So here we are at the end of the advent calendars. There was no jam today as Door No. 24 yields a special gift. Last year it was a sweet little wooden house, now residing in the Scandi Forest and I was rather hoping for a repeat of that, as last year's battery has given out and we're not sure if we can get a replacement - it's teeny-tiny. But anyway, it wasn't a little cottage it was a bauble. Quite a nice one though. And the candle, naturally enough, was Christmas Eve scented.
Since we've had a few blue skeins towards the end of the Van Gogh advent, I was really hoping for one based on Starry Starry Night today but it wasn't, it was another self portrait
Not saying it's not a pretty colour, because it is. I have to say I've been a bit disappointed with this Van Gogh advent. Partly it's the bad taste left in my mouth by all the kerfuffle over the non arrival of the proper project bag; and I have to say I saw someone doing Vlogmas on YouTube who had actually got the bag and it was lovely. A really good size and the fabric was Starry Starry Night. I wish I hadn't seen it really. So that got it off to a bad start and then there have been too many same-y colours and when they haven't been a variation on olive, mustard and pale blue there seems to have been no thought given to where they will end up if you are doing her suggested mitred square blanket, and how they will play off the colours next to them. You'll see what I mean when I've finished it. Six squares behind currently, but given that I have knitted one and two half fingerless mitts AND a pair of socks as well as doing 18 of the squares I'm not beating myself up about that. I'm not sure if I will get another daily advent next year, but if I do, it won't be from The Yarn Artist. In any case I think the weekly ones suit me better.
I did have the unexpected pleasure today of meeting up with a friend who I don't often get to see and we, (the friend, the OH and I) combined that with a visit to our local cafe which was open today but then is closed until March. It was a last minute arrangement, to catch her while she was on Mainland Orkney, and I wasn't feeling very well so it was a rocky start. But once we started chatting it took my mind off other things and we had a good catch up. We left reluctantly about one, when we decided we couldn't really justify hogging the table any longer when people were starting to come in for lunch.
I took a couple of pictures by my front door today; sunrise and sunset. It seems appropriate to sign off with them as I wish everyone who reads the blog a very happy Christmas. I have no idea when I'll be back ( that doesn't mean I'm thinking of giving up, just that I don't know whether I'll come here and blog about Christmas presents tomorrow, or give myself some time off until the New Year, but until I take up my metaphorical pen again here are the photos; reflecting once again the serene time of advent that I hoped for but, this year, so didn't get.
Sunrise ....
.... sunset
Wishing you a lovely day, and a calm and healthy 2025 xxxx
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