Friday Smiles 2023 # Week 52

I haven't a great deal to write about today, but I couldn't let the last Friday of the year go past without writing something.

I hope you all had a fabulous day last Monday, however you spent it. Ours was relatively quiet as it tends to be once the children have 'flown the nest', but we had video calls with our boys, and enjoyed videos of our grand-children and great-grandchildren opening their presents.

We had a liesurely start to the day, but once we were dressed and my hair had dried after a shower, we took our usual selfie together, which we then post online to all our family and friends, wherever they are. Our lovely pink bougainvillea still has lots of flowers on it this year, so we stood in front of that to take our photo.

Some time ago we booked to eat our dinner at a local bar, and I was glad I didn't have to prepare and cook it. They are fairly recently reopened with new folk in charge, though we knew them from their previous venue, but sadly they did not announce their Christmas Day menu in time to get that many bookings. But there were enough folk there to give it some atmosphere and the food was well cooked. Also we knew some of the other diners so we were able to chat with them. There were fun Christmas glasses on each table that we put on for a photo. We pulled our crackers and Chris wore his party hat but I settled for the little finger hat that held our cutlery when we arrived.

Boxing day, (Dec 26th if you are not familiar with the concept), is not celebrated in Spain so it was business as usual on Tuesday. We wandered into town for the market and I took this  photo of the sky. I thought it was so pretty. Every morning for the past few weeks, has dawned hazy, but before long the sun has broken through to give us a lovely warm day until around 4.00 when the evening chill comes in.

We stopped for a coffee at Simon's bar, a local that  has a large clientele  of Spanish families, but also makes all the English folk feel very welcome. In my opinion they have the best decorated window in the village this year. I love all the little animals and birds, as well as the snow and bright red poinsettias. One of the things I like about village life is that this all sits/hangs on the outside window ledge all day, and no-one touches it! There is a safety shutter that comes down over it at night once the bar closes. My photo is not the best as it shows the lights inside the bar, and a reflection of a delivery lorry in the srteet, but it is so unusual to find a moment when no-one is sitting in front of the window, that I had to grab the opportunity when it did occur.

I am very happy to say that my arm is improving well now, and I am able to do more things for myself. It is still very weak, and lifting is not allowed, but it is good to be able to get dressed unaided (most days), make a cup of tea and fill the dishwasher. It will be a while before I can reach up to peg washing on the line etc, but every small step is worth a celebration!

I am sure some of you are gearing up to a party at home or away for next Monday. I think we will be spending the time quietly at home as we have done for the last few years. But we have our big, most important celebrations to look forward to at Epiphany on 6th January.

So I will  link  up with Annie's Friday Smiles, and for now I just wish you all what you wish for yourselves - Health, Hapiness, Peace and Love for 2024.

Friday Smiles 2023 # Week 51

Just a quickie today. This left-hand typing is tiring. But there is not long to go now to the big day, and only one more week of blogging before we move into 2024.

The village lights are looking pretty. The LED lights really do sparkle. We have Christmas trees in our street this year. I braved a chilly night to step outside and take these pictures. As you can see, they start a few meters up from us, and are repeated at regular intervals all the way up to the top of the village.

Then outside our house there is a telegraph pole which holds the first of the golden angels, and these are repeated regularly down to the end of the road at the bottom of the village.

I made an interesting cake this week. The recipe was sent to me so I thought I'd give it a go. It was basically 500g of mixed dry fruit soaked for 24 hours in 2 and 1/2 cups, (American cups), of chocolate milk and around half a cup of Baileys (cheap Lidls version). The next day you add 2 cups of S.R. flour, mix well and turn into a lined slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. I should have known it would be a bit odd with no fat or eggs, but it really didn't hold together very well and is decidedly 'puddingy'. That said, it smells and tastes great, so we ate some warmed with custard/icecream, and no doubt we will have more soon. It was a big mix and I can't waste that much dried fruit, so I have put three big helpings in the freezer to make sure it stays good until we are ready to eat more.

Yesterday afternoon we got out a couple of crates and picked the oranges that hung over our wall from next door. The house is empty for most of the year but someone may turn up next week to pick the ones on their side. But they were starting to fall each time there was a little wind and I couldn't just let them all spoil, so I  will be eating some and juicing the rest over the next few months.

So all that is left is for me to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas. May youir homes be filled Joy, Peace, and Love. 

See you all over at Annie's Friday Smiles in the morning.

Friday Smiles 2023 # Week 50

Well here we are at week 50 already. I have had quite a busy week though I only have a few photos to show.

On Sunday my friend Ann popped in on her way home from church and brought me some Christmas cards from my friends there.

We finally managed to finish putting up our decorations. I have only used about half of my usual ones but it still looks nice and cheery. Of course our tree is my favourite bit as it has so many sentimental decorations hung on it. Look closely Annie and you may spot one of your little dolls hanging there. The second one is round the other side. I must have had them for a few years now. Certainly since pre-brexit when we were still able to post such things freely without worrying about import duties etc.

My Willow tree Nativity has pride of place above the fire, and so far Leo hasn't jumped up to investigate it. But looking around many of my decorations are hand made. I have a lovely cross-stitched angel inside a gold star that I sewed and framed while I was still living in England, a red and green crocheted mandala, an intricate cut nativity shadow box, and this year my new macrame wreath and shooting star light box. But I still really love my "white Mary and Joseph". They must be around twenty years old now but every year they come out. I was inspired to making them after watching a demontration of some beautiful crinoline ladies being made at a craft show at Birmingham's N.E.C. They are formed on a wine bottle with a chiken wire and newspaper ball stuffed in the neck for the head. Then they are covered with strips of cotton (I tore up a cotton sheet bought at a charity shop), dipped in polyfiller and left to dry. They are very hard and white, not needing to be painted etc, and they have certainly withstood the test of time.

On Monday we waited in for a parcel that didn't arrive, but on Tuesday it came early, and then we wandered into town and sat outside a little street cafe for a coffee and it was nice to be out of the house for a while. 

On Wednesday we were up with the larks as I had my hospital check-up. The appointment was for 9.00, but then they messaged me to say I also had an appointment at 8.00 for an x-ray. The hospital is about 40 minutes drive away so reluctantly we had to set out at 7.15. Normally neither of us drive in the dark now but we had no choice, and it was just fully light by the time we arrived. The consultant was lovely. He explained that it was a bad break because as well as going round the arm it went up into the ball that goes into the shoulder socket. He said that although it would be painful, I must start moving it a little each day, or I would never move it! He gave me some simple exercises to start with, and said I could ask to see him again if it still very painful after another three weeks. He took my sling away and said it was not good to keep using it, but I persuaded him to give me a new one to wear at night, and I did wear it when we went to do the big supermarket shop this morning, mainly so that I was less likely to get knocked. So it is a long slow journey, but I am beginning to do a few small tasks around the house, but no lifting at all - doctor's orders.

I have just put another set of books on my Kindle as I am reading a lot while I can't do my usual hobbies.

I have two lovely sky photos to finish with. We have had such a lovely week with early afternoon temperatures reaching almost 30º, so we have eaten our lunch outside most days. But the evenings draw in quickly and I just felt this was such a lovely peaceful dusk.

And another evening the sky raced through pinks and purples before fading away, and I was able to catch this moment on camera.

So now it is time to get this ready to link up with Annie's Friday Smiles, and publish it in the morning.

Friday Smiles 2023# Week 49

 I am late starting this today so I will probably be late posting it too.

Last week I prepared my post on Thursday afternoon and that evening we had a splendid sunset. I just about managed to take this photo with my left hand.

My hair had been bothering me since the accident as lazing in a chair all day meant it got rather tangled. So I talked Chris through a new skill - how to do a plait. First attempt didn't stay in for long, but then he got the hang of it.

However on Wednesday I wanted to go to my sewing group Christmas dinner and I knew something drastic was needed. So I did some ringing around and eventually found a lady who could come and cut it for me. So we got up early and Chris helped me take off the sling for the first time. Then he hosed me down in the shower and washed my hair. (The word pantomime springs to mind!). Then he helped me get dressed and soon I was ready to party!

After I saw this photo I got Chris to rescue our falling angel.

The meal was lovely. Everyone was so pleased to see me, and I had plenty of friends to help me with cutting up my food. I was worn out after such an eventful day and I slept well that night.

Today we ventured an outing to the artisan/Christmas market at the local camp site. We went early before too many people arrived and just stayed long enough to see all the stalls. There was some lovely work on display. I bought a turned wooden snowman, some chrystals in shades of purple, and a slice of Christmas cake which is double wrapped and stored away for a couple of weeks.

The lady who sells the clothes I like was there and I bought a pair of grey trousers, but I won't be able to wear them until I can shorten them.

Poor little Leo is sick again. He didn't come in one day but that evening he appeared and was very jumpy and wouldn't touch his food. The next day he was drooling and smelled real bad so I managed to get an emergency appointment and Chris took him to the vet, She thinks he had licked something very caustic and all inside his mouth and his tongue was covered in ulcers. He is on anti-biotics and painkillers and is now eating a bit, but he has a long way to go. He is back to four and a half kilos again, but once he is better I will hopefully get him back over five kilos again.

And finally, who doesn't love to see happy smiling chilren's faces at Christmas, so here is photo my granddaughter sent me of my three gorgeous great-grandsons. Credit for the photo goes to professional photographer Nesta Lloyd. She is friend of my granddaughter and once or twice a year she does a photo shoot with them.

So tomorrow I will publish this and link up with Annie's Friday Smiles.

Friday Smiles 2023 #Week 48

Well I have had one week of convalescing and am able to walk around and manage a  few simple left-handed tasks but it is still to painful to move the broken arm at all. So I have little to show this week, but here I am settled on my 24 hour home for now, with all three cats wanting to keep me company. I think it has something to do with my blanket, but with all of them on me, I don't really need the blanket.

When I looked at last week's post again, I realised I had mentioned my latest project,  but forgot to add the photo. So here is my macrame Chtistmas wreath.

I am so glad I got it finished before my accident. Sadly no more Christmas crafting for this year, and even more sadly, no mince pies this year either!

I am incredibly grateful for all the concerned messages and love I have received from blog friends and Facebook friends. Thank you all.

 And that is my limit for this week. Hopefully I will get this linked up to Annie's Friday  Smiles in the morning.

Friday Smiles 2023 #Week 47

A very short post today. I  have spent much of the day in A&E following a fall down our two front steps. I have broken my arm/shoulder , my right one of course! So I am doing this left-handed with one finger.

Here are the photos I had prepared for today.

Christmas is coming and our angel is back.

Our new furniture has arrived and we love it.

The cats approve too so we had to add some covers.

My latest craft project - a macrame wreath, complete with red and gold beads. Glad I finished it before I hurt my arm.

More new clothes. Lucky me!

We were loading up the car to take two bags of discarded tops and jumpers to a charity shop, when I fell!

A kind Spanish lady who was passing helped us call an abulance and they helped me up and drove me to our medical centre where they cleaned and dressed the cut on my head, gave me painkiller injection and did temporary strapping on my arm. Then Chris drove me to the hospital where I was wheeled between x-rays, consultants and nurses, and sat in the waiting room while a furher painkiller and then a saline drip flowed through me.

Now I am rocking an immobilising sling with strict instructions not try to move my arm at all. I have a good prescription for analgesics which hopefully will see me through some uncomfortable nights, and I return to see the consultant again on 13th December.

Well I made it through the night ..... just, most of it in my reclinrt chair, so now I am linking up with Annie's Friday Smiles.

Friday Smiles 2023 # Week 46

This week starts early because last Friday afternoon Chris drove me over to my friend's house to deliver her birthday card. She lives near my church so it is a good half hour's drive from here and I had intended driving myself over the next day, but Friday afternoon suited me better. Neither of us like driving after dark these days but we reckoned we had just enough time to get there and back. There were some interesting cloud formations as the sun was going down, and I tried to photograph them through the car window.

They got darker and more distinct, and I think these would class as lenticular clouds.

And by the time we had got back home, this is what was left of them.

I have been working on a macrame Christmas decoration and I needed some gold and red beads. I had trouble finding any the right sizes, and in the end I bought an assortment of sizes in plain wood from Amazon. So on Tuesday, when we went to to do some food shopping, we stopped at a hardware store and I bought cans of red and gold spray paint. I was thinking of a way to spray them without getting paint on everything else as well and I remembered my old 'spray cabinet', aka an old cardboard carton with lots of ancient newspapers in it! I used this a lot when I was into mica sprays for my card making, but it has sat unused on top of my high shelves for several years. But dusted off it was the perfect solution. I threaded my beads onto rough string that was hairy enough for them to stay separated, and pegged them across the box, and I soon had the coloured beads I wanted. Maybe by next week I can show you what they were for.

The Town Hall put this photo up on Facebook today showing the progress on a road near us. 

They started digging it up several weeks ago and then dug deep and we thought they were replacing old sewerage pipe. Apparently they have also repaired water pipes and telecommunication lines, and at last they are starting to resurface it. We are hoping there will be a narrow edge for pedestrians too, and it will be so good to have it back in use as it is our main route out of the village. At the minute we have to use a narrow one way road with seating outside a bar taking up half of it, or drive to the top of the village which means taking a very sharp corner with a steep hill round it, that I avoid at all costs! So fingers crossed, we will be back to using our usual road again very soon.

Saturday was little Leo's first birthday. That year has flown by!. He is doing well though is still only gaining weight very slowly. Every few days I persuade him to sit on these scales so I can record his weight, and as you can see, he still hasn't quite hit the 5 Kg mark that I was hoping he would reach by his birthday. But he eats very well, and I buy him the best food I can afford, so hopefully he will continue to make his slow progress.

Meanwhile Tolly has been my shadow this week. Some days we don't see him from breakfast 'til tea time, but this week he has followed me around, sitting on the kitchen chair to watch me, or climbing on me when I sit down in the evening. He is a big boy and heavy to hold, but he is fully grown now, and really Leo should be catching him up, but I am not sure that is ever going to happen.

It is difficult to get a good photo of any of the cats  because as soon as I call them to look up at me, they start walking to wards me!

And finally some more skies that I saw yesterday evening. The wind was blowing the clouds every which way, high up, so we had this interesting formation.

It cast a lovely soft pink glow on the mountains opposte it.

Then later it darkened and got bigger and it made me think of an angel swooping down with an evening blessing for us all. (She even has a faint face!). 

And that is all from me today except for this little meme that caught my eye. A way to teach rhythm and notation to small children. 

It reminded me of an exercise I used in my nursery where the children suggested food stuff and we chanted them faster and faster to the rhythm of a train on the tracks. e.g. Chocolate pudding, chocolate pudding, suasage and mash, sausage and mash,  crackers and cheese, crackers and cheese, SOUP SOUP! (I hope you had a try).

Now I am off to link up with Annie's Friday Smiles ready to publish in the morning.

Friday Smiles 2023 # Week 45

Another fun week has gone by in a flash so here are some of my highlights.

Starting with Sunday when I suggested we make the most of a beautiful morning and take a stroll along Mojacar sea-front. The sun was out, making the sea sparkle, and it was just the right temperature to feel comfortable in  summer clothes still.

We never remember to take a selfie together, but I did catch this one of Chris.

We walked along about two-thirds of the coast, and then stopped for some refreshment at a lovely bar. I ordered "Té ingles" and was brought a pot of hot water and a box of PG tips tea-bags, plus a small jug of cold milk and a huge tea cup. Much better service than I usually get, and just perfect for me.

Refreshed, we walked back to the car and I found I had done over 8,000 steps. My daily target is 5,000 so I was very pleased with that.

Some areas around here experienced dangerously high winds and a fair amount of rain early on in the week, but we escaped most of it with just a few showers in the evenings. Though I did need to double peg the sheets on the washing line so that they didn't end up in our neighbours garden.

So, with the evenings drawing in, I find myself making our tea earlier and settling down to watch TV sooner, and the cats are happy with this. Leo has taken to jumping on me as soon as I sit down. He has a 'wise' little face, quite different from the other cats, and a way of looking at me that demands my full attention for head rubs, and cuddles. He objects to me doing my crochet, and either puts a paw on my hook to stop me, or chews my yarn!

Sometimes Tango joins him, though he is not as agile as he used to be for jumping up, and often choses to creep off into a quiet corner to sleep. 

Two cats are my limit and Tolly is not one to share, but occasionally he gets there first, which is equally overwhelming because he insists on sitting right up high in my chest. He is a big boy so I cannot see round him, and he is too heavy, but he never stays for long.

One day when I realised I had only managed about four stitches all evening, I went to the garage and found Foxy's old bed. (I only kept it because it will fit in the washing machine. Kim's was too big so we threw it out). I put Leo on it and he immediately settled down and didn't move all evening. Now it is his go-to bed.

At the start of October I wrote about us ordering some new furniture and we are hoping it will be ready in another week or so, so we needed to make some space for it. When the new ones are delivered, they will take the old ones away, but they will only be discarded and I thought my big recliner was too good for this. So I contacted my friend who works with the Lions Charity in Vera and asked if they could use it. They were very pleased to accept it and on Monday two strong men pulled up in the Lions van and loaded it on. So for now there is a big space in the sitting room which is an ideal spot for Leo's bed...for now anyway. The slogan on the side of the van says "In collaboration with the Lions of Vera and district, and their Platinum supporters." It is used mainly for the Vera food bank but occasionally it does furniture collection too.

And I have managed to get some crochet done. For one I have finished the shawl I was making before I went on holiday. It was a 'stash buster' using only wool I had in my store. It is done in Tunisian entrelac crochet, meaning each little block is worked individually but is worked into the previous one from the row below, so there are not loads of ends to weave in. There is one strand at the end of each row, but these are hidden inside a double border. The pattern was called Landscapes and the colours represent the sea and sky, the green hills on the campo, and the lilac and purple for the wild flowers.

I also had a bit of fun making this tiny Pooh Bear. These little critters are very fiddly to do, but I saw the pattern and wanted to have a go. 

I have donated him to a lady at our sewing group who is co-ordinating carrier bags of small gifts for all the children of the families who use the food bank we support. There are over a hundred of them, with ages ranging from a few months to around fifteen. We have collected items throughout the year with several of us knitting or crocheting soft toys, hats and gloves, while the sewers have made wash bags and filled them with flannel, soap, toothbrush and tooth paste, and cases filled with crayons and pencils. We have added hair accessories and small stocking-filler type toys that we have bought, and we also bought new paper carriers which one lady has brightened up with cut out characters cut from cheap wrapping paper. It is good to be able support these children who otherwise might not have anything to open on Christmas day.

My fruitbowl sits on the kitchen table and I go to it for my snacks during the day. It changes at this time of year, and now citrus fruits are the most readily available. But I did get one more lot of plums which I love to eat raw, and there are still a few grapes around. Pears and bananas ripen very quickly so they have to be eaten first, and I also bought one pomegranate, or granada as they are known here.

Today there was a small artisan market at the local camp site that I wanted to go to. Unfortunately it was the only day our mechanic could service our car and take it for its ITV (MOT) test.  The camp site is just too far for us to walk so in the end I booked a taxi. It is the first time I have used one since we came here fifteen years ago. But it was worth it as the lady I have bought clothes from before, had a stall there and I was able to buy the brown trousers I wanted. I have never been able to find any that are a comfortable fit before but these feel just right. I also bought a soft wool and viscose mix tiered dress in teal. (It is a much prettier colour than it looks in the picture and is a good style for me). Then I was tempted by a couple of very reasonably priced tops and bought a soft knitted purple one, and a cotton orange one, both of which go well with the brown trousers. Take no notice of the trouser legs. One has been pinned up to where I need to shorten them. So it was good morning's outing. I am almost hoping to need warmer clothes soon!

After I finished writing this last night, our mechanic friend rang to say our car had passed its test which was a relief. It is showing signs of age but hopefully it will see us through our last few years of driving.

Then I went outside to gaze at the 'Tiger stripes' in the sky while they lasted.

Now I will finish with two memes I saw this week. It would be cruel to call the first one a funny, but I did give a rueful smile when I saw it, though I am sure the car owner is not smiling! 

The other one caught my eye because I am busy making Christmas decorations, and my cards are all done.

So now I will publish this at Annie's Friday Smiles, and I hope you will join me there.