.JPG)
Merry Christmas from the Red Cardinal Blog
(if there are still some readers out there!)
Apologies for my absence, as I have been ill for quite a long time.
.JPG)
At last I have the Christmas tree set up, although the grandchildren are having a superb time re-arranging it from a three-year-old's perspective...
.JPG)
I love this silver Irish angel...
.JPG)
.JPG)
There was a time when the tree was up mid-October, and I was decorating the whole house.
And loved every minute of it.
.JPG)
This year, I only have a few child-friendly pieces on display...
.JPG)
The three little ones love this Lego Gingerbread house -
bought last year from K Mart..
.JPG)
In early November, we set out on an eight-day holiday, a bus trip beginning in Australia's National Capital, Canberra, in southern New South Wales...
It was an art and garden tour, with a visit high into the Australian Alps to see snow-covered Mt. Kosciusko, Australia's highest peak.
.JPG)
Unfortunately, on the day we flew home, I developed symptoms and tested positive to Covid 19, for the first time.
I had managed to avoid it for three years and nine months since the pandemic began, not by chance, but by being extremely careful and aware of my surroundings, and using masks in unsafe places and crowds.
But I dropped my guard when enjoying our tour among lovely fellow guests..
.JPG)
.JPG)
Christmas at the Red Cardinal nest is being rather thrown together at the last minute this year, but we really look forward to the arrival of our Australian families on the day...
The highest point in Australia - looking across a valley to Mt. Kosciusko.
This is in mid-Summer..
This area is snow covered many months of the year, and there are lots of ski resorts nearby.
Beautiful, stunted, snow gums which grow up in the snow country.e
After Christmas, I hope to show more pictures of the beautiful gardens we saw on our tour.
.JPG)
Wishing you and your loved ones all the Blessings of the Christmas season, a beautiful Christmas Day, and a great New Year.
With love from the
Red Cardinal
XXXX
.JPG)
Oh My Goodness. Take each day to get stronger. Terrible that COVID is still amongst us. Merry Christmas to you and yours from Georgia USA.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I am doing light exercise and working to return to my old self. Somehow at the beginning I thought I could see out the Covid pandemic by being careful, and life would return as it was. This does not seem to be the case, as more variants keep sweeping the country. Merry Christmas to you in beautiful Georgia.
DeleteDearest Trish - I'm so pleased to hear from you this morning and to know you are starting to feel better. What a bad time you've had with COVID, so very sorry you've had to deal with all that and wish you well soon. Bob and I still have managed to escape it however have had this awful new respiratory infection doing the rounds which knocked us for a loop on our return from Thanksgiving in Arizona. I'd had a milder version my second week when in the UK in Oct. - now thinking all these viruses are coming from travel by plane perhaps! Today I'm doing better but still coughing - Bob seems to be fine now thankfully.
ReplyDeleteGlad you have been able to do some Christmas decorating for the little ones - all looks so pretty and joyful. Sending love and good wishes for the holidays and a wonderful healthy and happy New Year to you all.
Mary XOXOXO
So sorry you got a new respiratory infection; there are a lot of new ones here too. Whatever is going on?? I think you are right, the virus travels by plane around the world. The cough does hang on, doesn't it. It is such a joy to decorate, while it is not my usual More is More approach, he he. The kids have the best time playing under and with The Tree. Love and best wishes to you too. xoxox
DeleteDearest Patricia,
ReplyDeleteWell, we are no longer spring chicken and whatever flu or virus we catch will be harder to shed.
Wishing you soon get your strength back and manage to enjoy Christmas with family.
Merry Christmas to all of you!
Mariette
Dear Mariette, Yes, I am very much not a spring chicken after a recent birthday. It was the most miserable birthday of my life, being in bed and unable to see people or enjoy a cake. But life goes on, and I am glad I did not end in hospital or worse. A last minute issue has meant Christmas celebrations have relocated to our place this year! It is both an honour and a worry... I do not have to cook much, but a bit of tidying up needs to happen. Merry Christmas to you too. xx
Delete🎄
DeleteDear Patricia - Thank you for your visit and kind greetings, but really sorry to learn from you here that you have been really ill with the wretched virus. Crossing our fingers tightly we have so far managed to avoid it, but now there are also other strange virus doing the rounds too. As Mary mentions I think that planes could be a problem when travelling. Sharing a public space with recycled air for multiple hours means that germs pass through everyone continuously.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you have picked up in time for Christmas, and hoping that you feel strong enough to enjoy your little ones over the holiday period, but do take it easy.
Well done for avoiding the dreaded Covid19 thus far. I fear I may have become a bit smug with my avoidance tactics, but I learnt my lesson and am not invincible. I know specifically how I caught it (from another person on our tour) but really, I just dropped my guard, particularly regarding air circulation. I have now wrapped the gifts and enjoy looking at them in a pile, waiting for the family to come. It is such a joy to have small grandchildren at our advanced age. I think on Boxing Day I shall stay in bed all day... Merry Christmas!
DeleteDear Trish,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to learn that you have been suffering with Covid. How nasty. I hope that you continue to improve and will soon be back to your normal energy level. Do take good care and let others care for you, too.
Merry Christmas from the west coast of Canada!
Dear Lorrie, thank you. I am lucky to be on the mend, not in hospital with the other 600 in Brisbane, mostly people over 65. I will try to stay in my chair on Christmas Day and let it all happen around me. Our parcel has arrived from Canada - Yay! and I hear ours has arrived over in snowy Ottawa, just in time. Merry Christmas from hot, humid Queensland!
DeletePatricia, I'm so sorry you got the dreadful virus. I just said a prayer for you, and I hope you regain your strength and your health is restored. Your Christmas tree is so pretty with all the pink. That's what happens when the grandkids decorate. They always seem to love pink, don't they? The Lego gingerbread house is delightful, and it reminded me of my son, who loved playing with Legos when he was little. Your Nativity set is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Patricia, and I hope the new year brings you much peace, joy, and love. Take care, and feel better, dear friend.
~Sheri
Thank you Sheri, you are so kind. The little ones do like the pink trim on the tree, and keep pulling it off! They also love pulling the gingerbread house apart, but that gives me an excuse to build it up again. Hope you enjoyed a lovely Christmas, and best wishes for a great New Year.
DeleteOh Trish, I worried about your absence and am so sorry you suffered so from COVID. Thank goodness you had the vaccine! I imagine COVID is here to stay and eventually we will all get it. So far, my mother and I have had 2 vaccines and 3 boosters and keep our fingers crossed to avoid it as long as possible.
ReplyDeleteI love you oraments and Christmas decorations! The silver Irish angel is special!
Merry Christmas, dear Trish and Mr. C! At midnight New York Time, I'll post my Christmas blog, this year showing a few Manhattan Christmas windows.
Thank you Debbie, I do not think I would have fared very well if I had not been vaccinated. I admit I dropped my guard on holiday, but I am back to my careful avoidance tactics now, as COVID is rampant around our city. Your Manhattan Christmas was a treat - Merry Christmas to all.
DeleteHope the Christmas at Your Place went off well - and that the recovery from COVID is progressing positively. Good to see some Christmas decor happened! Hope you are coping OK with the heat.
ReplyDeleteChristmas went well, and was totally chaotic! Three kids, two dogs, and some exhausted grown-ups. .. Doing our best in the heat, but definitely wish it would go away.
DeleteHope you're doing better. I had Covid during Christmas and thankfully, just our household had it, because people came over before we we took our tests. Nobody else got it outside our home. Thankfully. What a nightmare illness. At least you have a had a beautiful tree.
ReplyDelete