New Year's Eve with the Nubians

New Year's Eve, 2011

I must admit, New Year's Eve with the Nubians sounds a lot more exciting than what it actually was.  The Nubians made the necklace, that's all.  It was a gift from my dear friend who went to Egypt to celebrate her 60th birthday and her 40th wedding anniversary.  She told fellow travellers the 60-40 story, although some of them misunderstood her and thought it was her husband's 60th birthday and her 40th birthday.  (She's that ageless.)  Apparently when Reg complained, she said, "Be happy, they've knocked four years off your actual age!"

Anyway, on the course of her trip down the Nile, there were a group of Nubian entertainers one night.  So, in addition to teaching the others to belly dance (talk about taking coals to Newcastle!) she also bought 20 or so of these necklaces to give to her friends back home.  What a sweet thought.  She said they cost next to nothing, but what a lovely gesture.

So, the Nubians came with me to New Year's Eve, which was actually populated more by Chinese, seeing as we went to a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet.  The food was wonderful, but really, your stomach will only let you eat so much.  Although Gorgeous Husband and I did test the limits of a stomach's stretchability! 

May 2012 be good to us all!

How I Spent Christmas and the tale of the naughty computer

Christmas 2011

A belated Merry Christmas to all!  Here I am on Christmas morning at Liverpool Cathedral.  The service is just over and we have worshipped and taken communion with about 798 others.  No exaggeration!  Christmas Day service is PACKED.  (Gorgeous husband did a calculation of the number of rows and number of seats per row.) The service finishes with Widor's Toccata in D, belted out by one of the most powerful church organs in the world.  Magnificently stirring stuff!!

Afterwards we had the usual Christmas day with his family, and even though I have been with them for 15 Christmas dinners consecutively, it never fails to amaze me that they don't fight, there is no hard feelings, and everyone has a jolly time.  So different from other Christmases I have known, but that's another story!

The naughty computer decided to die, or go on extended holiday, or off into la-la land on Christmas Eve.  I thought I could catch up using the computers at the library, but no, no, no..... they are closed until January 3.  Just as I contemplated an expensive bill for computer repair, GH decided to have a go at it one more time.  Surprise, surprise.  It is back, and behaving as though nothing had happened.  What is one to do?  Just be glad and amazed and hope that it continues to operate, I suppose.

Handmade owl on taupe sweater

Here is one of my presents from the Bloggers' Christmas swap on my new taupe sweater.  The two items are almost exactly the same colour, so they harmonize really well. The stitching on the owl is really lovely, so thanks to Mrs. D for that!

Sometimes I just get fixated on one colour, and buy several things in that colour, without even being consciously aware of it.  One year it was red, once it was yellow, but lately it's taupe: that lovely warm greyish brown. Someone said to me it was "donkey brown", but I don't think that has the same flair.

As I said to a friend of mine, "if taupe is your colour, it will look REALLY good on you, but if it isn't --yuck!"

I think it's my colour.  I hope it is.  I feel good wearing it, so I indulge myself.  No one has passed out from fright seeing me in it.  At least not yet anyway.

Look what I got in the Bloggers' Christmas Swap!

Aren't I lucky?!!  This is what I got in the Bloggers' Christmas Swap from Mrs. D of http://www.hellothemushroom.com/ .  For Christmas: 4 delightful tiny sequinned high heel shoes (she knows I'm a shoe girl),  the handmade: a beautiful owl brooch, and the thrifted, a vintage initial brooch with the letter "R".

I thought the owl was really lovely, beautifully stitched.  It will look great on my new jumper (sweater to my North American friends).  It'll be a taupe owl on taupe knit, so really chic.

Interestingly, she chose a Christmas card featuring a sweet kitten, and she didn't even know what a cat lover I am.  We must have been on the same wavelength!

Mrs. D and I both agree that the swap was a lot of fun.  For myself, I found it wonderful to be giving a present to someone I hardly knew.  It was really enjoyable and possibly the best part (in addition to connecting with someone new) was that we got to open them as soon as we got them so that the photos can go on Sacramento's blog.  I can hardly wait to see all the great exchanges!

The Bloggers' Christmas Swap has begun!

My package has been received by the lovely Mrs. D at http://www.hellothemushroom.blogspot.com/ and the photos have come out great!  The sweetheart that she is, she's also included the Christmas labels with my scribbling on them.  When I first saw them, I did wonder why the handwriting looked so familiar, and then the penny dropped!  It was my own handwriting, silly goose that I am!!

Many thanks to Sacramento of http://www.mispapelicos.com/ for organising this.  It has been a lot of fun.  I'm wondering what the other bloggers will get in their packages.  Mine is on its way, so I'm keen to rip open my pressies, possibly on Monday.

I must say, the Internet is great for connecting people with similar interests from all over the world.  I feel I "know" so many marvellous people.

The blog I check most regularly

I'm not exactly short of inspiration today, I just thought I would pay homage to the fashion blog that is my all-time favourite, and the one that I turn to again and again for inspiration, for fun, and for her beautiful style, both in words and in clothes.  It's http://www.stylecrone.com/. 

If you fancy seeing a really beautiful woman, who deals with pain and loss with such strength and in such an uplifting way, check out her blog.  Judith lost her beloved husband Nelson earlier this year.  The way that she has dealt with her grief and the bewilderment of having to start life anew without him is indeed awe-inspiring.  Here's to you, Judith! You're one in a million.

Saint Nicholas's Day

I adore these chocolate Santas that are all on a stick like lollipops.  I think they are so cute!

I decided to post this image in honour of Saint Nicholas's Day, although, technically speaking, it was actually yesterday.  I should have taken the photo then, but I was too busy being at a Christmas dinner, which I suppose is a good "seasonal" excuse.

Anyway, Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children, and in the Netherlands, children receive presents on his day, which is December 6.  Then Christmas Day, the 25th, is reserved as a religious occasion.  I'm totally in favour of this type of arrangement, as it separates the hoopla and the frenzy of gift giving, the razzle and dazzle, etc from the celebration of the birth of Christ, which is a religious occasion with deep significance. 

Much has been said about the commercialization of Christmas, and indeed, most stores make the majority of their income from the last couple of months of the calendar year.  To me, all this festivity and over-festivity seems to be like a tremendous amount of icing on a small and already very rich cake.

Does anyone else feel they would like the secular and the religious aspects of Christmas to be two separate occasions, or am I just weird?