First Snowfall

Yesterday at work I got back from my lunch, settled at my desk, started doing what needed to be done, glanced out the window and noticed it was snowing.

This caused a wee bit of excitement (mainly from me) especially when it actually started settling in places. Luckily it didn't snow for very long and didn't stay settled for much longer, but still, it all adds to that Christmassy feeling.



You'll notice I mentioned being at work up there. After the excitement of yesterday I did eventually make it to work. Only two and a half hours late.

We had a little while to wait for the trees blocking the roads where I live to get cleared as well as the main road along the seafront to be reopened after some scaffolding was made dangerous by the high winds (read: blowing bits of it across the road and into people's homes!) but once we got the all clear it was a pretty easy journey.

Lots of big trees uprooted though, two of which took out two big chunks of a wall in virtually the same place as last year when we had the big storm. Luckily there weren't any power cuts and we fared a lot better than some places around the country.

Stormy Weather (Update)

The fact that I'm posting this while I should be at work should tell you something about how successful my commute has been!

Four roads on and off the estate and all of them are blocked!

So I'm staying home and drinking hot chocolate until we get a chance to try again because even if we could get off the estate there's problems with scaffolding done along the road at the front.

Power cuts are expected and a neighbour of my in laws has discovered a chimney pot in their garden and has no idea where it came from.

Just another day on Bute really.

Stormy Weather

A couple of years ago we had an unexpected freak storm that knocked out power to most of the island for three days (and to our remote corner for five).

It seems that storm is back with a vengeance today.

I dreamt I was on a boat last night because of the strong winds buffeting the house. Our house has two foot thick stone walls and I swear it was shaking!

Taking Tara for her morning trip to the garden I was nearly blown off my feet. It's wild out there!

About to brave the journey to work. Good luck to anyone travelling in increment weather today.

Christmas Decorations

There's a bit of debate about when it's best to put your Christmas decorations up. When I was little it was always a couple of weeks into December but I always liked the idea of putting them up on the first of the month.

So now I have a place of my own, that's what we do.

Except this year we were in Edinburgh on the first so they went up on the 30th of November instead.




The first year we were here we just had a tree. Last year I made paper chains and we added those to the decorations. This year we've got the tree, the paper chains and tinsel and baubles all over the place. Oh, and lights on our 'Christmas trees' outside.

If we keep going like this I dread to think what the house will look like next year!



How about you? Are your decorations up yet?

Cedric the Town Crier Hedgehog

Back in the summer I made a postman hedgehog for Mr Click who he christened Cyril. I kept on calling him Cedric so decided the next one I made would be Cedric for myself.

And here he is:



I'm really pleased with how he turned out and I love his little bell and queue (that's his little ponytail thing at the back of his neck). I can't post photos of them from my phone so I'll show him off properly in another post.

I'm keeping him for myself but I've already got plans for the next hedgehog I'll make. He'll be called Cecil and will be a chimney sweep. For now I'm working on something a bit simpler; a tea cosy.

Edinburgh Christmas Market

A group at my work organised a trip to Edinburgh for Christmas shopping yesterday. It was only my third trip there and the last two times were just for short shopping trips while on school theatre trips. Mr Click was a toddler the last time he went so it was a brand new experience for both of us.

After a LOOONG journey (we were up at 5am and arrived at around 11am) we were refreshed with hot chocolate and a decaf latte before wandering through the market looking at all the fantastic Christmas stalls.



We then did some slightly more practical shopping (and outfit for the Christmas night out for me and jeans for Mr Click). I got an absolute bargain when I paid for my shoes and found they were £10 off!

Then we wandered to a sweet shop and around some other shops picking up new jammies and bits and pieces for Mr Click's stocking.



And returned to the market at the tail end of the day for our first ever taste of roasted chestnuts (which were lovely once we figured out how to break into them) and to buy more treats. I got us German Advent Calendars, chocolate gingerbread shapes and after trying to decide between a wooden nativity scene and an advent tree I went for the tree; I've wanted one for years and I'm planning on knitting a nativity scene at some point.

By the time we got home we were knackered and the alarm went off far too early this morning, but it was a fantastic day and I hope we can go back again in the future.

I'm Back!

OU coursework kind of caught up with me as well as getting stuck into required reading and doing a LOT of knitting and I sort of fell off the face of the Internet.

But I'm back and slowly getting caught up now.

Just in time for my favourite time of year.

Expect some sketchy blog posts for the next week and things will get back to normally the week after (once I've got organised enough to pre-write some blog posts).

I'm also going to do my best to get caught up on my friends' blogs as well. But for now I'm just going to chill out here, underneath my Christmas tree and finish my current knitting project.