HAPPY 2013 ..........

Wishing everyone a happy, peaceful, healthy and wonderful 2013 ..... thank you so much for your continued support and lovely comments throughout 2012 and for your blogging friendship .....

and remember .....

New Years Eve is the only acceptable time to wear body glitter without being mistaken for a stripper !!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR  

*****

image ..... via la bonne vie

from my HOME to yours ..........

With love from my HOME to yours .....



Have yourselves a very, very

MERRY CHRISTMAS

xxxxx

image ..... mine

A HARD FROST ..... MAGICAL .....

This morning we woke up to the hardest frost that I have seen for a long, long time and it was beautiful. The photographs that I took this morning really don't do it justice. Every plant, tree and shrub was frozen and it lasted all day.  It was a truly magical sight .....

That tall tree in our garden was given to us at a horticultural college in a plastic cup with one tiny shoot emerging from a seed. It was after the great storm of 1987 and they were encouraging everyone to plant a tree. It is now over 70 feet !!!!

This was the beautiful English scene that greeted me as I came out of the pub in the early evening, of the church on the village green.

Pretty or what ?!!! 

all images ....... MINE !!

BEST CHRISTMAS WE'VE EVER HAD ..... BY INVITATION ..........

Our By Invitation subject this month is ' The best Christmas you've ever had or ' Your idea of a fantasy Christmas '.

For as long as I can remember, Christmas was and is a very special time and, as cheesy and as corny as it sounds, they have all been the best and the most magical of times. Therefore, I can't think that any have stood out as the best and, I wouldn't really want a fantasy Christmas so, here is my little look at Christmas ..... 

C     is for the candy wrapped around the Christmas Tree

H    is for the happiness of all the family

R    is for the reindeer prancing by the window pane

I    is for the icing on the cake as sweet as sugar cane

S    is for the stocking on the chimney wall

T    is for the toys beneath the tree so tall

M    is for the mistletoe where everyone is kissed

and

A    is for the angels who make up the Christmas list

and

S    is for old Santa ( ???? ) who makes every kid his pet,

be good and he'll bring you everything in your 

CHRISTMAS ALPHABET

I think that most of the things mentioned in that silly song remind me of the Christmases that I have had over the years ( maybe not the reindeer prancing by my window pane !! )  ........... simple things like a real Christmas tree, the traditional food, the family gathering together, exchanging  gifts and a little over indulgence  ( or maybe a lot !!) 

Today, my friends and I are sparing a thought for the not so fortunate and are having a charity lunch, where the proceeds will go to the charity Crisis at Christmas. which provides vital services for homeless people. It's all very well, me doing this pretty post and showing the lovely side of the season but there are so many who have nothing, but I'm sure that you will all be thinking of them too.

________

We were then asked ' If you could only give one tangible gift, what would it be ? ' That is a difficult one as we do not know if it's for a man, woman or child so, my one tangible gift would be ..........

..... a camera .....

They could all enjoy a camera and could capture those special Christmassy moments that will last forever !!

Please go over to Marsha @ Splenderosa where you can read every ones take on Christmas and presents and stuff !!

image 1: via me, image 2: via curious sofa, images 3 & 6: via Zsa Zsa Bellagio, image 4: via night tattoo, image5: via lost in the moment, image 7: via love french bulldogs, image 8: via inspiration lane, image 9: via an exquisite waste of time, image 10: via la bonne vie, image 11: via Christmas holiday, image 12: via the last pogo, image 13: via lost in the moment

A LITTLE TASTE OF ROME ..........

OK, you're all locked in for Part One of our Roman holiday ............. yes, there will probably be a Part Two as I took quite a lot of photos !!!!

It has taken me a long while to sort out my photographs of Rome and, I was informed that I am currently using 100% of my 1GB quota for photographs, which meant that I couldn't load any photos !!!! After deleting some of my stored photos, I managed to upload this little lot.

I took this one of The Alps from my window seat in the plane  ............. it was about 7.00 a.m. in the morning and beautifully clear.

The Colosseum 

Piazza Navona

The ruins of Rome through the Arch of Constantine

That's me, covering up to visit The Vatican !!

Not particularly Italian but, a chandelier in a birdcage that deserved to be photographed I thought.

Ponte Sant'Angelo

The Vatican

Chariot on a dome of Altare della Patria

The church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli filled with crystal chandeliers

We even saw The Pope !!

More crystal chandeliers in the Church of Santa Maria

more ruins  ( ..... and there are more in Part Two !!!! )

..... more of The Vatican 

..... more of The Colosseum

Ooooooo ..... more ruins !! ( ..... alternatively in black and white !! )

The Trevi Fountain

..... and, finally .........a vista over Rome. 
Just think yourselves lucky that these were the only photos that I was allowed to upload !!!! ...... I now have to figure out what to do now. I know lots of you have had this photo problem, so what did you do ?!!!!! Do I have to bite the bullet and pay up ?
Answers in your comments would be appreciated.  

XXXX

images ........ all mine !!