This evenings performance

Sometimes when you look out of the window you see something that wasn't there the moment before. The setting sun covered the top of the hill in deep orange lighting up the distant snow. The intense colour faded almost as quickly as it came and then it was gone. 

That time of year

I thought my marmalade hadn't worked. It took ages before it would set. I think I added too much water for the amount of oranges. Eventually at around midnight, after the rest of the house (Niels) had gone to bed, a tiny little hint of a wrinkle appeared on the saucer when I tested for a set.  Hurrah, we shall have marmalade for another year. It tastes delicious, even if I do say so myself! And, for those marmalade makers among you, the oranges I used were left over from last year. I put them  into the freezer whole and they did their marmalade thing perfectly -  if a little slowly, and I  think that was because my measuring wasn't quite right.

Where to begin?

The lochside when it isn't stormy

The Christmas card that wasn't sent

Olek was the best snowflake on the block, even if he did have a bit of a problem keeping his tights up. 

After the play Olek showed me his class. The 'knitivity' scene and baby Jesus looking a bit like a peanut

He showed me the thinking area, which I think every home needs.

Christmas was lovely

And after Christmas I set about making a New Year card  to replace the not needed Christmas card.

At the beginning of December just as we were getting ready to journey south to visit family and friends, we had a storm on the lochside. Gale force winds in the early hours of the morning arrived with violent flashes of lightning and ominous crashes of thunder. One blinding flash of lightning struck a nearby telegraph pole ripping out cables and bringing down phones and internet connections along the lochside. The phone sockets exploded out of the walls leaving trailing wires and blackened plugs discarded on the floor. Unfortunately my computer and the printer were also effected.
Luckily no other damage was done and the house and surrounds remained in tact. It was a pretty violent storm and locals can't remember thunder and lightning like it. It was ferocious.
We left the stormy lochside and headed south. We saw so many friends on our visit. Thank you to everyone for making us so welcome. I do miss you all. On our homeward journey we went to see Olek's Christmas play at his school in west Yorkshire. It was wonderful.
We enjoyed a family Christmas.
 And now, after nearly six weeks, I have my computer back and a new printer. I realise how dependent on the computer I am. My Christmas cards and all address labels were on there. I'd managed to print a few off the day before the storm, but not enough. Yesterday I sent out a New Year card to friends who might wonder where we've been!
I've missed my blog. This year I want to try and  blog a little and often. I get 'blogger's block' when I leave too many long gaps!
A belated Happy New Year - and thank you to those of you who haven't quite given up on 'Brookwood Letters!'