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| The Wise Men (1900) by JC Leyendecker (1874-1951 |
I trust everyone had a blessed and happy Christmas Day.
We sang the old carols at church, and enjoyed a very special family lunch at the home of our younger son.
It was lovely to have three of our grandsons to share the day, and a Lot of Lego changed hands...
We were spoilt by our children, with gifts of champagne, books, and many useful items for everyday life...
Our host even gave us a beautiful banana loaf, wrapped in a brown paper package, tied up with string... Delicious!
Do you know what this is?
A case for my sunglasses, which folds flat in my purse. Nifty...
It opens up like a piece of origami...
Our daughter sent a new book to read, The Promise by Damon Galgut, a winner of the Booker Prize. I am sure I will devour it very soon - when I finish the biographies of Dame Nellie Melba and The Emperor Charles I....
Do you read several books at the same time too?
There are few flowers in the Garden of Neglect these days - it is the height of Summer, humid and frequently raining...
Mr Red Cardinal is spending the holidays weeding and pruning...
Did you watch Her Majesty's Christmas broadcast?
As always, she reads beautifully and her words are well-chosen, a sad time following the passing of her husband Prince Philip, after 73 years of marriage.
I thought her red dress was stunning...
Kate the Great gave us a lovely surprise, playing the piano in concert.
So accomplished. And in red.
(I wish I had made myself a red dress for Christmas. Maybe next year...)
The last of the pansies.
I have an annual competition with myself, to keep pansies going into the Summer until my birthday (November) and even better, until Christmas.
This little one made it on Christmas Day.
Pansy season is, alas, now over until next Autumn.
Thank goodness for geraniums, such stalwarts, even in Summer.
Happy New Year to you and yours
XXXXX
Patricia, your posts are always so delightful, with many interesting things to share. The Lorikeets are back! I can't tell you how beautiful and colorful these birds are to me - here, we get the ordinary birds, pretty, but not that colorful, with the exception of the Blue Jay, the Robin with his orange belly, and some red and yellow birds. But the Lorikeets are magnificent! The banana loaf looks moist and scrumptious, what a thoughtful gift. The present of a book is always a nice gift. Kate looks lovely in red, and talented as well. Didn't know she plays the piano. I'm so glad you got to see your grandsons for Christmas. And I also wanted to mention that painting of the Three Wise Men is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI hope the new year brings you so many good things, Patricia.
~Sheri
Thank you Sheri. The lorikeets say Hi, and are glad you like them. I have seen a Blue Jay, only once, and thought it a beautiful bird too. A surprise Kate plays piano, and memories of Diana who also played publicly in Australia. (it is on UTube). I really like that painting too, but have not been able to find the artist's name. I will keep trying.
DeleteHappy New Year!
ReplyDeleteWishing y'all good things
Happy New Year, Salty Pumpkin, hope it is a good one for you too.
DeleteHow colourful this post is, full of birds and pretty foliage. Those Lorikeets are gorgeous! I'm glad you had a good Christmas with the family that is close by.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Queen and the Duchess both looked wonderful in red. Kate's piano playing talent is something new to me, and she did very well.
The Epiphany painting is beautiful and rich-looking. Wishing you a happy start to the New Year.
Bright colour works well in our harsh Summer light, but red looks good everywhere, especially against snow. Kate did very well, so assured and enjoying herself. Wishing you a very Happy New Year too.
DeleteWhat interesting subjects to read, Trish! Glad you're enjoying the holiday week until New Year's. I wish we could also have a summer Christmas! :)
ReplyDeleteCatherine is lovely and talented, and your adult children are fun to keep up with. I love your very compact and innovative eyeglass case + all the photos!
The blog aims to please, variety is our aim, he he. You will have to have a Summer Christmas, one of these years. The case will change my life - so handy to tuck into my purse. Happy New Year Debra.
DeleteThank you for such a happy post! I can imagine the LEGO at Christmas as my boys were very heavily into it and I still have a huge box in the garage awaiting grandkids!!! My youngest son’s Christmas gift to us was a contract. He lives in Sydney and worked on the harbour driving boats! A job very dependent on tourism. He has got himself a job driving City Cats on the Brisbane River so will be moving back here with his partner in fact they arrive on Saturday!!! My eldest is due home from Panama City with his wife in. February There is going to be an almighty celebration in Upper Kedron and next Christmas….. well !!!!
ReplyDeleteI do wish I could play like Kate but I started in my mid 60’s and I still break out in a cold sweat playing for my teacher.
Have you been to the Van Gough installation?
Cheers for a very happy Covid free new year. We’re all boostered although I hope we don’t succumb!! Lindsey.
Hi Trish!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a very blessed and wonderful Christmas! Red did seem to be the color for the season. I saw Kate playing on social media and was so impressed!! I pray 2022 brings better and brighter days than years past. I pray that you and yours a very healthy and blessed New Year ahead!! 🙏🌟
Hi Carrie, we did have a really lovely Christmas, and the little twin grandsons sure added to the atmosphere. They must have wondered what was going on with all those gifts. Praying for better days as our covid rate goes higher every day, quite a new experience for us here. It makes me a bit anxious! New Year Blessings to you dear Carrie. xxx
DeleteOh yes, Lego is wonderful. We also have our original Duplo and Lego, recently washed and brought out for the new arrivals. What a great gift from your son, coming back here to work! And a returning son from Panama as well, your cup runneth over. I will hear the celebration from my house :) We have fingers crossed that our recently relocated son will stay here permanently, not just for the duration of the pandemic. It looks promising from the working point of view. No we have not been to the VG installation, and probably will not with the upsurge of covid. Two years ago we saw a wonderful immersive experience of Van Gogh in giant caves in the South of France, so we do not feel deprived. I would like to see the Sistine Chapel one at West End though, to see the paintings face on rather that with ones head thrown back as we did at the actual Vatican. Oh, the best with is to be Covid free. We have appointments for the Boost, so hope for the best. Happy New Year to you and your family Lindsey.
ReplyDeleteMust be close to New Years 2022 already down under. Happy New Year Beautiful Lady. Sending Blessings and Wishes for a great year 2022 for you and everybody in your life from Georgia USA.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is New Year's Day, and cool and wet. I slept through the parties and fireworks in the neighbourhood! Happy New Year and all good things to you in 2022. Hi to all in lovely Georgia USA.
DeleteYouur favourite feathered friends are so colourful.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a lovely Christmas! Wishing you all the best for the coming year, dear Patricia.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
All the best to you too, dear Amalia. Happy New Year xo
DeleteI'm a bit late here due to the Christmas holiday week. We had to stagger ours, so it took much longer than usual :) As always, a lovely post, Patricia, and I'm so glad you had a lovely time with your family. Yes, both the queen and Kate look marvellous in their red dresses!
ReplyDeleteHello Val, A long Christmas sounds good, and I hope you enjoyed it all. Yay for red dresses (next Christmas maybe).
DeleteYes, a great post and enjoyed hearing of the lovely time you had with family Trish.
ReplyDeleteWe watched the Queen as always, and a tear came to my eye, as always! Homesick of course, hoping she will be here to do it again next Dec. 25, hoping I will too, and that I'll have been home this year to visit much missed family in Devon, and see a smidgen of old London once again. Kate, gorgeous as always - what a beauty she is.
Enjoyed hearing that your garden is still doing well - now that we've actually had a night below freezing, I see some plant damage - but of course always know spring will come and life in the sleeping garden will return.
HAPPY NEW YEAR dear Trish.
hellow Mary, so good to watch the Queen. How frail she now looks, but wonderful in red. I do hope you can to home to visit Devon in 2022 - and to see London too. Now we discovered on our last trip that a visit to Canada via London can be achieved quite nicely, I want to do it all again - post-Covid, of course. Happy days, and Happy New Year dear Mary.
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