Christmas has been delivered

I never buy any Christmas magazines until the December issue of Country Living arrives. I have subscribed for many years, and, although it is a fairly lightweight read nowadays, I love the images and some of the ideas. It is one of my little indulgences.
I have begun thinking a bit more about Christmas over the last few days. This is mainly due to Kristine - who has been sharing ideas and tutorials on her gorgeous blog. It doesn't take much to get me started though. Already the fruit is soaking in whisky to make a Dundee cake tomorrow - plans are being made for homemade decorations, food and gifts, and - this morning, Christmas Country Living arrived, so when I went shopping, a couple more magazines found their way into the trolley (along with some new coloured tree lights!)
I am now about to settle down with a cup of no-caff and a pancake and wallow in scenes of the perfect Christmas.
Can't get too Christmassy yet though - it is a certain boy's birthday next week, so cakes and candles and fun stuff to come.

Shadow Shot Sunday. Frost

Swirly frosty shadows on my car windscreen this morning.


It's springtime in Australia - visit Hey Harriet there for more shadows.

Strange fire creatures

Some of the back garden fireworks in our neighbourhood from last night. I love the way these pictures have turned out - each firework looks like a wondrous creature flying in the sky.

Friday evening in November

It seemed so warm and cosy this evening, as I looked around the house. I felt very contented just being there.

A few last minute chocolate chip cookies (quite well done) cooling beside my Autumn candle, lit for dinner.



James playing a game in front of the fire. Robbie the dog sneaking in hoping to find a space on the hearth rug.


One of my favourite views - the conservatory and kitchen all bright, glowing and inviting. Picture taken on the way back from shutting the hens up for the night.
I love November :)

Unschooling ambrosia

Today James didn't want any lunch but as John and I were eating ours, he came up to the table with one of the little pots of rice pudding that he likes. So - there we were chatting away when I noticed James looking at the pot and saying the names of all the family - Mum, Dad, Kristine etc. I asked him if he was reading the pot and he said he was. Then he began to point to each letter and ask me what it said. It took me a few seconds to realise that he really was asking me to tell him the letters! So, I did - that's a Bee - that's a mmm and that's esss. Then he made the cute sound that he always makes when chasing us with his toy snake!!
I so love this journey :)

Blue November Sky

The aluminium crown steeple of St Michael's Church in Linlithgow glints in the bright blue sky. After a week of fairly persistent and heavy rain here in Scotland, the sun came out for a brief while on Tuesday and cheered us up a bit.
This steeple was added to the church in 1964 and was the subject of much controversy for it's daring and avant garde design - supposed to echo the original steeple it fianlly replaced, and also represent the crown of thorns. The church sits next to Linlithgow Palace, built by James I and was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.
Check out the worldwide skies at Skywatch Friday.

Book Sharing Monday (xvii)

I posted the other day about our trip to Wigtown - Scotland's Book Town. Thirteen book shops in one street, and other booky things around the village. What a paradise!! Anyway - we returned from our holiday with a hefty stash each. This little lot belongs to James. He would have had much more - I found him sitting in front of a shelf in the Old Bank Bookshop with a large stack of Haynes car repair manuals beside him. "I'll just take these Mum" he said. Well, I managed to tempt him away to another shelf where he decided on the Great Little Railways instead. I wouldn't have minded, but his Father does have quite a few Haynes manuals already, going back several cars :) He does rather like the Picture Penguin - About a Motor Car. So do I - I think I may actually understand what some of those bits in a car engine are!

This week I am sharing a short poem from When We Were Very Young by A.A Milne, called Politeness. I thought about it today when we were out for lunch and the cashier kept trying to talk to James and he didn't want to talk to her. "Oh - are you shy? - Oh he's shy - Isn't he shy?" Well - he's not actually shy - he just doesn't happen to think he should perform to random strangers - grrrr.

If people ask me
I always tell them
"Quite well, thank you, I'm very glad to say"
If people ask me
I always answer
"Quite well, how are you today?"
I always answer,
I always tell them,
If they ask me
Politely....
BUT SOMETIMES

I wish

That they wouldn't.

Well - ok, James didn't exactly see this book and say "Can I have that one Mum?" We just happen to have the 3 other books in the same binding. It was a bit ironic that I found it in the Reading Lassies bookshop (currently for sale) ,which specialises in feminist and radical writing. Well - it gives us plenty of discussion material, about class discrimination, chauvinism and authoritative and remote parenting ;)

Share more books at Alex's blog -Canadian Home Learning