Home for Christmas 2013

In the first 24 hours I was home, I was kidnapped by my sister. She is in Edinburgh/Lincolnshire for Christmas with her boyfriends family.

SOOOOOOOOOO excited to watch Frozen with a gingerbread latte and brownie

She planned an early Christmas meal on the Sunday so we did it together...

This chappy had a nice brisk walk in the cold... We tired him oot wi all the hoose work

Nigel Slater's Christmas Trifle made by moi

One of my tasks was to draw up some novelty table decorations, was fun drawing again and considering it's from scratch it's no too bad if I do say so myself

She flew away on Monday so I was released back into the care of my parents where we cleaned the hoose, did a booze run to Mainland Stores, iced my Christmas cake, wrapped gifts etc.

My first ever Christmas cake, made by me (subtle ombré effect)

Once we wir finished we lit the fire and curled up in front of Scrooged with a dram. It's meant to be a rubbish day today (Christmas Eve) brally windy and rainy so I am hoping to get some serious knitting done even if I have to do it by candle light.

Molly trying very hard to get up on the new couch

What are you doing to keep warm this festive season?

Lead Up to Christmas

You might be able to guess from the absolute lack of posts that I haven't had much time for creative things. At the start of the school year I had surgery on my lower back so sitting up right was difficult then the new National Curriculum hit wis with a bang (I am a Maths teacher) and every spare minute was spend developing the course, materials and assessments.

It is now time to try me and dad's cider and it is very nice, dry but I like that.

I have managed to potter with peerie things over the year but disappointed that I still haven't finished my Aztec blanket (goal to finish that by end of January).

I have done another 4 rows but must finish it soon

 

For a few weeks me and the lasses would meet up on a Sunday morning and knit, I made a tea cosy from Smith & Jamieson's book... All that's left is to add a pom pom to the top.

As you may have guessed by now I feel strongly about homemade christmas gifts. I feel that now days people just give gifts because they feel they ought to but I like popping past a friend hoose with a peerie something and knowing that they'll get some joy oot of something I have spent time making. I definately do not do it just to get something back. When I wis a teenager whenever my mam and dad asked me what I wanted for christmas I would say a book, perfume or Lego... And I still do.

Festive fireplace, West End Hotel in Kirkwall

This year I had big plans for the peerie boys gifts (there are 4 of them now this year - congratulations to Gina & Robert on peerie Josie) but time ran away with me and then will be next years plan. Instead I made them some sock toys to keep their zebra's company.

Josie's first christmas gift from me ... A peerie sock teddy

 

Oliver's dad has a farm and on that farm they have a collie, so I made him a sock puppy

I also made Lucas a puppy as they have a beagle called Spencer and thought he'd like another.

Last time at was at Ryan's hoose there cat had gone missing so I made them a sock kitten

I made some christmas vodka for the man who started this craze in my flat, Murray my old flatmate, he would always make raspberry gin and something equally as tasty in the festive season so I thought he would appreciate this.

Making Christmas Pudding Vodka at the same time I made a pumpkin pie

Playing on Pinterest I found instructions for making candles which sounded straight forward and original so I made the lasses cinnamon candles in some beautiful glass tumbler I found. [In my excitement I forgot to take a photo of these so plan to beg one of the girls after Christmas Day]

What do you do in the lead up to Christmas?

Boozy Winter Preperation

Over the summer I made cider and ever since I wanted to try ginger beer. Whilst searching for recipes, I would find one that looked good then look a little further and find another recipe that seemed to supersede the last. I finally settled on one that used fresh ingredients and seemed to follow a similar pattern than the cider I had just made.

I got the recipe from a search engine but it turned out to be River Cottage which is always a good place for these type if projects. I was starting with cold when I heated up the lemon and ginger so I also believe this helped to easy my symptoms.

Currently the ginger beer is sitting in a warm place in my kitchen and I can't help but watch it when I walk past, it's fermenting beautifully and almost looks like it is fizzing.

Once it is ready to drink I'll let you know how it tastes... Can't wait!!

DECEMBER 2013:

Sadly this wasn't as good as I would have hoped, the recipe wasn't so clear on how long I should leave it (and my local home brew sales man scared me by telling me I hadn't made cider I had made a bomb) so I left it for 3 months. When I tasted it for the first time it was too dry and didn't taste of anything so I added more sugar after a while this turned to alcohol after a peerie start and the next time I tasted it it was horrible, not even suitable for mulling.

Next plan is to try a kit!!

Refurb Frenzy

During the Summer Holidays I had surgery on my back which meant that I was limited in what I could do craft wise but I was inspired a lot by various things that I read or watched. My parents travelled back to Orkney with me to help me get settled in without doing myself any further injury and so I took it apron myself to use there offer of help to do the things I really wanted to do.

The first trip was to my local butchers where I was spoilt for choice but on a mission to buy Ox cheek and make John Torrod's Ragu. Mam helped me prepare the ingredients and lift the, seriously heavy, casserole dish... Not without our disagreement but we fired it in the oven and headed to my local for an aperitif while it slowly cooked in the oven.

I also managed to take them, in a torrential downpour, to our local recycled furniture store. Once there my dad stopped moaning about the rain and my mam started making some happy noises and we wondered through the beautiful vintage and affordable furniture. I was aiming to get new bedside tables and after watch Kirsty Allsopp's Fill Your House for Free I wasn't scared to take on a challenge.

Here is what I found and how they ended up:

 

I am currently lying in my room with my new furniture around me and I still love them and the extra storage space they have provided, next plan is two try and get 2 bookshelves (one for the kitchen and another for my room). I may go a wander long later today.

Another inspiration was all the pictures that my recently departed flatmate has been sending me of his new flat in Glasgow:

My new flatmate, Lorna, was also inspired and has painted these chester drawers for her room.

51 Days of Summer: Week 7

I have set myself a challenge to take a picture each day of my holiday - to encourage me to do something exciting and help me remember what I've been up to.

Day 43 

Emma and Dave's New hoose

Day 44

We wir rushed off wir feet wi the move
 - although I was more in charge of washing dishes and priming shelves

Day 45  

Cider is now bottled and all we have to do now is wait

Day 46

Painting the pantry

Day 47

Made Blue Cheese & Chilli Pizza - Nummy!!

Day 48

 Early birthday present

 

Day 49

  Heading back to Orkney

Day 50

Second hand furniture shopping

Day 51

Birthday cake - ricotta & Nutella cake

51 Days of Summer: Week 6

I have set myself a challenge to take a picture each day of my holiday - to encourage me to do something exciting and help me remember what I've been up to.

Day 36

Pretending this isn't alcohol free

Day 37

Cider is ready to be bottled

Day 38

Me and Dad are making Cherry Whisky

Day 39

Me and Mam made Caramel Nut Slices

Day 40

Working away on our Hovis jigsaw

Day 41

Dis peerie guy was very badly behaved today

 

Day 42

Finishing off Emma and Dave's house warming gift

51 Days of Summer: Week 5

I have set myself a challenge to take a picture each day of my holiday - to encourage me to do something exciting and help me remember what I've been up to.

Day 29

Got a lovely pre/post operation care package from my friend Gemma

 

Day 30

Eccles cakes by Emma

 

Day 31

Checked-In to the hospital (scary
)

Day 32

They got the date of my operation wrong so they let me go
 into Aberdeen to see Mam

 

Day 33

Operation went well and the morphine wore off before tea (yeay)

 

Day 34

Got home today, it was bumpy, but I am glad to be out of the hospital 

 

Day 35

Struggling to sit still so I turned to the world of Foreign cinema

51 Days of Summer: Week 4

I have set myself a challenge to take a picture each day of my holiday - to encourage me to do something exciting and help me remember what I've been up to.

Day 22

Trying to find the beauty in amongst the fog

 

Day 23

The sun finally came out so we left the cinema went swimming, had Sunday teas

then I sat in the garden wi my book

 

Day 24

Book number 3 on my Summer reading list

Day 25

Emma bought a coconut so we had fun trying to open it

 

Day 26

Chilling in the front garden wi my folks and the BBQ

 

Day 27

Sunsets at Krugatoor are amazing

 

 

Day 28

Some bubbles to celebrate Em's Mortgage