Countdown to Christmas: Day 7

It's the seventh day in our Countdown to Christmas. I was working during the day, but this evening was a very important festive tradition for us! So exciting!

Christmas Dinner on a Train

Tonight was our annual trip for Christmas Dinner on the East Lancs Railway. There's nothing more festive than dinner on a steam train (even in the stormy weather we've been having... or especially in the stormy weather!).

And Then There Were None

Another annual tradition... we have to watch And Then There Were None when we get back from the train. It just has to be done.

Advent Tea

Today's tea from my Bird and Blend advent calendar was Moondrop Dreams.

Advent Model

And today's model in our other advent calendar was a Christmas present!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 6

Another day of celebrating the festive season, and although we were both at work today, we had a special night out planned (and the first of several Christmas Dinners this year).

Fancy Mince Pie

Nice little addition to a tea break at work... a fancy mince pie (leftover from an event last night)!

Postcard from Rovaniemi

My walk to work this morning took me to the next milestone on my The Conqueror virtual walking challenge through Rovaniemi. I got a postcard from Ounasvaara Hill.

Christmas Dinner at Groobarbs

Tonight, we went for a wonderful festive dinner at Groobarbs Field Kitchen. We started off with crackers and mulled cider, and then enjoyed a four course meal made with seasonal produce grown on the farm and sourced from its neighbours. The food was gorgeous, and I loved recognizing all the ingredients that we've had in our veg boxes recently (particularly squash, but also beetroot, parsnips and celeriac).

Advent Tea

Today's tea from my Bird and Blend advent calendar was Great British Cuppa!

Advent Model

And the model in our other advent calendar today was a little train!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 5

It's the fifth day of our Christmas countdown! Admittedly, it was a day when we were both at work, but that doesn't mean we couldn't have a little bit of festive cheer.

Festive Gingerbread

Had a little bit of Christmas gingerbread while I was reading a book for review on my radio show this weekend.

Postcard from Rovaniemi

I signed up for a Christmas virtual walking challenge from The Conqueror last month month. It maps a thirty-mile walk through Rovaniemi (the capital of Finnish Lapland), all the way to Santa Claus Village. Today, I passed the two-thirds mark, so I got a postcard from Kemijoki.

Advent Tea

Today's tea from my Bird and Blend advent calendar was Dozy Girl.

Advent Model

And the model from our other advent calendar today was a little Christmas tree (at least, I think that's what it is... it also seems to have a tap and a present next to it!).

Countdown to Christmas: Day 4

It's the fourth day of the festive season, and I was out in the woods!

Festive Walk and Talk in the Woods

Today was the regular Friends of Bailey's Wood Walk and Talk session, and so I gave it a festive flavour with tales of Christmas folklore, plus mulled apple juice and mince pies for the walkers. The antlers were a little nod to the fact that Bailey's Wood is a remnant of the medieval deer park at Blackley, though I'm now wondering whether dressing as a deer in an ancient hunting ground was really that sensible!

Advent Tea

Today's tea from my Bird and Blend advent calendar was Chocolate Digestives!

Advent Model

And our little festive model from our other advent calendar was a teeny little snow plough!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 3

A quiet day today, mostly spent getting stuff done ahead of our festive holiday next week. Just a couple of little Christmassy touches though.

Christmas Lollipops

Chocolate lollipops!

Advent Tea

Today's tea from my Bird and Blend advent calendar was Buttermint (I love this one)!

Advent Model

And today's model in our other advent calendar was a cute little Christmas tree!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 2

It's the second day of our Yuletide celebrations. Today was more of an outdoor kinda day (for me - Rob was at work all day).

Walk in the Woods

I had a lovely walk in Blackley Forest today, listening to Christmas music and looking out for all the signs that the Holly King's reign has truly begun. There's a beautiful glade of silver birch trees in the forest, and I've fallen into the tradition of visiting it each December, standing in the middle of it and listening to 'Carol of the Bells'.

Stollen

Tonight, I had a bit of a difficult thing to do, as it was the monthly Friends of Crumpsall Park committee meeting, and sadly the meeting when I resigned as treasurer. I've been treasurer for eight years, and I still love the park a lot, but it's time for me to hand over to someone else now. I took some stollen for the committee so that it wasn't all doom and gloom!

Advent Tea

Today's tea in my Bird and Blend advent calendar was Earl Grey Creme!

Advent Model

Today's model in our other advent calendar was a little Christmas wreath!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 1

It begins! Time to get festive again! Last Christmas seems so long ago - I hope I can remember how to celebrate.

Litter-Pick in the Park

The first day of December was the monthly Friends of Crumpsall Park litter-pick. For the past 8 years, I've been organizing these litter-picks each month, but I've recently decided to step down and hand the baton on to someone else. Since it was my last litter-pick (as organizer) and the first day of our Christmas celebrations, I brought mulled apple juice and mince pies to share with the other volunteers.

Festive Afternoon Tea

We went to Stockport Plaza for Festive Afternoon Tea this afternoon, and it was SO festive. We had a lovely afternoon tea (including mince pies), a glass of champagne and some Christmas songs. We were warned that we'd be unlikely to see Santa, as the detector showed him as still being in the North Pole. I swear, when I spotted that the hand had moved around, I was more excited that I've been for a long time. Oh, and the scones were Cornwall-style, not Devon, by the way.

Advent Tea

Rob got me a Bird and Blend tea advent calendar again this year. Yay! Today's advent tea was Gingerbread Chai.

Advent Model

Rob also got us a quirky Lego not Lego advent calendar with a little model to make behind each door. I think at the end, you can combine the models to make four big ones but for now we're making a little one each day.