T Stands for....this Christmas!

 Hi everyone, I hope your holiday season is up to your expectations! 

We started our celebrations on Christmas Eve by opening a special hot chocolate which was just perfect for T Stands For Tuesday.

I added marshmallows, more chocolate and cream (I don't like as much as hubby!) - it was delicious!

Of course I am raising this to all my TFST friends who join Bleubeard and Elizabeth at the Altered Book Lover throughout the year!

This year (because they were already cheap and we also had a voucher) we treated ourselves to almost matching pyjamas - the bear is slightly different but they both have matching plaid bottoms.

We sent this pic to our family.

The view from our window that you see above changed quite dramatically one night last week. After a very grey day the sun decided to shine at around 3.30pm, the sky behind was still quite grey!

Which reminds me I have a journal page for Wendy's AJJ Theme - 'Above Us Only Sky'.

The sky photo is one of my own taken on one of our walks. The hot air balloon and kite from a cut down tag.I used watercolour paint and ink through a stencil for the background. 

That's it for this week, I have a party to prepare for later in the week! My turn to host our big family Twixmas party.

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands For.........Trying to keep it together!

Hi everyone, I really am trying to keep it together but after a succession of events it's not so easy! 

Our washing machine broke down a couple of weeks ago, okay made an appointment, only had to wait a week and it is now fixed. Meanwhile while waiting for that to take place the Nespreso machine needed descaling...did that, now it won't start, rang someone who told me what to do, nope! Okay we'll take it to the shop next time we go that way next Tuesday - we can use filter jug! Except that - we can't go that way now...or anywhere else,  our car died last Saturday...dead, totally! The AA came out charged it for 15 minutes and told hubby give it a long run! He got a quarter of a mile then got an error message so came back home! 

Rang the service dept of our garage - they can fix it on 8th January and that's only because we have a service booked for that day -  we will have to arrange a transporter to take the car!

Then there's our family party, I offered to host this and we had a date in mind, now someone has to work on that date - still to be re-arranged!!! A meal out with friends has had to be cancelled too as we were going to pick them up from two different houses. 

Then I sit back and think, at the moment we are reasonably healthy, we haven't got to move out of our home because of flood, structure problems or war. We can afford to heat our apartment, we have food in the cupboard/fridge, we have a computer so we have managed to get a delivery slot and a local small supermarket that we can walk to and we can choose what we want. 

We may be on our own on Christmas Day and that's fine too, hopefully family will call in at some time over the holiday time.

My three grown up children are taking me out tonight - we will have time to chat, something we don't do together when we have family gatherings.

All is good! 

Now, ramble over......continuing with our Journey to France last September!

After we visited the Rock shop we headed to Beynac castle - connections here with Eleanor of Aquitaine and her son Richard 1.

First we saw the beautiful view over the valley.

Crossbows on a ceiling hook

Sword slots in the dining table

Tea anyone?

I loved seeing this

The views from the castle were amazing...

...even more so when we saw these coming up towards the castle.

Noisy crows overhead!

As we were leaving a lady came along with some jangling keys, she was going to lock everything up - the keys were huge...and heavy!! She kindly held them up for us to take a photo

One final look back at Chateau Beynac

It is one of the most interesting castles we have visited....although with the Eleanor of Aquitaine connections you do realise I am slightly biased!

We were treated to an amazing sunset on the way back and then there was this when we got back.

The moon was rising above the Manoir.

For my ticket to tea this week I have a coffee that was served to me on Saturday while out with friends.

My friends had a swirly pattern on theirs.

Just right for joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T Stands For Tuesday at The  Altered Book Lover blog and for wishing everyone the very best  for this  Christmas time!

Thanks for looking, Chris

  

T Stands For....The rock shop...

Hi everyone, not much more of our French trip left now. 

First a look at what I have been doing today - hubby took out for my birthday to one of my favourite places Clink at Styal. It is a restaurant that gives prisoners a chance to gain qualifications in catering and the restaurant at Styal is in a beautiful old chapel. 

I took my tiny journal with me and made quick page with washitape while waiting for our food!

I had to be careful not to get anyone else in the photo.

We both had Turkey and veg

The best surprise was my Black Forest Trifle

I was also presented with a Clink cook book with some lovely recipes in which I read while this (from YouTube) was on my TV screen when we got back from visiting friends after our lunch.

We don't have a fire here so it was lovely to have this fire crackling quietly while I read.

I am joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth at the Altered Book Lover for T Stands for Tuesday. We both had Tonic water and shared a jug of water to drink. 

While in France staying with my son we had a day out to beautiful Sarlat (link here)

 

After lunch we went to a Rock shop, I have never seen so many in one place

Some rocks were sold by weight - others had been priced individually.

It was a fascinating place but we were headed some where else....more next time!

Thanks for looking, Chris

 

ps Blogger has given me a hard time today  - uploading photos, then hiding my post - what is going on?