We are almost there!
Last day at work today and I am so ready for this break………………………it’s been the busiest pre-Christmas period ever. Working with small children, Christmas is off the scale exciting!! We’ve had a visit from the big man himself, the Christmas jumper day, the elf run, the nativity, the carol concert, the Christmas dinner, the Christmas parties, there’s glitter everywhere………………………………..and I’m now ready for a lie down in a darkened room!
But I love Christmas! Because it’s when I can don my fancy dress outfit, trim up at home, buy and give gifts (I love giving gifts) and get all creative…………………..and this year has been no exception on the creative front.
I had a lovely day in Leeds doing my Christmas shopping…………………………………….I love the arcades in Leeds city centre as they are from the Victorian era with fancy glass roofs and twinkly lights. I feel like I’m in a Charles Dickens novel wandering around.
So what creative things have I been up to? A bit of all sorts really…………….painting, crafting, making, baking and singing with my choir mainly. I tend to be more creative in Autumn and Winter when the nights are dark and cold, or the weather is bad on a weekend. When it’s nice and bright, in the other seasons, I like to be outside.
First of all I went on Part 2 of my linocut course a month ago……………this time to make a 2 colour jigsaw linocut. A jigsaw linocut is where you can create a multicolour print by carving your picture onto one single piece of lino, in one layer. You then cut the lino up into more than one piece, but the lino pieces need to slot together easily, like a jigsaw. But you ink up each piece separately in a different colour.
Once you’ve inked the block up, you then slide the pieces back together, and press the print onto the paper using either a special press or by simply burnishing it with the back of a wooden spoon. As it was the group’s first attempt at jigsaw, we had to think of quite a simple two colour idea that would slot together easily. I decided to do a Lapwing because they remind me of country walks on the moors of Yorkshire. We have so many of these at home, and Curlews. They are two of my favourite birds.
It turned out quite well and I was pleased with my effort.
It was a lovely morning with a great group of ladies………………………and I just love coming to Michelle’s gorgeous studio which looks out over her garden. It is so light and airy and she is so lucky to have a space like this to create in. Maybe it can be one of my retirement projects, to create myself my own little creative space.
I’ve also been to Harewood House in Leeds to weave a reindeer from French willow. This was instead of making a wreath this year. I really enjoyed the day with Laiyla from Dragon Willow, but goodness, it was quite difficult, and my hands hurt so much after 6 hours of weaving willow. I’d definitely do it again though, a very satisfying and lovely way to get all festive.
The mince pies are made! In fact they have been made and eaten a few times over!😆
The cake is decorated……………….this year’s design is entitled ‘Five Robins on a Log’. It is a household bake off challenge I set every year ……………………..but seeing as I was, yet again, the only one to enter…………..I won! 😂 “You’ve got to be in it to win it!”, I announced as I revealed the prize was a spa session for one! 🤭 It was an afternoon well spent as I love fiddling and crafting, making my little Robins………………..it was so relaxing.
The annual ladies treat day and Christmas lunch for Mum has been held. I took her to Norman’s Neighbourhood Kitchen in Kirkburton near where I live. Now this was a brave choice by me! Mum likes good simple Yorkshire food and is not too adventurous……………….I am adventurous and love to try things I’ve not eaten before. Norman’s is a relatively new restaurant, named after the owner’s dog. They’ve already found their way into the Michelin guide, recently been visited by Bruce Springsteen and are making waves on the local restaurant scene. So I thought I’d take Mum along for a treat because she’s just amazing and I love her to pieces!
They serve small plates for sharing but the combinations and flavours are really different like: Venison Ossobuco with Massaman sauce; Lamb rump served with salsa macha, smoked yoghurt, and lovage oil; and desserts like Brownie topped with a light mouse, dark chocolate glaze, caramel cremeaux, blackcurrant sauce, pretzel icecream and butter roasted pretzel crumb. It really is a foodie paradise. It’s quite expensive, and personally, I do like a good value pie and a pint at the local pub, but for a special occasion or treat I would definitely recommend it as it is pretty outstanding.
We had some lovely olives to nibble on while our food came.
Then we had Scallop crudo, nduja ponzo, avocado, Italian furikake and pine nuts……………….
I didn’t tell her where we were going beforehand and I didn’t let her see the menu as that would have just stressed her out as she wouldn’t know what to choose as she’d probably not have heard of half the things on the menu. I told her I’d order a few things I knew we’d both like and we’d share them. Well………………she loved it! I had to explain each dish to her and what was in it but she really enjoyed trying everything………………and so did I. I just randomly selected a few dishes that went well together, without over thinking it, as I like most things.
Making sure we got some of our five a day we had roasted Jerusalem artichokes, caramelised apple, sherry Bovril and hogweed seed. This was particularly nice.
And to go alongside the artichokes some lamb rump, salsa macha, lovage and smoked yoghurt! Wow! 😍
And of course, let’s not forget dessert!
I’m ready for a really big relax now though, because it’s all been a bit hectic. So this is a very short post just to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I’m looking forward to cooking Christmas lunch, which I love doing as I like to feed people, and then I have 11 whole days off work after Christmas with nothing in my diary. The boys and everyone else are working straight after Christmas so it’s going to be a really nice relaxing period going with the flow and entertaining myself, I might even go away on a little trip to Europe, we’ll see………………it will be nice to just do something last minute and jet off with a little spontaneity.
I’ll be back in 2026 at some point. There will be no vague, over ambitious New Year resolutions……………………I’m more of a realistic, continuous self-improvement sort of girl. I like to have a focus and a purpose so I’m already working towards some pretty exciting academic linguistic goals for the first half of 2026 and one very exciting physical challenge. I will share the latter at some point but in the meantime I’m working very hard, but still finding plenty of time to relax.
There have been some lovely long early Sunday morning runs where I get up before everyone else, tie my hair back, no make up, no hair brush and set off from home……………it’s my weekly ‘steady ten run’ I call it. Ten miles, really steady, and back before breakfast…………….in fact everyone is normally still in bed when I get back!
I have no route plan, I just set off from home, across the fells or down to the reservoir. There’s something quite liberating about running with no destination. I run for 5 miles in one direction and then turn around and make my way back via a different route. It might be psychological but I don’t like coming back the same way! 😆 Odd, aren’t I!
Up with the sun and out of the house, just like I like it. I usually head down to the reservoir with its sculptures when running from home, because it’s so peaceful down there.
I always feel a bit bad about disturbing these birds as I bound along the wooden walkways.
I’ve now got a lovely new PT who has been drafted in short term to help focus my strength, conditioning and core work as running, running and just more running is not going to suffice for my little challenge………………I’ll be 55 when I do it and I’m going to have to be in tip top condition to pull it off, so there are a lot of weights, squats and lunges going on to give me the best chance possible, but it’s still a bit of a long shot! I’ve never had a PT before, the idea of paying someone to shout at me has never really appealed. 😆 And I’ve always thought it a little extravagant, I prefer to spend my monthly allowance I give myself, after I’ve paid my bills, and made my charitable donations, on experiences, travel and learning rather than material or cosmetic things and a PT would fall into the latter for me. Neither do I like gyms, I find them boring, I think it’s the repetition and being indoors that I don’t like. But it’s all good. For a short period of a few months I will persevere as there’s a noticeable improvement already in my strength and my running, I’ve got glutes like I never dreamt I’d have, I’ve grown two of my six pack (not sure where the other four are hiding, I’m still trying to unearth them 😂) and I’m feeling really fit and motivated!
So bring on 2026, I’m ready for you! Hope it’s a good one for anyone reading this, with lots of love, laughter and adventures. Live; love; laugh; be kind; embrace nature, people and the world around you; stay true to yourself; and the rest will just unfold as it’s meant to. See you on the other side in 2026!
