New Camera

On Boxing Day, my camera broke.  Not a major disaster, but leaving me totally bereft!  In fact, I've lost count of the Great Camera Sagas over the years - I cannot bear to be without one.  So if it breaks on a Tuesday, I usually have a replacement by Friday at the latest!   I've driven Andy mad over the years with my cameras.   So this time was no different - camera broke on Friday, Saturday was spent doing online research, Sunday was spent doing MORE online research plus reserving it online and Monday was the day I picked it up.  Andy had given me some money for Christmas (as well as giving me a new sewing machine, some Vera Wang perfume AND a new TV - I'm so spoilt!) which I put towards the camera - it was half price in the sale, but still quite an extravagance for me.  It's also enormous so I will need to think about how I use my camera when out walking Finn, or on holidays.

Because the weather has left a lot to be desired since my purchase, I haven't taken it outside to use it yet - we've had lots of rain so far.  And, yesterday was really beautiful with bright blue sky and sunshine but also with a lot of frost underfoot and slippery icy conditions.  I didn't fancy trying out my new camera, only to go over on the ice and smash it up on its first external outing, so it stayed indoors.

However, I have used it a LOT indoors.  Finn is already fed up with me following him around trying to take his picture - he is a very photogenic dog and poses really nicely for me, but even HE is bored of it now.   So I've had to find other subjects in the house to photograph and try out all the settings and Christmas, of course, is perfect for this.

I've tried lighting shots ...

I've tried close ups ...

I've tried tricky close ups ...

And I've even photographed my new angel decoration, which has flown all the way from Venice ...

But, mostly, I've photographed Finn!

And I've especially liked trying out the zoom - this camera has a 30x zoom, so is perfect for sneaking up on Finn when he's not looking!  

And sometimes, even when he is!

Christmas and Boxing Day 2014

For the past couple of years now, the Long family haven't always celebrated Christmas together on 25 December - we generally work out the first date we can get together from Christmas Day onwards.   Last year, I think we did Christmas Day on 28 or 29 December which was fab - as it gave me an extra couple of days to finish making presents!  (This year I woefully underestimated how long it would take me to make all presents - I made twenty-two and should really have started earlier than October!  So to reduce the stress on myself, five people received an IOU in a gift bag with some chocolate and a picture of what their present would be when I finally finished it. Much less stressful for me, although I hope not to repeat the exercise any time soon.)

So, on Christmas Day itself, we were five - Mum, Dad, Shannon, Amanda and me.   Rat and Pam were very busy with Pam's side of the family, and Nicholas was sleeping all day after having done a night shift at the hospital on Christmas Eve.  

Mum cooked a lovely Christmas dinner and we had our pudding in stages as we cheated and used the microwave to warm the custard and gluten-free cranberry pudding.  So we all got our puddings at one minute intervals!

The afternoon was spent crocheting, reading, poking the fire and listening to music.   Very quiet companionable day - really relaxing.

(Not quite sure what happened here, but I thought it looked quite arty!)

My new poncho being modelled as bloomers!

As for Boxing Day, it was a totally different story ..... we were eight plus reindeer/ dog.  

We all fit perfectly around Mum and Dad's new table - in all previous years, we've had to use a supplementary camping table to fit us all in which usually ended up in bickering such as "but I always sit on the small table", etc, etc.   No such arguing this year - we were a perfect fit.

Dinner was fab and didn't last very long!   After dinner, it was time for the boys to have a fag and for the washing up to be done and then we could get down to the present opening, which this year lasted about four hours!

Tradition dictates that someone is appointed Santa (Shannon this year) and she had her own little Santa helper (Rat).   Presents get sorted into piles and then one person gets a present at a time while we all ooh and aah and then move on to the next person.   It takes forever and we always need a tea break/ half time interval.   One day I will look back on this and think it is a lovely tradition which I miss, but, for now, it takes way too long!

So, a really lovely couple of days - no arguing; lots of laughter and singing; a lot of poking the fire (it's new and quite a distraction!); a bit of dancing to Boney M as always; waiting for Jim Reeves album to finally finish; counting down the songs left on the Elvis CD.   But mostly laughter and that lovely feeling when your jaws ache and tears are running down your face and you end up with a terrible stitch.   A perfect Christmas in fact.

Christmas 2014

Andy and I had our Christmas a few days before everyone else - we just can't wait!   I took a couple of days of work so we had a lovely long weekend, which seemed to be taken up mostly by food, as the following photos will testify.  We did manage one evening out, but, mostly we stayed in and enjoyed each other's company.  

It wouldn't have been a normal weekend without the odd domestic disaster of course - Andy constantly tells me I only want him for his DIY skills!   And I obliged by getting locked out of the larder with no access to fridge/freezer, chest freezer or Finn's food for a couple of days before Andy's arrival.  By the time I arrived home from work on the Friday evening, the larder had been broken into and normal service was resumed. Oh, and, while I'm not that bothered about having an ancient TV and waiting half an hour for it to warm up enough for a picture, or sound, and sometimes even both at the same time, this really was Simply Not Good Enough.   So on the Saturday morning, I had a brand new TV and the Virgin Media men were called out to come and sort out the digibox.   Result!   

On the Saturday evening, we had a pub tour of Norwich with a lovely meal at Bill's in the city.   

And, on the Sunday morning, Finn and I walked to work to collect my car which I'd left overnight, while Andy cooked the Christmas lunch - slight role reversal there, but it suits us both very well! 

Dinner didn't last very long!   And it was delicious.  So nice to have my very own chef.  Who even made loads extra for our Boxing Day meal of bubble and squeak with poached egg the following day.

I'm a very lucky girl indeed.

Here Come The Girls!

One Sunday in the middle of December - what seems a lifetime ago now, but which was in fact only three weeks! - the female Figgest descendants met at Covent Garden for Sunday lunch and a catch up.

I was trying to work out the last time (and, for some of us, the first time also) we met and thought it was only eighteen months ago.  However, it turned out to be two and a half years ago - blimey!   So, an assortment of cousins, sisters, aunts, etc, made their way to London for the big day - sadly, Sandra was not well, so there were only nine of us - but we made enough noise for more!

Now, those photos above are the ones I took - I was way too excited and giddy and enjoying myself to take many photos!  So I've "borrowed" some of the photos from the girls below - I really hope they don't mind.

We had the obligatory shot of Sheila's god-daughters.   And of course one of us with our fairy godmother ...

I love this photo above - they all look very angelic - haha!

Sadly, the afternoon went way too quickly and it wasn't long before we were having the mandatory group shots outside the restaurant and showing ourselves up in front of everyone, including the daftest "selfie" I've ever had the pleasure of being involved in!

So, a lovely, lovely day and I really think we ought to give ourselves a collective kick up the backside to at least meet once a year!  Kerri is getting married in December 2015 so what about a November meet and a bit of a "hen" do, girls?!!

Finn's 5th Anniversary

On 13 December, Finn and I celebrated our fifth anniversary!   I can't believe it's five years since he came to us from the Dogs' Trust Rehoming Centre in Snetterton.  We've had mostly ups but a few downs - even after five years, he can still behave a little bit unpredictably so I have to have my wits about me constantly with him.  We've no idea how old he is - we think eight or nine - because he was a stray, the rescue centre couldn't tell us anything about him at all, except that he was found in County Cork in Ireland.  Which is why he has an Irish name!  He was actually called Johnnie by the rescue centre, but they advised me to give him a new name for his new life.  I wanted to pick a huge name for him so I named him after Finn McCool, the mythical Irish giant.

I think it rather suits him!

Folksy Sale #7

I cannot believe how far behind I am with posts at the moment - despite it being 27 December, I still have posts to put up for Finn's anniversary (13 December), day out with the girls in Covent Garden (14 December), an un-Christmas (weekend of 20/21 December), Christmas Day and Boxing Day.   I resolve to be more prompt next year!

However, I wanted to blog about these socks .....

I love making socks - they're probably my most favourite thing to make, but it turns out that they're helping a lot of people out.  I had an order for five pairs in the summer from a chap who had really bad circulation and was also having chemo for skin cancer - chemo apparently makes your extremities really cold so bedsocks are needed.   (I sort of knew this already as I'd made a couple of pairs of socks for my friend Carol a couple of years ago who was having this treatment.)

Anyway, this pair sold a couple of weeks ago and I had the most wonderful thank you email from the lady who ordered these for her Dad.

Hi Susan,

The socks have just arrived . They are beautiful thank you. They are for my Dad who has really bad circulation and these will be perfect ! you are very clever I wish I could knit like that ! I can just about run to a scarf !!!!

Thanks again, Merry Christmas I will be back for more !!!!!

Anne

I've copied and pasted below the description I put on Folksy - hope I don't get done for Folksy copyright, although, strictly speaking, I wrote the blinking thing!

Description

Lovely ankle length socks - knitted with a long cuff which makes them a bit slouchy - ideal for anyone with circulation problems as there's no elastic to cut into you. Perfect as bed socks! Or just for lounging around in. Made on five needles and knitted in the round, so no seams either. Fits up to a size 10.5/ 11 foot comfortably.

Inspiration

These socks are so soft and fine, perfect for lounging around in, or wearing as bed socks. There are no seams or elastic to interfere with your circulation. Perfect!