Well, I'm sure there are a hundred and one things I really ought to be doing right now, but I've made an executive decision and decided that I'd rather be blogging with you.

I do miss you all if I'm away too long. I feel slightly unhinged, the same way that I do if I don't do something creative for a few days. A bit out of the loop and unsettled.

We had a very quiet, homey weekend, which I admit is my favourite kind. We still had far too much icy snow left over from Thursday, which wasn't surprising as there must have been a good 5 inches. Saturday was spent finishing the Christmas decorations and pottering.

The children had already decorated the tree, but the swag across the fireplace, and the banister decorations are my job.

This was swiftly followed by a bacon sandwich and then more pottering.

This is my corner of the room, underneath the lamp so I can sew, crochet, read etc., and not too far away from the fire. There's a nice gap between the sofa and the dresser where I can stash my current project away, out of sight.

Next I hung lights around the mirror in the kitchen. I've been meaning to do this ever since we bought it weeks ago from our local auction. These lights will stay here all year long because...

I like them.

These two lovely pictures , also from the auction, have been sat on the floor in the lounge that long, that I'm embarrassed to tell you.

They now reside on either side of the big mirror.

Talking of pictures, here is my Christmas present from my husband. Yes I know it's a little early, but we've gone halves and bought it for each other. We've been together over 20 years and this is the first piece of proper art we've bought together. It's by a local artist and it's the view of the bridge over the waterfall in our little town. I love the quirky houses, all leaning and wonky!

Believe it or not, hanging pictures can be quite stressful. All that measuring and leveling! So late afternoon we popped out to enjoy our towns Christmas Festival.

Look Santa Clause is coming to town! Sorry couldn't resist it.

Sundays activities were just as gentle. A roast dinner, a spot of baking (mince pies) and little sewing. THEN we drove child #2's friend home. Talk about isolated! They live in a converted barn in a remote valley not far from us. Now, hubby always drives this little friend home, but today I decided I would go along for the ride. Never again! Talk about hair raising! We left the main road through the dale and took a little track off to the left. A track that I was expecting to finish a couple of hundred yards up the road, where said child's mother would meet us in her 4x4 (apparently the drive down to their house can only be accessed with one of these. I can see why now!) but NO; the track went on and on, up and down, turning this way and then that. All of it thick ice, with an exciting sheer drop at one side and a few rogue sheep thrown in for good measure. It was now starting to get dark, although the whites of my eyes must have lit most of the road! We passed nothing but rough snowy hillside, trees and sheep. Eventually we slithered to a halt outside their gate, where we could see what looked like a dolls house far away, down an even more precarious track. Sure enough the 4x4 was waiting, as was I, to get out of there! Then we couldn't turn the car around, it just slid and spun on the ice. Luckily the gate and a dry stone wall stopped us sliding any farther. After a lot of wheel spinning and white knuckles hubby managed to get us turned around. By this time it was getting really quite dark. I'm not sure that breathing in and leaning to one side helps with steering a car, but it wasn't for lack of trying on my part I can assure you. The track seemed twice as long and icy, and twice as narrow going back, and I've never been so relieved to see the twinkling lights of our little town in the darkness.

Once back home I prised my fingernails out of my palms and sought safety up in my little attic. I calmed myself down and finished sewing together child #2's patchwork for her quilt.

along with its special message.

Well that was my weekend, I'm looking forward to catching up with all of yours.

till next time.

Fi x