

A lovely sunny blue-sky Boxing Day up in Greno Woods the other day.
This amazing shot was taken by Jamie from the bottom of the bomb-hole, but more on that later

Jamie taking that first photo from the bottom of the bomb-hole.  My menacing shadow above!  This bomb hole is thought to be from WWII.

 Bomb crater receding into the distance

Frank's seat - and memories of last year when Frank was still well enough to unveil our new village topograph

  out of the woods and views stretching forever

 up onto St Helena then homeward bound

 Watch this space - or more precisely this hut - ideas abound for the Tour de Yorkshire . . .

 and home in time for a feast of left overs!

New Year's resolution to self: try to photograph this same walk once a month throughout 2014 for a Hockney style photo project of changing seasons!

in a pear tree

Oooooo nearly there!!

These are my twelve pics of Christmas

1.  We'll be trying the trendy Aperol Spritz (discovered at my birthday dinner) with our present-opening this Christmas

2. Spontaneous carol singing in the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank in December after our wonderful concert by the Morley Chamber Orchestra in the Purcell Room.  They were of course the 'new' carols, but we'll let them off!

3.  Christmas gig in Putney.  The amazing Police Dog Hogan featuring the one and only Tim Dowling from the Guardian on banjo, harmonica and vocals

4. My first flash mob participation!  Singing local carols in the concourse of Sheffield Station at 10pm one December night after a stupendous evening on the Folk Train to Edale.
5.  Total hilarity at work when Movember fundraising managers took to the (moving) paternoster in the Arts Tower to sing to us as they passed - you had to be there!!!!

6.  The one and only, my favourite caroling pub - our beloved Black Bull, with old friends over there in the 'corner' and sublime, roof raising choruses.

7.  and while I was out singing last Thursday, the little Greno elf had put up our wonderful bendy Christmas tree - Caroline the Pine is this year's chosen name

8.  The final Friday night at the Top Red with Ray and the band and friends old and new, while the wind and rain lashed in from the woods, but we were cosy and warm and in good voice inside.  Christmas wouldn't be Christmas in Sheffield without these songs

9.  The arrival of my great neice Tilly - can't wait to see her when we have our family outing to Oliver

10.  Our wonderful new fairy lights - after a trip to the Moor on Saturday

11.  Winning entry from the Christmas jumper competition at our Christmas Dance last night!  We didn't manage an entry but I like to think we conducted ourselves well in the Tangos and Waltzes

11.  A big hurrah for the floorboards being put back down in time for Christmas preps!

12.  and last but not least - the dear old Greno elf checking in with Santa

hOpE eVeRyOnE hAs A vErY mErRy ChRiStMaS

wItH lOvE aNd MiStLeToE kIsSeS

mE

x X x X x

(in my loverly Christmas earrings)

(Oooops - just noticed I've got two '11's - never mind, consider it a bonus and 13 is 'lucky for some' after all)!

And those not on ipads or iphones will be able to have a bit of musical accompaniment - we voted this our favourite Christmas childhood song in the office last week - click and play . . . Christmas Alphabet

 

down paradise row

Sunday 1st December

Day 3 in London for my birthday weekend and it's a lovely day of chance meetings, sunsets-on-fire and rousing sing-songs.

Catch up from the start of the weekend if you prefer by clicking here)

First it was a tasty Turkish breakfast of spinach, onions and eggs at the trendy, friendly Z cafe in Stoke Newington.  Then, walking down Church Street, past this cheerful Christmas tree . . .

who do we bump into but Helen - time for another photo!

After a bit of shopping in the tempting crafty places, it was a diversion into the calm of Abney Park Cemetery, which was absolutely amazing.  So if you'd like to see my notes and pictures of this then please click on Abney Park Cemetery visit.  London's so full of these little surprise gems in the midst of the bustle.

Next we headed over to the new shopping mall next to St Paul's and up onto the roof for the most incredible sunset - and metal on the roof below gives the illusion you're at the seaside with the sun slanting over the water - stunning!!

As usual too many shots, but sunsets were always my weak point and the light changes so quickly.
After a quick shop in Oxford Street - all be-decked for Christmas,

It was on another incredible sing-song again at the Duke of Kendal.  My old man followed his van, Mother Kelly sat on her doorstep and Lily the Pink had a drink a drink a drink . . . it was hard tearing ourselves away for the last tube.