Happy Holidays One and All............Here's Hoping you have a wonderful time and a prosperous New Year. May Blessings bring joy to your life and happiness light your way through bad times. May your health be blessed and any trials be overcome quickly.

At this time of year many people forget that this isnt about pressents, this isnt about how much you spend but its about family love and unity. Its a time to spend with your family and friends laughing and having fun. Ok so you havent go tmuch money do what we did, we hand made our decorations with paper and glue, we dont have a tree but we have fresh foliage holly ivy and yew tree cuttings in soil in a large glazed pot instead. they where off cuts from the local park and going to be burned so cost us nothing to collect. we are having a treat for lunch and dessert BUT there is no alcohol, there is no excessive amount of chocolate,sweeets, crisps, fizzy pop or things we dont need.
to some this idea is totally alien but lets just think about this for one minute, we are getting poorer some thebills are higher, our electric and gas bills are extortionate and food if not shopped for effectively is sooo expensive for what amounts to nothing.
I have bought enough to last me through to after the new year we have a small pile of pressies as we dont believe that buying for the sake of it is worth it, we would rather pay our bills, be warm and have food in our bellies than look at a stack of things that we will either use up in no time, put in a wardrobe and never wear or stuff on a bookcase and never read again. Bring on grannys sock pressie they are great practical and warm..a gift that goes on giving. ooh wheres the wooly hat and gloves set from aunty Mable, wonderful its winter and im cold. Thermals from mother and the dodgey jumper, ok they are warm and meant from the heart. What use do you have for a machine that makes 50 noises but actually does nothing? humm a breadmaker that costs more to buy the ingredients for than making it from scratch normally, and who the heck needs a boughnut machine or a espresso machine that will go on top of the cupboard when you run out of the supplied goodies?
do i have any need whatsoever for a chocolate fountain when a cheap pair of slipper boots or a few pairs of slipper socks would be cheaper and warmer lol.
Now i dont mean to sound like scrooge trust me ot be ungrateful for any gifts i recieve but as i have said its the thought that counts in all of it. my point is simple though, over the years we have lost sight of the simple things and it has become a commercial nightmare and too much pressure is put on people to buy buy buy. I have seen people fighting over food for gods sake!!!! We arent going to starve in a few days we are not a country that is in famine or flood..get a grip!!!!! think about those who would happily eat what you are going to throw away???!!!  oh my days im turning into my mother!!

Oh my Im soooo cold!!!!!

today is soo frosty its unreal, the decking has turned into a sweepable ice rink, the garden is rock hard and no one wants to go out for a ciggie as its that cold lol. I cant believe it crept up on us so fast and the central heating is costing us an arm and a leg to run...im talking £10 every other day!!!!! so once my parents have finished their visit it will be one bout of heating a day and if your cold wrap up warmer in the house instead!!! really have to have a word with the landlords to see if they will have double glazing put in it would be so more more cost effective and add value to their house in the long run. im even wearing thermal undies during the day and i mean a thermal vest with a thermal t shirt and thermal leggings and im still frozen solid!!!!
oh well at least i did the housework already and i havent got to cook til the family arrive so thats a bonus....brrrrrr xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Im back boy I needed that rest!!!

Had a few months of for some R an R as I have been hit by infection after infection. First I got flu closely followed by laryngitis and then hot on its heels came Bronchitis wahoo a full house there me thinks!!!! So I was more housebound than ever and effectively pulling out my hair, the chance to wrap up and go to the park was soooo welcome i can tell you but it was none the less exhausting. I took some pics of the wonderful changes in the foliage this autumn has bought and the difference in the moat since they cleared it out during the summer. Mind you the dog didnt realise it was cold and deep when he went bounding after another friend to play with so the look of shock and horror was classic as he paddled back to shore sopping wet freezing cold and very sorry for himself lol!!! He is used to the moat being nothing much than a muddy trickle and no other doggie friends about so yep he did the dumb dog thing and never looked before he lept lol.

We foraged some wonderful Holly and Ivy that the park keepers had cut down, which was great as we didnt need to fight with it and to go hunting for the best bits as it was all in a huge heap with lots of evergreen foliage ours for the taking. So we have made a Yule decoration from it and other bits have neen dried and stored in our ever growing apothecary. Nature is supplying us with an abundance of fruits fungi and foliage to stock up on for which we are very grateful. It's saving us a fortune, which is a bonus in my case as a practising witch.

Our home is festooned with homemade paper chains, home made pot pourii and some wonderful clemantines studded with cloves hung above cinnemonsticks to add to the Yule tide look. We have mixed and prepared the Yule insense so that can add to the lovely orange scent that is permeating the house. I love the smell of Yule, it's so spicey and sweet, it brings me memories of days gone by and hopes for the future.

The menu this year is simple, venison, duckling and plenty of roast veg freshly scourced from our local farm ( what would I do without that place I never know!!!). The butcher knows I have a greedy lot to feed and always gives me a wonderful cut of whatever I want with no nasty fat on it as we like lean meat. I buy all my veg there as well as my eggs as they are fresh and cheap and tasty. They also stock homemade chutneys, pickles and all kinds of wonderful produce for your larder and give you advice on anything you ask, friendliness here is a second nature I love it.

MEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have decided men are the route of all EVIL ...and need to be kept for breeding and use as sexual slaves in harems of old at womens mercy!!!!!!!

Me and Chaz (me trusty pal bro in law and clean freak buddy) cleaned the house while GRUMPY OLD GIT STUART was at work...wahoo time to do stuff without either getting moaned at or patronised!!!!!!!!! Yes he has a frustrating habit of moving the goal posts ie awwww hun you look tired dont worry relax let me look after you then you dont do anything you just sit on your laptop all day and talk to your friends and leave me everything to do ????????????? I offer to help get told no sit down, I do stuff when he is at work and I either get told off for making myself tired out OR he doesnt bloody notice!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean come on how am I supposed to know where I stand ????

Anyways the house looked great when he came in last night, it took on and off all day cause I have to have things just so or else I go demented. Ok I hadnt eaten all day that I will put my hands up too BUT bear in mind we have little food in til pay day and I was waiting to have a hot meal with the boys at tea time not be selfish and stuff myself during the day. I was also thinking that it would stretch the food further as well so I thought I was being wise.....BUT oh no yet again Im in the fcking wrong so this time he goes right on one at me. Well as you can imagine I just went mad, flew into a rage and well truth be known I had to physically walk away before I stabbed him with the knife I was using to cut scallops for frying with. Literally I walked up to the bathroom sat on the loo and couldnt cry so like a fool I cut my thighs to ribbons......now I look dreadful and by god they hurt. I feel so ashamed of myself cause I know I shouldnt cut and if he sees it he will go mad and because I was so close to stabbing him. He frustrates me beyond belief at times I know but that was just such an awful moment...no voices in my head this time just an urge to kill end of story.. it was like freedom just that moment in time where the real me was alive again. Now I want to curl up and die because I look like so mad serial killer freak and I hate it...am I going mad?????