A Mid-Winter Christmas Get Together

Welcome dear friends & readers

I see I have a couple of new followers - Welcome to you all 💗

 

It was my turn to host our little craft group & we decided to do a mid-winter Christmas theme for our food & craft item.   Gail had given me the little felt caravan decoration awhile ago & I made up a pattern from it, then cut out & made some kitsets up ... I did various colours, not just red.

In the weeks leading up to our meeting I saved & washed out lots of my catfood tins so we could all have another challenge of what to create from them - I did this last year also.

I made my favorite Sticky Lemon Slice & served this with freshly whipped cream.  I also made Salmon rolls & served hot Sausage rolls with lunch. The ladies all bring a plate, some often bring a sweet & a savoury.  I decided to set my table a bit christmassy & I pulled some items from my decoration boxes over the weekend.  

I set it up quite early & was in the midst of tweaking it & adding some more items when I came inside & found a rather large ginger Christmas decoration plonked on the table 😦😫😵 (!!!)

I lit a Cranberry & Nutmeg Candle & the fragrance was very festive

Here is our Morning-tea table ... Lemon slice, Neenish tarts, Scroggin Slice, Salmon Rolls, Asparagus Rolls ... washed down with mugs of coffee & tea.  I forgot to photograph our Lunch Table but there was hot sausage rolls, savories, & cheese & bacon twists to warm us up on this cold winters day.  If nothing else - we get the food right!

Some of the ladies - we are down to just 6 of us now but I rather prefer the smaller size group.

Although we are all very informal, our general programme is that we have morning tea, clear the table & then craft ... followed by a later lunch & any show-n-tell that anyone has bought along.

  I've forgotten to take a photo of the finished felt caravans but I did snap one of all the ladies happily working away.  There is always lots of chatter & laughter which is so good for the soul.  

My finished pink caravan - I still have to add a bead door handle to the door & embroider a flower.

Last Wednesday I had a Specialist appointment in the city.  Afterwards I drove all the way out to the Daffodil Farm as I wanted to buy some daffodils.  Although I try to get over each year I'd not been for 2 years now.

(Once again, I forgot to snap a photo so this is an older photo from a couple of years ago)

I love coming here - it never fails to cheer me up seeing the paddocks full of yellow smiling faces 💛  I treated myself to a $20 bucket of "seconds" & was lucky enough to get a mixture of different varieties.  

I kept some for myself & gifted a couple of bunches.  Although I am not usually a yellow lover I think the sight of daffy's in the midst of winter just reminds me that spring is not too far away. 

 I also called into Le French Quarter & purchased the dainty green china jug.  I pick fresh parsley each day as I use it in tea's & this wee size is perfect to sit on my kitchen bench.

There is a large sign at the Daffodil farm that says if you put your daff's outside at night they will last longer.  I tried it this time & Yes it really does work.  Here they are on the left the day I purchased them & on the right is today's photo - 7 days later.  They like the cold at night & my house gets too warm with the fire going.  

You can read in * this post * about the soy candles I made for my sister-in-law using crystal dishes from Mum's china cabinet.  Leonie (my sis-in-law) had used them & sent them up asking if I could please refill them for her.  There is a glass tray that they sit on.  I refilled them using Rose & Geranium oils & posted them down with my brother's birthday parcel.  She was delighted with them & loved the fragrance.  

Wishing you a wonderful rest-of-the-week dear friends,

Thank you for your ever-welcome visits here today,

With much love & friendship to you all,