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creating a simpler Christmas * day 9

Today was definitely a slow day of getting my head back into gear. We took mum home yesterday with many carrier bags so I think she had a good time and bought everything she wanted. She is finding it difficult to accept her limitations now and we had to abandon our usual trip to Tissington and Ashbourne this year as her feet and legs had swollen up so much with the travelling that we felt it would be a step too far and decided to stay a little closer to home, only venturing as far as the Chatsworth Estate near Bakewell to visit the farm shop and The Derbyshire Craft Centre nearby. I packed up a car picnic for us so she didn’t have to wait in a queue for lunch and a good job I did as it was so very busy everywhere.

I only managed to take the one photo during the weekend – mum kept me too busy – she managed to leave her stick in every shop and cafe we went in and sometimes her gloves too. Her handbag was safe as I carried it most of the time. Manouvering her in the crowds is not easy these days and people were trying to push her out of the way in their hurry – I was worried she would over balance. None of the shops have a seat for the elderly anymore so I didn’t get much of a chance to look for anything myself – as soon as she had what she wanted she was off back to the car for a sit down!

The scenery and Christmas lights on the journey into Derbyshire did not disappoint, though on the whole I felt there were less decorations around this year in everyone’s gardens – maybe a lot of people are feeling quite behind as far as Christmas goes – neither of my neighbours have their lights up yet.

I have been feeling pretty exhausted today and rather than do any of the Christmas things on my list I made a start with a little clearing up and cleaning – I had the beds to change and washing to do and then some hoovering and dusting so that the house is ship shape and ready to decorate when I get round to it.

I am still dithering over the indoor tree – we are away for Christmas and not really hosting anything so I may even go for a simple decorated branch or a £10 potted tree. At this very moment I feel too worn out to even think about it.

For lunch we had a simple winter salad of grated beetroot, grated carrot and cucumber with a drizzle of olive oil dressing – apparently it is one of the healthiest meals you can eat – packed with vitamins and minerals; we had ours with some egg mayonnaise sandwiches and it was nice to have a meal at home after living on a lot of cafe meals in the last few days where they serve you a garnish of limp lettuce and an unripe tomato.

For the rest of the day I printed down my Christmas card list and tomorrow I will make a start on writing them and finishing our yearly newsletter. We have to stay in as the worktop man comes at 9.30am so we will need to have everything ready for him. DH has been working on cutting the wall cupboard down to size so hopefully by the end of tomorrow I should see some advances in the pantry.

Thank you for all your lovely comments wishing me a good weekend – I am not sure how much longer these Christmas visits will be possible for my mum so it was especially nice to be able to take her out so she could still get some of her Christmas bits and bobs.

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creating a simpler Christmas * day 6

What could be simpler than taking some time out during the Christmas frenzy we often find ourselves in when we are running around going from completing one important task to another. Stepping back to really absorb the Christmas spirit and watching the festive season unfold rather than rushing through it is much more desirable, although not always possible.

Having my mum to stay for a few days gives me this opportunity…..it forces me to stop and just enjoy the time and I try not to think about the 101 jobs I should be attending to. We browse around the shops looking for nothing in particular, stopping frequently now for a sit down and a coffee or a leisurely lunch. Today we went down to our local town centre and then round to Sainsbury’s.

We bought the tins of biscuits for the family and a bottle of whisky for DH; I bought a few fresh rolls to have with some homemade mushroom soup tomorrow – the cafe we usually go to for lunch are unable to reserve a table and mum cannot stand in a queue for long so we are opting to take a picnic instead and then go to the cafe for afternoon tea when it is quieter.

Finally this evening, we met my brother for a fish and chip tea and a natter, keeping everything relaxed – well as relaxed as it can be when I am looking after mum.

There have been moments of frustration. Her memory is not what it used to be and asking shop assistants for some of that ‘ buferon’ cream doesn’t get her very far and they look as bewildered as I am. Of course it was Ibuprofen gel for her knee and Boots will not sell it to her because she takes blood pressure tablets and it needs to be prescribed by the doctor. Trying to explain this to her….well you can imagine…she is having none of it.

Tomorrow we have our trip down into Derbyshire – it is always the highlight of my Christmas and I will immerse myself in all the delights of the beautiful decorations, twinkly lights and Christmas windows.

Have a wonderful weekend. x

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creating a simpler Christmas * day 5

Day 5 to 8 is all about creating simple enjoyment and Christmas traditions

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas and hoorah, the car is back – fully recovered and repaired and it has also had a good wash (it needed it too). It did cost us just short of £400 for the pleasure – and it probably did breakdown from having a spray of grit, from passing the grit spreader on the motorway, thrown up under the car and into the ball bearing that is part of the hydraulics that snapped – but we are mobile again and we can carry on with plan (A) today which is to drive up to North Yorkshire to collect my mum who is coming to stay for a few days on her annual Christmas shopping visit.

We do very little Christmas shopping these days as mum cannot walk as well as she could but she loves to go to the same places we have always been – they have become a tradition and are quite enjoyable if not a little tiring.

So it will be a trip down to town on Friday, then round to Sainsbury’s to check out their clothes and buy all the family a tin of biscuits each – something my dad started when he was alive; finishing with a fish and chip supper at Compo’s restaurant (broccoli bake for me) where my brother will join us.

Saturday will be a trip out to Derbyshire for lunch – we usually go to the little village of Tissington but as it gets quite busy there now I am wondering whether to reserve a table. Afterwards we will go down to Ashbourne or over to the Chatsworth farm shop or maybe even Bakewell to visit the pudding shop.

On Sunday we will have a leisurely drive back up North to take her home, possibly stopping in Thirsk to browse in the White Rose book shop and see what is on display outside the greengrocers where they sell very reasonable flowers and plants.

The next few days of meandering will form part of my creating Christmas after all it is not all about the ‘making’ but also about enjoying the festivities out there. I love to see all the villages and market towns in Derbyshire dressed and decorated for Christmas – it has that ‘olde worlde’ feeling that is so typically English.

And it is surprising what you can find over a garden wall.

The photos above are all from our previous Christmas trips but I am hoping I will get chance to take a few new photos….. but don’t hold your breath as just getting mum in and out of the car and on her feet and then keeping her there takes a lot of effort -trying to take pictures on top is almost impossible!

At least I hope there will not be any guitar players where we intend to go.

We were given an early Christmas present at the christening with instructions to open on 1st December; I promptly forgot but remembered this morning and what a lovely surprise – a Pukka Advent calendar (though not for DH he doesn’t drink tea – so they are all for me!) and I have a few days to catch up on.

I have no idea what the tea ‘tulsi clarity’ will taste like but no doubt all will become clear on the 7th. Today I have mint refresh – just right with a chocolate mint if I had one….do you think a packet of Maltesers a good substitute?

I hope to pop in over the next few days with tales of our meanderings and a few photos -but you know how it is! x

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creating a simpler Christmas * day 4

Today I have made a start on the Christmas card.

I have been working on a lino cut wreath design but in case I don’t get the time to finish it I decided on these little hand stamped ones too. I like the idea of sending out love and peace to everyone.

They were very simple to make and I love the simplicity of the design and the crumbliness of the texture from using wooden rather than rubber stamps. I chose the message ‘Peace on Earth’; it seemed to fit with the candle theme quite well.

I used small cream cards from a selection of the blank card stocks I have accumulated over the years and a tiny wooden candle stamp I bought from Oxfam a long time ago for £1.49. I tried out the copper coloured ink pad I bought the other day from the Range. So very minimal cost.

The key to making cards is those little finishing touches that really help to personalise them. I usually print out an inner leaf paper, stamp the back of the card with a ‘homemade’ stamp and add a further tiny stamped motif on the envelope flap.

The message inside is one of my favourites from the book of John ‘ the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it’ – such an appropriate bible reading for our world at the present time.

I also thought a touch of glitter would be nice to add to the flame.

I have made a quick mock up of the lino cut print too – this year a simple wreath overstamped with a little copper ink using fir tree branch motif. The red berries will be added afterwards by hand.

This is just the first ideas roughly sketched in felt tip pen. I am not sure if I prefer the scroll writing of the second stamp or maybe I will have a look out in a craft shop for a Season’s Greetings message.

Anyway this might end up being next year’s card so I will have plenty of time to play about with the design.

On the home front we have now heard back from the garage, they assessed the car yesterday and got the parts and today it is ready for collection. Let’s hope we can pay the bill – I think it wil be a sit down job.

I have more returns to Sainsbury’s so we will pop round there and I will try not to buy anything. When we get home I do need to have a good tidy up – crafting can be a very spread out untidy job.

Now I have the cards I need to get on with the yearly news letter – I send a lot of them out by email but still have to enclose some in with the card. It is often quite therapeutic looking back over the year and you can see a balance of the good things that happened along with the ‘lesser’ good or in our case, this particular year, the pretty awful.

I will be back creating more for my simpler Christmas tomorrow. Have a good day x