A funny old weekend, but a good one. All my plans for celebrating my beloved's birthday went topsy turvy - starting at about 3am when the sound of vomiting came from our youngest's bedroom....sigh! So some things had to be put on hold...but perhaps that was a good thing. We awoke some hours later to snow drifting down. After such a mild winter this was a beautiful and welcome gift. We spent a restful, peaceful day eating his favourite pains au chocolat, lying around by the new stove, luxuriating in the heat. A bit more food, a bit of snow, cake, balloons and a pile of love - he's easily pleased. A gift of a man.

 And Sunday? Sun and snow, an irresistible combination. We headed out for a walk and our worship, thankful for all the beauty that surrounds us.

Oh yes, and a bit of chicken love too...The man and his cockerel...

PS Sorry about the non-appearances of photos for a few days - took me a while to work out why - I'm just not a techie girl. here's hoping!

Preparing

Somewhere in the fantasy department of my mind I had thought I might manage to post every day during Advent...ahem, things seem to have gone a little astray and the reality has been the usual whirlwind of creative activities, baking, decorating and trying to keep up with an exploding calendar - whilst all the time telling myself to try to simplify, let go and move away from all that has little to do with my personal vision of Christmas! Phew! But our family have arrived, most of the essentials are done(ish), the snow has fallen deeply and beautifully and we are starting to feel that Christmas is really on its way...aided by a nice wee glass of port...

Mince pies have been made in vast quantities, with plenty of small helping hands...

A few little gnomes have been sent off on their voyages...

The house looks and smells Christmassy, with many more homemade decorations, from big and small hands, added this year...

Did you know Santa speaks Gaelic? And travels on a steam train? How perfect is that?

We have heard the Christmas story retold, in a sweet and creative number of ways, with my boys being a thoughtful and serious Joseph, and a somewhat wayward but terribly cute sheep.

The run up to Christmas is a terrible time to decide to make a quilt, but sometimes the beautiful ideas that inspire me on other people's blogs - I'll share in the New Year, as I'm starting to wilt at this late hour - just have to be followed up, even when a trillion other things are calling. The result has made me very happy, so I'm glad I went for it. I want to make a really big one now!

And snow! Gorgeous, deep, dramatic snow, that has caused the schools to shut (oh blessed relief!) and has created all kinds of chaos, but is such a wonderful gift, imposing a certain stillness on us all, just as we needed it.

May you have a warm, joyful and peaceful Christmas! With much love from Featherglen!

The Invitation

Mmm, don't you love it when you wake up to a beautiful sunny Saturday? Frost on the ground and sun in the sky - just perfect. So, after a long lazy breakfast with a friend staying over, we couldn't resist the invitation to go out....

or to jump on all the icy puddles...

following the track...

climbing the hill...

soaking in the winter colours...

the first picnic of the year, (with frozen toes, I'll admit) lounging on mounds of heather with hot tea and oatcakes....

And then, after several hours of being out, the glow of coming home with rosy cheeks, to lounge around reading Tintin together, making pancakes, more tea, more knitting - yes, the perfect day. Thanks for the invitation.

And thank you to everyone who has sent me such nice comments or emails - I know this is the only the first week, but I've enjoyed it so much and learnt masses along the way. Have a great weekend.

Cold But Happy

Well, as my sister would say, it's still butt freezing here, and will be for several months (this is the Highlands after all, hey ho). However, there are days that are so beautiful that it's hard to stay in, and a wee wander in the wood is calling out. What rewards and tranquility, if one is muffled up. Some things are just as beautiful in their winter state....

And then there is the reward of hot tea and maybe some buttered toast. Does it get any better than that?
Recipe for my modestly entitled 'Perfect Bread' coming along soon...

PS Those of you having troubles leaving comments should find it easier now - I hope I have sorted it out!

A Celebration and a Surprise

This weekend we celebrated with another man dear to our family's heart; Happy Birthday Syd! Also a member of L'Arche and a faithful friend to my wee lads. It is surely a sign of his significance in our community that many of us braved icy winds to pack into Syd's living room (and up the stairs) to share this most auspicious of days - it's probably impolite to share exactly how many years he has been walking and cycling the planet...anyway, the scones were fantastic and we hope you have a wonderful year ahead.

A bit of a surprise this morning - snow! Well, it has been freezing for a couple of days and there's been that certain smell in the air, but even so, what a delight to wake up and find this...I'm almost as excited as the boys about it.

Normally I'm not a winter person, I usually retreat into my duvet and have to prodded hard to come out before spring. However, to my surprise, I'm loving winter this year. Moving last August out of Inverness and into the wilds has given me a new energy and intense appreciation for where we live. This contact with nature makes me feel alive and peaceful, in a way even a lovely city like Inverness never did. Nonetheless, when it gets really icy, and the wind is howling, where do I like to be?

This evening, not too far away from this particular spot...