Friday 3 January 2014

Can't wait any longer...

to get those pesky decorations down!   Gathering dust, cards falling about and asking to be gathered up, shrivelled holly only fit for putting on the fire, bits and bobs scattered around which looked lovely and Christmassy before the big day and now look cheap and tawdry - they have all come down today and been put back in their boxes and consigned to the boxroom for another year.

I have gathered in the hundred or so Christmas cards for a closer look.   I fasten a lot of them onto doors with blu-tak  - they are all now in a pile on the table and we shall sit and have a proper look through them tonight.  A dozen or so of them are home made and always a pleasure to admire.   Interestingly, we used to get just a smattering of charity cards, this year we have only had six which are not charity cards.   It would be interesting to know exactly how much of the cost of the card actually goes to the charity - but it certainly makes us all feel good buying them and supporting a charity. 

Tomorrow I shall walk down the pasture and gather in some hazel catkins and put them in a jug to remind me that Spring will not be forever coming.   I understand from the lunch time news that parts of the US have been hit by huge snow storms - often we get it after them, so it might well be storms this coming week and then snow.   Sorry to be such a Jonah.

One of the joys of blogging at this time of the year is that if we become housebound (at my age I do not go out when it is slippery if I can help it) we have always got masses of blogging friends to contact.

Keep warm and dry whether you are in the UK or the US  

16 comments:

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

We are expecting the coldest weather in a decade here in a few days. Edward and Apple are thrilled to bits. I gathering sweaters and shawls to see just how much clothing I can don and still manage to move!

Willow said...

Nice that you got out for some hazel catkins.
Yes here in New England we got about 16 inches of snow since yesterday afternoon, blizzardy winds last night, A few towns over got TWO FEET whew ! Pretty right now everything is closed and relaxing . I plan on getting some nice photos . Didn't mind the farm chores too much as it's the first day of it so I am enjoying the newness. But give me a few days , as single digit weather is said to be keeping it around a while ...I am sure in a few days I will be weary of it . ha ha

MorningAJ said...

Apart from a few sets of lights and one wreath in the window mine went days ago!

They're threatening snow at the end of January here I think. I hope it doesn't plan to stay long.

angryparsnip said...

Goodness the weather in the UK and the US.
In Tucson it will be 70 again with blue skies. Sounds very nice (and it is ) but I am scanning the long term forecast hoping to see rain and snow coming here. Our winter rains are very important as they are the nourishing ones unlike the flash floods of summer rains.
Oh dear we always want what others have.
I too am taking down the inside decorations. I leave all the lights outside on till after my birthday.

cheers, parsnip

Acornmoon said...

Happy New Year to you and the farmer, keep cosy. x

Em Parkinson said...

I was about to take them down tonight while OB is away, but have been asked not to by a forlorn faced M. I'll do it in the morning. They're driving me mad now! What a great idea about the catkins; I shall do the same.

Dartford Warbler said...

I shall look for some catkins too. I think there are some down in the far hedge. It`s lovely to see them waking up in a warm house.

A bit of good news - it didn`t get dark until 4.45pm this evening so summer isn`t far away!

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Our decorations are down and the house back to normal - well, as normal as we get. Our hazel catkins are showing and I plan to pick some also - I love that they sprout so early.

On the west coast of the US we are having our expected rain (we could use more for the snowpack in the mountains) and watch in horror as the storms hit one after another in the midwest and east - I'm so glad we live out here. Quite moderate temperatures all the year long.

Heather said...

Our decorations are coming down this weekend - I shall miss the lights which brighten up the dark and dreary days so beautifully. It should be a good year for hazel catkins - the trees around here are laden with them.
I've noticed that our weather often follows that of the USA - I suppose a lot of this rain might have fallen as snow had the temperature been lower.

George said...

I agree, Pat. Unfortunately, the Christmas season lasts too long in the US, and some people leave up their decorations until late January. Be done with it, I say, and move on to the unfolding of winter and the advent of spring.

Virginia said...

You have had a bad run with your weather - we're supposed to be in summer but yesterday was gale force winds and patches of driving torrential rain. Cards are down, but we let the three wise men rest in the crib for a couple of days before packing them away very carefully for another year. We always buy charity cards but got caught this year with some English cards that our postal service said were 'oversized' and charged us huge sums to post. I'll be really careful next year! Are you allowed more generous envelope sizes for Christmas cards?

Robin Mac said...

Our decorations came down yesterday also. Unfortunately we are ooking here in Oz - record high temperatures all over Queensland We on the oast have 34 degrees and high humidity but out west a couple of towns have reached 50 degrees, with no rain in sight. I hope you miss out on the worst of the winter storms. Cheers

Robin Mac said...

Our decorations came down yesterday also. Unfortunately we are ooking here in Oz - record high temperatures all over Queensland We on the oast have 34 degrees and high humidity but out west a couple of towns have reached 50 degrees, with no rain in sight. I hope you miss out on the worst of the winter storms. Cheers

The Weaver of Grass said...

I have watched the news and seen that our west coasts are being battered by high tides and many homes are flooded, and in the US there is deep snow all along the east coast. I just hope they do not send it over to us here as a present. Thanks for visiting.

Golden West said...

Wishing you abundant health and happiness in the new year, Pat. It's always such a pleasure to visit you here and join along on your adventures - thank you!

Crafty Green Poet said...

there are two types of charity cards as far as I know, those produced and sold by the charity itself where most of the price of the card ends up as a donation to the charity then those that are produced by card companies which divide a small proportion of the profits of the cards between several charities. The economics of scale may mean that charities can still benefit quite a lot from this type of card, but I would only buy cards produced directly by a charity (though i actually make most of my cards)