Christmas ... just around the corner !!

Out and about earlier (in between the heavy rain showers) I saw quite a few houses already had Christmas Trees and lights up. They did look nice, but it is a little early ... well I thought so.

All the best Jan

Christmas Alert

We have received two Christmas Cards already !!!

It's not even December yet !!!

All the best Jan

Not received any cards yet then again I've not sent any either will think about that next week which is early enough, I've bought most of my cards which are charity ones still got to buy stamps and their not cheap these days 

Yes, I agree Graham, stamps are not cheap ...


It's December 1st

https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2018/12/december-is-here-some-lower-carb-recipe.html

Wishing everyone a Happy Month and a good weekend.

All the best Jan

Best way to save money is to outlive your friends like my mother did. Then you don't have so many to send.

Sorry, am I a bit gloomy? I blame the weather, today was so dull it looked like time to go back to bed soon after I got up. Roll on the shortest day. Then even if it gets colder it will not be so sodding dark.

We were out earlier today and goodness me it did seem to get dark so early !!!

Looking on the bright side of things, our grand-daughter is taking part in her schools choir service for Christmas. She has been practising the songs and it's heavenly, yes you may call me biased  

Christmas is a wonderful time of year

All the best Jan

Humbug.

Only good thing about winter is the food. Even that didn't go so well this week, the first time the fish van had no herrings. Oh well I'll just stink the place out with a kipper.

I haven't tried them yet  LOL!

But here are ...

4 Low-Carb (& Keto-Friendly) Cocktails

https://www.marksdailyapple.com/4-low-carb-keto-alcohol-recipes/

All the best Jan

Happy Sunday Wishes to all …

Christmas is getting ever nearer

All the best Jan

I'm concentrating on trying to stay awake until the shortest day.

Chris said: "I'm concentrating on trying to stay awake until the shortest day."

Not too long to wait Chris ...
"The shortest day of 2018 will fall on December 21.
This is known as the winter solstice, marking the day of the year with the fewest sunlight hours.
The word solstice literally means, in Latin, that the sun is standing still.
That's because it marks the point when the sun's seasonal movement stops for a day, before it reverses and the amount of sunlight starts to change again."

More here
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7756001/shortest-day-of-the-year-2018/

All the best Jan

It was one of mother's annual trips to the top of the park to see her longest shadow on the shortest day.

When we moved here we used to go up the hill across the fields. Last year I couldn't have seen my shadow with a torch and a white stick, I wonder if I'll be lucky this year.

Probably not as I saw the new moon through glass which is supposed to mean a month of bad luck.

It's been so dark today … obviously grey clouds and then rain do not help!
Shortest Day this Friday 21st December.

According to my calendar    we still have a few days to wait until Christmas  
It is always so nice when out and about to see the sparkling fairy lights, Christmas trees etc.

I know many of us now use artificial trees but if you are one of those who prefer a real one and then don't know what to do with it after Christmas, this article may help ...

"What to do with your Christmas tree after Christmas

As January beckons and the festive season draws to a close, children across the land will soon be removing the angel atop their tree, and parcelling up the decorations for next year. One by one, our much-beloved Christmas trees will be left out in the cold to await their fate. This sorry sight of branches protruding from wheelie bins and limp, lacklustre trees on pavements is enough to bring a tear to one’s eye.

Around six million Christmas trees are sold in Britain each year, and the Local Government Association estimates that the cost of landfilling those trees would be approximately £13.9 million.

Thankfully, there are plenty of environmentally- and taxpayer-friendly ways to dispose of your tree.

Recycle
Thanks to local authorities, garden centres and community groups, recycling your Christmas tree couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is take down your decorations, remove the tree from its pot or stand, and leave it on the boundary of your plot. Alternatively, you can drop your tree at a designated communal collection point. These trees are then shredded into chippings which are used locally in parks or woodland areas.

To find out more about Christmas tree recycling in your area, contact your local authority.

Replant
If you can’t bear to part with your Christmas tree, why not replant it in your garden? The tree will prove an excellent shelter for birds during the cold winter months, and you can hang fat-balls, apples and nuts to keep the birds well-fed. Only live Christmas trees can be replanted, so make sure the root ball of your tree is still intact before digging a hole.

At the time of purchase, your tree will already be dormant, and it’s important to preserve that state of dormancy to help your tree survive once it’s been replanted. Keeping your tree away from radiators and heat sources is important. While your tree is indoors, water it daily to keep the root ball damp. If you’re worried your tree may have come out of dormancy while indoors, you can place your tree in a cold, sheltered area to allow it to re-enter dormancy.

If the ground is likely to freeze, digging a hole in advance will make things easier. Place your tree in the hole and backfill. Cover the hole with several inches of mulch, and water thoroughly.


Continue reading for more suggestions here
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/christmas/what-to-do-with-your-christmas-tree-after-christmas/ar-BBR4OeU?ocid=spartanntp

All the best Jan

Well it's almost Christmas, and reindeers are always talked about at this time of year - so here are a few more details about them.

Did you know "a reindeer is a reindeer everywhere in the world apart from North America where it’s known as a Caribou.

You can find reindeer (or caribou) to the north in the arctic and subarctic regions of the planet. They like to move around a lot and rarely stay in one place for very long. They have been known to cover up to 3,000 miles in a year…that’s roughly the distance from Folly Farm  in Pembrokeshire, UK to Toronto in Canada!

It’s not really much of a surprise that Reindeer have very thick coats. In fact, they have a double layered coat designed to keep them really cosy in chilly temperatures.

Conservation:
Although considered ‘least concern’ there are efforts to maintain the population further. The ‘WWF’ charity for instance, work with local people in order to find ways of reducing their impact on the environment through forestry, mining and reindeer herding. Plus, Santa’s got eight and they’re really well looked after!

Fun facts about reindeers:
Reindeer antlers are found on both males and females.
Their sense of sight and hearing aren’t brilliant, relying mainly on their sense of smell.
When they walk they click…it’s a tendon in their foot passing over a bone!
The first known written account of reindeer in association with the legend of Santa Claus occurred in 1821 in a booklet called ‘A New Year’s Present’.

Reindeer questions and answers:
So where do reindeers live?
Domesticated reindeers are mostly found in northern Scandinavia, Russia, and Iceland where they were introduced by humans in the 18th century.

Do reindeers live in large herds?
They do…massive in fact, anywhere between 50,000 and 500,000.

What do they eat?
They’re vegetarians so that means they don’t eat meat at all just anything green. Mainly lichen, fungi and leaves.

Can they run fast?
They certainly can. They have been recorded at speeds of between 36-48mph. The fastest man on the planet Usain Bolt runs at 27mph. How fast can you run?"

The above words from here
https://www.folly-farm.co.uk/zoo/meet-the-zoo-animals/reindeer/

Well Christmas Day came and went !
All of our grand-children had happy smiling faces, so we are told, when they discovered Father Christmas had been

For some Christmas morning started at 1.30 while others a more leisurely 5.45

Eddie and I enjoyed a peaceful mornings brunch before heading out to see the young ones  

… and now we wait for 2019

Hope your Christmas was a peaceful one.

All the best Jan

A friend was talking to me about Christmas EEK!

Apparently there are only 105 days to go  

I did see some Christmas Cards for sale … but ignored them … for the moment!

All the best Jan

Out in the shops this week and there is a lot of Halloween goodies available, many shop aisles have 'Enter if you dare' signs with a multitude of goodies to buy … there are even Halloween Crackers available!

I resisted the Halloween items, but did buy some Christmas cards … well I thought I'd make a start.
It's the stamps that are so expensive these days  

All the best Jan

What a thought  

Only 72 more days until Christmas

All the best Jan

Goodness! Only 57 more days until Christmas

Good job I bought some more Christmas Cards today …
Now to save up for the postage ... not cheap these days is it !!!

All the best Jan