Day 17 – I swapped my Advent task today to make the mince pies – after all Christmas would not be Christmas without them even though I can only eat one or two as they don’t really agree with me now. I often bake these tiny ones as they make a lovely token gift and this batch was to take in to my old workplace for my former colleagues.
I was eager to try out the new kitchen tool I found at the local hardware store when we were in Scotland. It is a wooden pastry tamper – it cost about £5 and is double ended for pressing the pastry of small or large circles into the trays.
I was impressed – it works a treat and gives the pies a professional look. To save time I used the ready-made roll of all butter short crust pastry – I like the fact it has all natural ingredients. I was a bit disappointed that the finished pastry case is a little on the thick side; if I used it again I would put the rolling-pin over it to make it slightly thinner.
The thickness didn’t affect the taste though, the pastry was ‘melt in the mouth’ with no soggy bottoms. After a dusting of icing sugar I packaged them up onto these little white trays (I collected during the year from Chocolate Mini Rolls) lined with a doyley and added a sprinkling of confetti – green metallic holly leaves. 
I also took in a tray of the chocolates. Well it is Christmas.
It is getting very close now to the big day – most of my list has been ticked off and just a few bits and pieces left to do but if they don’t get done I wouldn’t be worried. The traffic in town and the village is building up and the shops getting busier so it is taking longer to do anything that requires leaving the house. I expect it will get worse over the weekend.
There still seems to be an awful lot of stock to shift in the shops and the prices are steadily dropping but there is nothing now that I need to buy. We have all the gifts ready and a spare emergency one just in case. My family Not so Secret Santa gift was for my younger daughter and she needed a coat that fit her now she has had the baby. I bought part of it for her birthday too (as it is in December) and suggested she start wearing it now rather than wait for Christmas. We wouldn’t normally do that but there was no point in her being cold until Christmas Day.
We have a family 21st party on Sunday at my sisters and then I am looking forward to a quiet Christmas at home.
Day 16 – Sunday – we woke up to an unexpectedly bright and sunny day here – we really had plenty of jobs to do; my Advent task was to make some tiny mince pies to take in for the girls at my old workplace sometime during the week, but instead we left all that at home and drove down into Derbyshire for a bit of a break and the mince pies would just have to wait. Of course we had been the weekend before with my mum but it was difficult to really do very much or spend any time looking around the shops and there was a couple of gifts I needed to sort out and I knew just the places for some inspiration.
Sadly he died in 2009 but the work he has left behind still stands the test of time. If you want to see and read more click-through 
As you might expect the shop only stocks quality linen tea towels and amongst them I found these old-fashioned oven gloves which I bought as they were only £6 – I have been searching for ages to replace mine as they have developed a hole from overuse – I like them to be quite soft and flexible as I do not get on well with those quilted stiff ones. These passed the test for flexibility.
On our way to Bakewell we stopped off at the pretty little village of Baslow. There are a couple of independent shops selling gifts and plants and vintage finds. In the vintage flower shop we came across a round zinc tub perfect for holding our Christmas tree and at a very reasonable price (photo later when I take one of the finished tree). We then stopped briefly at the Derbyshire Craft centre looking for a small gift that would be light enough to post, but nothing really fit the bill.
The huge Nativity scene outside the church on the hill is certainly something to see – we climbed up through the grave yard to capture this photo – I wasn’t sure it would come out very well but it has.
We had a ‘perfick’ day – I do love doing something impulsive from time to time just as the mood takes us and we chose a good day to do it – and I did manage to fit in the mince pies the following day – photos tomorrow. x
Day 14 – on Friday my Advent task was to make a tray of my now famous chocolate for the neighbour’s get together that evening. This year I found a tub of miniature meringues reduced to 30p in Waitrose and these were sprinkled on the half with tiny fudge and honeycomb pieces. The other half of the chocolate had fruit, nuts and ginger pieces. The whole slab is laced like a spider’s web with white chocolate and when it is set chopped or broken into square pieces. It is as my friends say ‘just far too moreish’.
I kept some of the chocolates to take a packet in to my old work place for my colleagues to share.
Day 15 – Saturday – after getting home at 2am in the morning (it was a good night!) I didn’t have a very early start and it took a while to come round and eventually I had another go at printing my lino cut Christmas card. 
This year I tried creating a more stylised robin and nothing has gone well with it. The black ink has taken ages to dry and I swear some of the cards were still sticky when I put them into the envelopes – even after being in the airing cupboard all weekend. 
All I can say is that it is ‘different’ and I certainly need more practice but I had fun doing them and I shall miss my ’round’ of robins now they are gone to new homes. Each one was so individual I could have given them names!
On the Saturday the Advent activity was our traditional annual visit to Tissington in Derbyshire for lunch at Herbert’s Tea Rooms and a browse around the tiny gift shop in the village. It was heavy rain and with mum’s inability to walk far we skipped the usual walk around the village which we love to do and moved on by car to Ashbourne. Mum managed a few shops and the little Waitrose and then we came home for tea.
We ate our little feast in the car parked high above Abney in Derbyshire and watched the hang gliders taking off over Great Hucklow. Afterwards we visited more of mum’s favourite places – Pilsley farm shop and the Derbyshire Craft Centre.
The lights which are accompanied by music were quite spectacular – some are activated by and keep time with the music and were pretty amazing – we followed the trail around; each section just as breathtaking as the last. (Did you spot the picture just for you Sadie if you are reading this!) 
So it has been a few hectic days and I am now having a quieter time of reflection. Mum is becoming increasingly high maintenance now when she visits and needs a lot more attention to help her do all those little things that she would have done herself at one time – it can be a bit exhausting. On the other hand though how lucky am I to still have my mum around and that she is still able to look after herself in her little apartment with a little help from my sister. But I do fear for the future and how she will continue to cope.
I made two tiny posies – one to give to her mum and one for her two daughters in remembrance of Helen. I just quietly leave them on the doorstep – it is just a little something to let them know we are thinking of them.
where the journey takes me 2 