In The Kitchen

Twelfth Night has been and the Christmas decorations put away, but I thought that I would share a couple of photographs of my Christmas baking with you.  My Christmas cake came out really well and I iced it a couple of days before Christmas Eve, when we had our first taste: it was absolutely delicious!

I also baked my Spruced-Up Vanilla Cake (Nigella's Christmas recipe).  It looked so festive with its icing sugar dusting - like fresh snowfall on the alps.  This is such a large cake that I sliced it up and put most of it in the freezer, to enjoy at a later date.  Although a relatively plain cake, it is perfect with a cup of tea.  Anyone care for a slice?  

Welcome to 2017

January has arrived at last!  After a year which can only be described as my annus horribilis, I was glad to see the back of 2016.  The old year was full of trials and tribulations and more than a little unexpected change.  Mr Candytuft was in a car accident in January which saw my car written off in a head-on crash on the highway (no central reservation on the Trans-Canada Highway in rural parts of Canada), but thankfully he walked away shocked but uninjured, as did the other driver.  I had to stop work in Febrary due to work-related stress and subsequently left my high-stress job, which impacted our lives, forcing us to give up our home and make yet another move (this one across Canada in winter).  I spent the rest of 2016 trying to get over the trauma of workplace bullying which had gone on for more than three years, until I threw up my hands and said 'I can't do this any more'.  We had to tighten our belts and completely change our way of living with the loss of my income and I had to deal with the enormous amount of guilt that I felt for putting us in this position.  Added to this mix was a health scare through the summer, then surgery in November and the relief at receiving positive news when I had my follow-up visit for the results.

During the last couple of months, I have noticed a shift happening - a huge sense of relief.  It is as if I were on a countdown as the end of December approached.  I couldn't wait to see the back of 2016.  The new year seems full of as yet undiscovered promise and possibilities.

I have decided to undertake the 1,000 mile challenge, which you can learn about here.  The goal is to walk 1,000 miles in 2017.  How hard can that be?  It is actually about an hour per day of walking if I can motivate myself to go out every day (not always easy in this climate), or I suppose that I can plan to do some longer walks if necessary and avoid the worst of the winter weather.  My biggest fear when walking in winter is ice - especially after two bad falls last winter.  Still, after investing in some grippers for my boots, I am at least better prepared.  Of course, walking in winter boots brings its own challenges, as they are not really intended for distance walking.

I am also going to spend some time reflecting on the year ahead with the help of Susannah Conway's Unravel Your Year workbook.  (If you visit her site and sign up for her newsletter, you can access this.)  I used this tool in 2016 and the Find Your Word  course: my word for the year was joy.  As the year was somewhat lacking in joy, I have decided to continue with this word for 2017 and see where it takes me.

I'm still working away at my proofreading and copy-editing course through Chapterhouse and I'm hopeful that I can complete it before the end of the 12-month enrolment (that's if I can get myself motivated again after a Christmas break).  Time is running out and I had little idea when I signed up that it would take me a year to complete, but life got in the way.  At least I have the option of extending if I don't achieve February's deadline.

Keeping with the literary theme, I have also signed up for Open Learn through the Open University, as I would like to have a go at their free writing courses.  I've been saying for a long time, that I would like to write, so I thought that it was time that I did something about it.

Now that I've come through those dark days, I can finally see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  Here's to a very Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Christmas is almost upon us and another year is drawing to a close.  It is time to send you all my very best wishes for peace and joy this Christmas season.  Have a very Merry Christmas!

The Sewing Bee

I've been as busy as a bee working on an idea for a Christmas gift.  This year, the only Christmas gifts are homemade ones and I'm more than a little behind in Santa's workshop.  

The inspiration for this came from a picture, or more precisely, a vintage railway poster from the 1940s.  I got as far as tracing the design a couple of weeks ago, but then work ground to a halt, so now I'm busy in the sewing room (actually the dining table, but a girl can dream...), trying to get it finished in time.

I spent all day yesterday sticking Bondaweb to fabric and cutting out my design (all of the fabrics used came from my small fabric stash).  I then started to assemble it on the fabric backing.  Little did I realise that this process would take me the better part of eight hours.

Here, I'm trying to work out exactly what that little scrap of funny-shaped fabric is...a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle.

As the light was fading, I added the final piece.  The next stage is to finish all of the raw edges.

Hygge

I have been reading a lot about Hygge in the British press lately ~ there have been articles and book recommendations, but I could not track down any books on the subject here.  I find it interesting how ideas take a while to filter through and can only assume that it has something to do with a couple of thousand miles of ocean in between (though one would think that would no longer be an issue in these days of social media).

Imagine my delight when a parcel arrived from my friend at Vintage Pretty and when I opened it, I discovered a parcel of hygge!  The Little Book of Hygge had been on my reading list for quite some time and it came with a gorgeously soft hand knitted scarf,  English breakfast tea, Scottie dog shortbreads (very cute!), the most delicious salted caramel biscuits and a beautiful card with a scenic view of her home county.

Hygge may best be described as 'the art of living cosily', so now I can create my own hygge with a lovely cup of tea, a biscuit and my book.  I've added the essential ingredient ~ a candle for that homely glow.

Winter Sunrise

Dawn today and a shot of the beautiful sunrise.  It is not often that I stop to watch the sun rising, but I did this morning...through the window though, as it was cold and snowy outdoors.

December

I turn the page of the calendar to December and realise that Christmas is fast approaching and also the end of 2016.  I completed my personal NaBloPoMo challenge in November ~ posting every day for a month.  I don't think that I have that many readers these days, but I do appreciate the comments and support of my blogging friends. 

I sometimes find myself wondering why I continue with this blog ~ I think that the reason is a desire to write and be published ~ little more than a dream at present, but I hope to one day make it a reality.